Whether you're a Lake Como-bound honeymooner, a wine lover yearning for Tuscany, or a foodie looking to stuff yourself with pizza and pasta, there's never a bad time or reason to go to Italy.
But there's a new reason to make your plans for 2025: Airfare to Italy can be surprisingly cheap … and point and miles deals are alive and well, too. And we're not just seeing airfare deals during the spring or winter – there's even rare availability during peak months this summer, too!
Our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers have seen it firsthand, as we've sent them alerts for sub-$600 roundtrip from close to 100 U.S. and Canadian airports flying to Italian destinations like Florence (FLR), Rome (FCO), Milan (MXP), Naples (NAP), Venice (VCE), and more! Plus, travelers with points and miles are booking American Airlines business class availability for 55,000 points each way; roundtrip Delta flights for 60,000 points; and even peak summer business class flights to Florence for less than $1,910 roundtrip!
Why is Italy suddenly such a hot spot for flight deals? Airlines have added tons of flights between the U.S. and Italy – 2,000 more than they flew between January and September of last year, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium. There are brand-new routes to destinations like Sicily and Naples as well as more departures heading for staple cities like Rome and Venice.
All that new capacity is making competition to bring you there fierce. And that's when you win.
Peak Summer Deals to Italy in 2025
Everyone wants to go to Italy during summertime. It's the best time for traveling families and teachers alike and prime time to get away and really soak in one of the best countries on earth. But because of that, demand during the peak season is really high … and so are fares.
Most travelers assume they'll have to pay $1,200 to $2,000 roundtrip per person just to get to Italy in economy during the summer months. Normally, that assumption is correct. But there's a workaround: Points and miles.
Let's look at a perfect example. Let's say you want to fly the new Delta flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Rome (FCO) this June. So you jump on Google Flights and give it a search.
Ouch…
To fly basic economy (i.e. no seat selection and no changes allowed), you're looking at $1,416 roundtrip. If you want some flexibility, a checked bag, and seat selection, you're looking at more than $1,600 for a main cabin fare. And if you think your Delta SkyMiles are coming to save you, you're wrong again…
That's not the way. This is the way….
That's right. You can book the exact same Delta flights to Rome and back above … for 100,000 points fewer points! The trick is to book your Delta flights through Delta's partner Virgin Atlantic. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points can be incredibly valuable. And you can easily earn them by transferring credit card points from the big banks like American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Bilt, and more.
The trick is finding the award availability to actually book these Delta flights using this incredibly lucrative workaround. That's just what we sent to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members a few weeks ago, showing exactly how to book these flights for 60,000 Virgin points total. One of the frequent 30% (or even 40%!) transfer bonuses we see from the big banks to Virgin can make this deal even better.
And when you book through one of Delta's partners like Virgin or Air France/KLM, there's no need to worry about a stingy basic economy fare. Using points, you get automatically get a standard Main Cabin economy fare, giving you a free checked bag and seat assignment.
For travelers looking to fly elsewhere to Italy in Delta's network using points, may we suggest a White Lotus Season 2-like adventure to Sicily?
You can use the same book-Delta-through-Virgin trick to book the new flight from New York (JFK) to Catania, Sicily (CTA), too – all for the same rates!
& Business Class, Too!
Here's something I know surprises people … because it surprised me when I first discovered it: Often, the best deals to fly to Europe during peak summer are in business class – not economy.
Travelers usually assume they can't afford to fly up front, so they limit their search to just economy. But even economy prices in the peak summer months can get stiff.
With some flexibility (and some help from your favorite flight deal service), you can fly business class to Italy – during peak summer, no less – for the price you might expect to pay in economy.
That's a lie-flat business class flight – in British Airways' swanky Club Suites with closing doors, lounge access, free bags, business class food and drink service, an amenity kit, and more – for about $700 more than a basic economy ticket.
Business travelers tend to stay home during the summer months, so the gulf between economy and business class fares overseas tends to shrink. Before you book that expensive economy ticket, give business class a look – it may be more reasonable than you thought.
For most travelers (myself included), that's still too much to pay for a single flight. That's why I flex my points and miles to fly business class, which is arguably the best way to find summer airfare to Europe. Check out this recent find.
American Airlines is launching a brand new route from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Naples (NAP) in the coming months. It's an exciting new route that a fellow Thrifty Traveler team member already booked thanks to this incredible points and miles award alert.
If you have American Airlines miles or Alaska Mileage Plan miles, you could secure these seats from just 55,000 points each way during June, July, or August – a screaming deal for one of the fanciest ways to fly to Italy.
Rome, Milan, Venice, & More Under $599 RT
That increase in flying between North America and Italy is going to drive down prices. But here's a secret: Flight prices to Italy have already been good over the last few months.
It doesn't get much better than this.
This Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Milan (MXP) fare flying American and its partner British Airways is a sweet deal. But you don't have to live near a major airport to get Italy for under $599 roundtrip. From Peoria (PIA) in Illinois to Philadelphia (PHL), travelers from cities big and small were able to take advantage of these outstanding prices.
That flight deal above was mostly flying American Airlines. It triggered a fare ware, with Delta eventually getting into the mix with dirt-cheap fares to Italy of its own. Check this out.
Delta and American were butting heads over the chance to fly you to Italy, and that's great news for you and me! All of these fares below are flying Delta across the pond instead.
We're calling it now: It's only a matter of time until more Italy fares pop up. Make sure you're ready when they do.
Not to be outdone, Venice (VCE) flights also got cheap recently, giving travelers from more than 120 U.S. and Canadian airports a shot at fares under $598 roundtrip.
Like most of the cheap fares to Italy, these Venice flights were cheapest for a trip between March and April. The same goes for this flight deal we found with availability to Florence (FLR).
The Florence deal also allowed travelers to secure these fares in the fall months as well, though.
Got Points? Fly Emirates to Italy for 35K RT (or Biz & First Class, Too!)
“Emirates? Like, the Middle Eastern airline?”
I know, I know, but trust me. Emirates flies a special, one-off route between New York City (JFK) and Milan (MXP). And those special flights can be booked for some special rates, too.
Don't have Emirates Skywards Miles? Don't sweat it. If you have American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, or Citi points, you can transfer them all to Emirates and book these economy flights for just 35,000 miles roundtrip! Emirates economy blows any U.S. carrier out of the water, and this is the best deal you'll find.
Read more: The Weirdest Airline Routes in the World (& How to Book Them!)
When you think Emirates, you probably think about business or first class, though. And luckily, you can book this same route to Milan in lie-flat seats using points, too.
Using 87,000 of those same Emirates Skywards miles, you can book that same nonstop flight from New York to Italy in Emirates business class and head back to the onboard bar (yes, there's a bar on this plane!) before you snooze your way across the Atlantic. Better yet: You can book a roundtrip in business class for as low as 108,000 miles!
Are you tired of me saying, “But wait, there's more!” yet? You shouldn't be, because the very best seats on this plane are Emirates First Class suites. They're hard to book on this route to Milan … but not impossible!
A few months back, we found some ultra-rare award space for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members to book first class to Milan for two. Some of us even booked it ourselves for later this year!
Other Lie-Flat Business Class From 54K Points
It's not just Emirates. Tons of airlines are scheduled to fly far more lie-flat seats over to Italy and back this year. That should make it easier to find some award space to book those seats using miles … in fact, it already is.
Just a few weeks ago, our Thrifty Traveler Premium members woke up to find this in their inbox, flying nonstop from Philadelphia (PHL) to Rome (FCO) in American Airlines business class.
With just 54,000 American Airlines miles, 55,000 Alaska miles, 78,000 Qatar Avios, or 63,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (or any of the points that transfer to those programs), you could make those seats yours!
Another lovely way to fly lie-flat to Italy is on Italian airline ITA Airways. We flew this swanky new seat last year and thought it was a great use of miles.
While award availability has been hard to come by lately, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are the best way to book these seats when you can find it. You can transfer points to Virgin from all of the major banks (Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and even Wells Fargo) and book from several U.S. cities.
Bottom Line
We're calling it: 2025 is the year of 2025 flight deals.
While you're not guaranteed to find a cheap fare or an amazing points deal to Italy this year, the increase in flights bodes well for travelers with their hearts set on a cheap flight. We're betting the deals like these will only continue as 2025 marches on.
Keep an eye out for cheap flights to Italy, or subscribe to Thrifty Traveler Premium and we'll do it for you.