Italien

Italy's second-largest region is arguably its most elegant: a purveyor of Slow Food and fine wine, regal palazzi and an atmosphere that is superficially more français than italiano. But dig deeper and you'll discover that Piedmont has 'Made in Italy' stamped all over it. Emerging from the chaos of the Austrian wars, the unification movement first exploded here in the 1850s, when the noble House of Savoy provided the nascent nation with its first prime minister and its dynastic royal family.

Gucci har byggt om sitt museum i den italienska staden Florens. I dagarna öppnade det nya komplexet Gucci Garden upp för gäster på nytt. Här kan gäster shoppa, äta och ta del av lyxklädmärkets långa och glamourösa historia.

Campania is the Italy of your wildest dreams: a rich, intense, hypnotic ragù of Arabesque street life, decadent palaces, pastel-hued villages and aria-inspiring vistas.

Having been the crossroads of civilisations for millennia, Palermo delivers a heady, heavily spiced mix of Byzantine mosaics, Arabesque domes and frescoed cupolas. This is a city at the edge of Europe and at the centre of the ancient world, a place where souk-like markets rub up against baroque churches, where date palms frame Gothic palaces and where the blue-eyed and fair have bronze-skinned cousins.

With ancient treasures, medieval towns, remote hilltop monasteries and volcanic lakes, Lazio is one of Italy's great surprise packages.

Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper and the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio draw visitors to these leafy streets, but there’s an equal mix of sacred and secular here. Milan’s stock exchange sits on Piazza degli Affari, hence the chic shops on Corso Magenta and the aperitivo bars full of young bankers. Historically affluent, this neighbourhood is also home to the Milanese elite, and if you're lucky you may glimpse a sumptuous private courtyard. To the south and west, the vibe grows more casual, influenced by students at the sprawling Università Cattolica.

Orientexpressen mellan Paris och Istanbul var länge det lyxigaste och snabbaste sättet att resa österut. Vi skaffade varsitt tågluffarkort, begav oss till Gare de Lyon och tog rygg på det legendariska lyxtåget. Var god tag plats, stäng dörrarna! Nu åker vi.

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

Den eviga staden Rom har ingen brist på varken sevärdheter eller upplevelser. Men kanske vill du maxa din semester med en liten utflykt? Vi har listat sju förslag på trevliga avstickare från Rom.

Palermo har rest sig och lämnat sitt dåliga rykte bakom sig. På gott och ont har staden blivit ett av världens trendigaste och häftigaste resmål.