Italien

Covering 370 sq km, Lake Garda is the largest of the Italian lakes, straddling the border between three regions: the Lombard plains to the west, Alpine Trentino Alto-Adige to the north and the rolling hills of the Veneto to the east. Look around and you’ll be surprised to see a Mediterranean landscape of vineyards, olive groves and citrus orchards that is thanks to the lake's uniquely mild microclimate.

Denna tur ger dig några av guldkornen i norra Italien, från hisnande Cinque Terre till Venedigs kanaler.

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.

Italiens region Emilia-Romagna har det mesta man vill få ut av ett besök i landet. God mat, vacker natur, pittoreska städer och mycket mer. Här är 5 platser du borde besöka!

Buried for centuries beneath metres of volcanic debris, the archaeological sites scattered between Naples and Castellammare to the south are among the most spectacular Roman relics in existence. These include the ruins of Pompeii and the smaller yet better-preserved ruins of Herculaneum. Beyond them are lesser-known yet worthy archaeological wonders, including the lavishly frescoed villa of Oplontis. Their common nemesis, Mt Vesuvius, offers jaw-dropping summit views and bucolic hiking trails. To the west of Naples lie the sulphuric Campi Flegrei, speckled with Graeco-Roman legends, evocative yet little-visited ruins, and an impressive archaeological museum.

The eastern edge of Tuscany is beloved by both Italian and international film directors, who have immortalised its landscape, hilltop towns and oft-quirky characters in several critically acclaimed and visually splendid films. Despite this, the region remains largely bereft of foreign tourists (Cortona is a notable exception) and so offers uncrowded trails and destinations for those savvy enough to explore here. Attractions are many and varied: spectacular mountain scenery, hidden hermitages and walks in the Casentino; magnificent art and architecture in the medieval destinations of Arezzo, Sansepolcro and Cortona; one of Italy's most significant Catholic pilgrimage sites, La Verna; and Tuscany's best bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone steak) in the Val di Chiana. Here, your travels may be solitary – particularly in the low season – but they'll always be rewarding.

Boasting a wealth of diversions, this huge area extends to Rome’s southern limits. Glorious ancient ruins lounge amid pea-green fields and towering umbrella pines along the cobbled Via Appia Antica, one of the world's oldest roads and pot-holed with subterranean catacombs dating to the dawn of Christianity. By contrast, post-industrial Ostiense blasts visitors straight back to the modern age with its edgy street art, superb local dining and heaving nightlife. Then there's EUR, an Orwellian quarter of wide boulevards and linear buildings.

Tumbling down to the Adriatic from a wild, karstic plateau and almost entirely surrounded by Slovenia, Trieste is physically and psychologically isolated from the rest of the Italian peninsula. As such, it preserves its own unique border-town culture and retains a fascinating air of fluidity encapsulated in the Triestini dialect, a strange melange of Italian, Austrian-German, Croatian and Greek.

Toscana, Veneto och Sicilien i all ära – kanske är du redo att se något nytt av Italien? Abruzzo ligger vid Italiens östra kust och är till och med okänd bland många italienare. Här får du vår guide till regionen som bjuder på björnar, berg och bad!

Kristallklart vatten och sammetslena stränder. Semesterdrömmen Sardinien är populär både bland barnfamiljer och lyxlirare. Här har vi listat några av den stora öns bästa hotell.