Italy on this site is three places I keep going back to: Cannobio on Lake Maggiore and the steep valley behind it, Lavena Ponte Tresa on Lake Lugano, and Imperia on the Ligurian Riviera, with Cipressa, Dolcedo and the coast path. 17 rides written up in full, 699km and 13,102m of climbing. And two of the big Alpine passes cross into Italy too.
Most of my Italian riding has been from a base by the water, in the camper or on longer stays: a fortnight in Cannobio, a week in Imperia. The lakes are just over the border from Switzerland, so they were a short drive from home; the Riviera is a longer trip south to the sea.
Lake Maggiore and the Valle Cannobina, in Piedmont: Cannobio sits on the lake a few kilometres from the Swiss border, and behind it the Valle Cannobina climbs to the Passo dello Scopello and the Val Vigezzo. Every side road is a short, steep climb to a stone village, including Gurro, with its legend of Scottish soldiers, and Gurrone, where the road hits 39%.
Lake Lugano, in Lombardy: Lavena Ponte Tresa is a border town on the lake, with the Valganna and its climbs behind it, home roads of the 2000 Giro winner Stefano Garzelli.
The Riviera dei Fiori, in Liguria: Imperia, made in 1923 from Porto Maurizio and Oneglia, with olive hills straight behind the sea. From here you can climb the Cipressa, the Milan–San Remo climb, ride inland to Dolcedo and its 1292 bridge, or take the car-free coast path on the old railway line.
Two of the big passes start or finish in Italy too: the Grand St Bernard, down the Italian side to Gignod and the Aosta Valley, and the Stelvio, climbed from Prato in South Tyrol.