Every time I arrive somewhere new in Italy, I have a little ritual. Before I unpack, before I even look at a dinner menu, I find a table with a view and ask what the locals are pouring for aperitivo. More often than not, the answer comes in a wide, sweating wine glass, glowing amber or blush or pale gold, with a slice of something bright tucked against the ice.
From a violet spritz on the Italian Riviera to an elderflower Hugo above Florence, my favorite aperitivo discoveries tell a story of place, flavor, and golden hour. Join me for a sip through Italy, one local spritz and unforgettable view at a time.
The spritz may have been born in the Veneto, but every region has quietly made it its own. A splash of a local liqueur, a fruit from the neighboring orchard, an herb from the hillside. Each one tastes like the place it comes from.
And the classics are only the beginning. New flavors keep appearing and evolving as bartenders play with seasonal fruit, local amari, garden herbs, and even edible flowers.
As a pastry chef, I find that opening a hotel's signature spritz menu is every bit as exciting as opening the dessert menu. I read both the same way, curious to see what the artist behind it has created for the palate. Each glass is a small expression of the place, the season, and the person who dreamed it up.
These are a few of the spritzes I have fallen for along the way, from timeless classics to delightful new discoveries, and the places where I first raised a glass to them.
A Spritz for Every Stop Venice: Where It All Began
It feels only right to start where the story starts. The spritz traces back to the 1800s, when visiting Austrian soldiers found the Veneto's wines a bit strong and asked for a "spritz" of water to soften them. The original Spritz Bianco is still poured today, simply white wine and sparkling water, crisp and clean.
Today, of course, Venice is all about color. Order a spritz in a bacaro along a quiet canal, and you will likely be asked, "Aperol or Select?" Aperol was born just down the road in Padua, sunny and gently bittersweet. Select, created in Venice itself, is deeper and more herbal, and it always arrives with a fat green olive on a pick. If you are feeling adventurous, ask for a Cynar spritz, made with an artichoke-based amaro that is earthier and wonderfully grown-up. Sip it slowly as the gondolas drift past, and the late light turns the water to gold.
Milan and Brescia: A Little Bolder
In Milan, aperitivo is practically a sport, and the Campari spritz is its uniform. It is a brighter, more assertive red than its Venetian cousin, with a bitterness that wakes up the palate before dinner. I love one with a view of the Duomo's marble spires, the piazza humming below.
An hour east, Brescia pours its own version called the Pirlo: still white wine, Campari, and a splash of soda, served in a round glass with a slice of orange. It is less fizzy and more elegant, the kind of drink you linger over.
Camogli: The Violetto Spritz
Camogli is one of the Italian Riviera's most enchanting fishing villages, all tall pastel houses stacked shoulder to shoulder above a pebbled beach. Here, I discovered the Violetto spritz: a soft, lilac-hued pour with a delicate floral sweetness. Sitting along the seafront with the fishing boats bobbing in the harbor, it tasted like a spring garden after the rain. It is as pretty as the town itself, and just as hard to forget.
Santa Margherita Ligure: Lemon Basil Spritz
Liguria is the birthplace of pesto, and the basil here is so fragrant; you can smell it before you see it. So, it only makes sense that the Riviera has given the spritz a garden-fresh twist. At the Imperiale Palace Hotel in Santa Margherita Ligure, a Liberty-style grande dame overlooking the Gulf of Tigullio, I was served a lemon basil spritz made with Basanotto, a Genoese liqueur infused with the region's prized basil. It is bright, herbal, and impossibly refreshing, with a ribbon of lemon floating through the bubbles. With the sea breeze drifting in and the yachts glowing in the harbor below, it is summer in a glass.
Capri and Sorrento: Limoncello Spritz
No journey along the Sorrento Peninsula or out to Capri is complete without limoncello, made from the region's famously fragrant lemons. Add Prosecco, a splash of soda, and a sprig of mint for the limoncello spritz: sunny, sweet, and tart all at once. Order one on a terrace overlooking the Bay of Naples, watch the boats trace white lines across the blue, and you will understand why people fall in love with this coastline and never quite recover.
Calabria: The Bergamot Spritz
Down in the toe of Italy's boot, Calabria grows nearly all of the world's bergamot, the fragrant citrus behind Earl Grey tea. Italicus, a bergamot liqueur rooted in this region, makes a spritz that is floral, citrusy, and utterly sophisticated. Traditionally served with green olives, that little salty bite against the perfumed citrus is pure magic. If you have only ever had an orange spritz, this one will surprise you.
Palermo is a city of beautiful contrasts: golden domes, bustling markets, and a vibrant street food scene. Here I fell for a pomegranate spritz, a deep jewel-toned ruby that tastes like a Sicilian autumn. Tart, lightly sweet, and gorgeous in the glass; it pairs perfectly with panelle or arancine as the evening settles in. While you are in Sicily, try an Averna spritz too. Averna is the island's beloved amaro, rich with notes of citrus and herbs, and it gives the spritz a warm, velvety depth.
Sardinia: Mirto Spritz
Sardinia has its own treasure in mirto, a deep purple liqueur made from wild myrtle berries that grow across the island. In a spritz, it becomes something earthy and aromatic, with a hint of juniper and dark fruit. Enjoyed by the sea as the sun sinks into the Mediterranean, it is a true taste of the island's wild beauty.
My Favorite: A Hugo Above Florence
Of all the spritzes I have tasted, the one that holds my heart is the Hugo. Born in the Alpine valleys of South Tyrol, it is a gentle blend of Prosecco, elderflower, fresh mint, and a splash of soda. Light, floral, and endlessly refreshing, it's the kind of drink that makes you slow down without even trying.
My favorite place to enjoy one is high above Florence at the Bardini Gardens. After climbing through the terraced gardens and beneath the wisteria pergola, I settle in with a Hugo as the whole city unfolds below. Brunelleschi's Duomo rises above a sea of terracotta rooftops; the Arno glimmers in the distance, and the Tuscan hills soften into shades of lavender and rose as the sun sets. The mint is cool, the elderflower is sweet, and for a moment, everything feels exactly as it should be.
Salute to Golden Hour
The beauty of the spritz is that it is never just a drink. It is an invitation to pause. Whether you find yourself on a canal in Venice, a harbor wall in Camogli, a lemon-scented terrace in Sorrento, or a garden above Florence, the ritual is the same: a glass that catches the light, a small plate of something salty, good company, and nowhere else you need to be. So, wherever your travels take you in Italy, find your table, order the local spritz, and let aperitivo unfold during golden hour. Watch the sky turn to honey and rose, listen to the clink of glasses around you, and take it all in. It is one of those simple Italian pleasures that stays with you long after you have gone home, and a memory everyone should have at least once.
Salute!
By Janet von Rusten
Exquisitely Italy
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