We are excited to bring Best of Italy back for another great year! This exclusive campaign from Stars and Stripes Europe is the only place where you can share your voice and show some love to the local businesses that support the US military community here in Italy.

We are changing things up for the 2026 survey! We will offer Best of Italy in two phases.

Nominate your local legends in over 20 categories! The nomination survey will launch in June and will only be open for two weeks. When you participate, you can write in your top pick businesses for categories like best tattoo shop, best daytrip, best sushi restaurant, and many more. There is no need to fill out every category when taking the survey. Just nominate your favorites and skip any that don’t apply.

Why are we taking nominations this year? We want to discover new places and give you the opportunity to share them with others in the community.

Pro tip: We are looking for nominations within an hour from your base that are located in Italy. We may all love some amazing spots outside of Italy, but for the purpose of Best of Italy please keep your nominations limited to those within Italia.

We will compile all your nominations into one big survey where you can vote on your favorites! The voting will start in July and be open until the end of August. Complete the survey to make your voice heard and be entered to win exclusive giveaways.

Why do we ask for your contact information on the voting survey? It’s your ticket to more than just voting! We use it to enter you into our prize giveaways and, if you opt-in, to send you our free newsletters packed with news, events, and exclusive updates.

After voting closes, we work hard behind the scenes to tabulate all the results to be published on our website so you can reference them on the go and find your new favorites!