Italien

Sugen på att göra något annorlunda i sommar? Nu erbjuder Airbnb och den lokala organisationen Wonder Grottole möjligheten att testa på livet som invånare i den pittoreska byn Grottole i Italien.

Den vackra kanalstaden Venedig lockar många turister varje år. Nu blir staden den första i Italien att debitera sina besökare – en inträdesavgift pÙ� drygt 30 kronor har nämligen införts.

Trött på Mallis och Kreta? Lugn, det finns fort­­farande en del okända paradisöar där ute. Vi tipsar om tio hemliga guldkorn i Sydeuropa.

Apulien var länge Italiens port till Orienten. Idag en bubblande region som lyckats undgå turistradarn. Vagabonds Karin Wimark reste till klacken för en semester på italienarnas bakgård.

Införandet av den omdiskuterade turistavgiften i Venedig planerades att införas sommaren 2020 men nu skjuts den upp till 1 juli 2021.

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.

Italy's second-largest lake, Maggiore is one of Europe's more graceful corners. Arrayed around the lakeshore are a series of pretty towns (Stresa, Verbania, Cannobio and, on the Swiss side of the border, Locarno) and these serve as gateways to gorgeous Maggiore islands. Behind the towns, wooded hillsides rise, strewn with decadent villas, lush botanical gardens and even the occasional castle. Further still from the lakeshore, but not as far as you might think, the snow-capped peaks of Switzerland provide the perfect backdrop and idyllic vantage points over the lake are many, from the breakfast terrace of your lakeside hotel to the eyries reached by cable car from Locarno, Laveno and Stresa. And fabulous detours await, whether into the high valleys from the northern end of the lake or to Orta San Giulio to the southwest, one of the region's most beguiling villages.

Det natursköna Kalabrien i södra Italien har fått en ny vandringsled. Kalabria Coast to Coast Trail knyter samman de två haven och bjuder på en spektakulär vandring över mustiga berg och genom söta bergsbyar.

Vinet, maten, historien. Under en weekend i Rom hinner du både med att beundra konst i Vatikanstaten, promenera runt i stilsäkra Centro Storico och barhoppa i de hippa kvarteren Monti, Trastevere och San Lorenzo. Här är några av stadens bästa boenden – från billiga hostels till lyxiga boutique-hotell.

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.