Italien

Home to César Pelli’s spiralling skyscraper, Herzog & de Meuron’s contemporary 'greenhouse' and Stefano Boeri’s high-rise apartment blocks festooned with hanging gardens, the shiny new area between Porta Garibaldi and Porta Nuova is Milan’s mini-Manhattan. It even has its own sprawling public park: the Biblioteca degli Alberi (Library of Trees). Meanwhile, swanky Corso Como seamlessly links Corso Garibaldi with the hip, multicultural neighbourhood of Isola, making this a hotspot for bars, restaurants and independent shops.

Medieval towns, gentle lakes hemmed in by steep hillsides, vast plains, prehistoric rock art and mighty mountains make this part of the Lombard region one of northern Italy's most underrated corners. You'd need a couple of weeks to cover the area well, so you need to make choices. Bergamo, with its medieval Città Alta (Upper Town), is a must, and it's an inspired choice if this is your point of arrival in Italy. Townies and church lovers might concentrate on the main centres (Brescia, Cremona, Crema and Lodi), which all have fascinating medieval cores. An alternative tour of plains settlements will turn up palaces, castles and forts. Wine buffs may prefer touring the Franciacorta, south of Lake Iseo. North of Bergamo, several valleys lead deep into the picturesque Orobie Alps.

Mjuka hästar, cowboyhatt och bubblande rött vin. Följ med till en äkta hästranch i den italienska regionen Emilia-Romagna.

Anchored by its magnificent basilica, this ancient and intriguing part of Florence defies easy description – from the rough-cut streets around the central train station it’s only a short walk to the busy social scene around increasingly gentrified Piazza di Santa Maria Novella and the hip boutiques on the atmosphere-laden, old-world ‘back streets’ west of Via de’ Tornabuoni. Shopping here, intermingled with a multitude of attractive dining and drinking options, is among the best in Florence.

Counting the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps among its A-list sights, this central part of Rome is debonair and perennially packed with tourists. Designer boutiques, fashionable bars, swish hotels and a handful of historic cafes and restaurants crowd the streets between Piazza di Spagna and Piazza del Popolo in Tridente, while those around Piazza Barberini and the Trevi Fountain, within shouting distance of the president's palace on the Quirinale Hill, are home to multiple art galleries and an array of eateries that vary wildly in type and quality.

One of Sardinia's most beautiful medieval cities, seafront Alghero is the main resort in the northwest. Although largely given over to tourism – its population can almost quadruple in July and August – the town retains a proud and independent spirit. Its animated historic centre is a terrific place to hang out and, with so many excellent restaurants and bars, it makes an ideal base for exploring the beaches and beauty spots of the nearby Riviera del Corallo.

Naples is raw, high-octane energy, a place of soul-stirring art and panoramas, spontaneous conversations and unexpected, inimitable elegance – welcome to Italy's most unlikely masterpiece.

Eternal crossroads of the Mediterranean, the gorgeous island of Sicily continues to seduce travellers with its dazzling diversity of landscapes and cultural treasures.

I juni längtar vi till Medelhavets inbjudande vatten, lummiga vandringsstigar och solnedgångar på mysiga restauranger vid havet. Men även till karga landskap och dramatiska vyer. Här är tio tips på sköna resmål i juni.

More than any other city, Syracuse (Siracusa) encapsulates Sicily's timeless beauty. Ancient Greek ruins rise out of lush citrus orchards, cafe tables spill onto dazzling baroque piazzas, and honey-hued medieval side streets lead down to the sparkling blue sea. It's difficult to imagine now, but in its heyday this was the largest city in the ancient world, bigger even than Athens and Corinth. Its 'once upon a time' begins in 734 BC, when Corinthian colonists landed on the island of Ortygia (Ortigia) and founded the settlement, setting up the mainland city four years later. Almost three millennia later, the ruins of that then-new city constitute the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis, one of Sicily's greatest archaeological sites. Across the water from the mainland, Ortygia remains Syracuse's most beautiful corner, a deeply atmospheric quarter with an ever-growing legion of fans enamoured with its beautiful streetscapes and attractive dining, drinking and shopping options.