Italien

This part of the city fuses a gutsy market precinct – a covered produce market and noisy street stalls surrounding the Basilica di San Lorenzo – with capacious Piazza San Marco, home to Florence University and a much-loved museum. Between the two is the world’s most famous sculpture, David. The result is a sensory experience jam-packed with urban grit, uplifting art and some fabulously authentic, local-loved addresses to eat, drink and shop.

Silky beaches, prehistoric treasures, haunting mines – Sardinia's southwest is rich in history and natural beauty. The main drawcard is its thrilling coastline, which stretches from the great untamed sands of the Costa Verde to the cliff-bound coves of the Iglesiente and the seductive bays of the Costa del Sud. Offshore, the Isola di San Pietro and Isola di Sant'Antioco boast their own distinctive charms: San Pietro with its animated and instantly likeable atmosphere, and Sant'Antioco with its earthy character and rich archaeological legacy.

Införandet av den föreslagna skatten för turister som besöker Venedig utan att övernatta har ännu en gång skjutits upp. Anledningen är att man inte kommit på hur avgiften ska krävas in. Men första januari nästa år hoppas kommunen att den nya lokala turistskatten ska vara verklighet.

Turin är den norditalienska industristaden som satt på sig finkläderna utan att förlora sin arbetarsjäl. Åsa Johansson guidar till en stad som överraskar.

Literally the ‘other side of the Arno’, this achingly hip ’hood is traditionally home to Florence's artisans and its old-world, bohemian streets are sprinkled with botteghe (workshops), independent boutiques and hybrid forms of both. It embraces the area south of the river and west of Ponte Vecchio; its backbone is Borgo San Jacopo, clad with shops and a twinset of 12th-century towers, Torre dei Marsili and Torre de' Belfredelli. Cuisine – prepared using artisanal ingredients, of course – is a real strength here, with bags of fashionable restaurants and drinks to entice.

Named after Sulci, the ancient city the Phoenicians established on the Isola di Sant’Antioco, the Sulcis area encompasses Sardinia’s southwestern corner and its two offshore islands. Attention here is largely focused on its beaches and coastal splendours but venture inland and you'll discover a mountainous interior speckled with historical interest.

This is an intriguing part of Tuscany, home to wild scenery and evocative reminders of Italy's Etruscan heritage. Usually referred to as the Maremma, its highlights include the intensely atmospheric Città del Tufo archaeological park, a network of Etruscan tombs and mysterious sunken roads known as vie cave in the countryside around the towns of Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano. Further north, more Etruscan heritage can be explored at the archaeological sites of Roselle and Vetulonia, and in the archaeological museum at one of Tuscany's most charming Renaissance–era hilltop towns, Massa Marittima.

The best way to arrive in Sardinia’s historic capital is by sea, the city rising in a helter-skelter of golden-hued palazzi, domes and facades up to the rocky centrepiece, Il Castello. Although Tunisia is closer than Rome, Cagliari is the most Italian of Sardinia’s cities. Vespas buzz down tree-fringed boulevards and locals hang out at busy cafes tucked under arcades in the seafront Marina district.

Det finns ställen som man helt enkelt inte får nog av. Trots att att det är spännande att upptäcka nya delar av världen finns det vissa platser vi återvänder till om och om igen. Redaktionen listar sina favoriter!

Har du sett Colosseum i Rom, kanalerna i Venedig och skulpturen David av Michelangelo i Florens? Dags att lyfta blicken och upptäcka mer av Italiens härliga städer. Vagabonds skribent Åsa Johansson listar fem sköna städer att botanisera bland.