Italien

A tightly packed tangle of cobbled alleyways, Renaissance palaces, ancient ruins and baroque piazzas, the historic centre is the Rome many come to see. Its theatrical streets teem with boutiques, cafes, trattorias and stylish bars, while market traders and street artists work its vibrant squares. The Pantheon and Piazza Navona are the star turns, but you’ll also find a host of monuments, museums and churches, many with works by the likes of Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini et al.

Just beyond the glamor of Sardinia lies an island full of myth, tradition, incredible cuisine scenery that will leave you breathless.

Att vandra i italienska Dolomiterna är något helt fantastiskt och lyxigare än många kanske vet. Vi tipsar om rutt, boenden, packning och mycket mer.

With its old-world cobbled lanes, ochre palazzi, ivy-clad facades and boho vibe, ever-trendy Trastevere is one of Rome’s most vivacious and Roman neighbourhoods – its very name, ‘across the Tiber’ (tras tevere), evokes both its geographical location and sense of difference. Endlessly photogenic and largely car-free, its labyrinth of backstreet lanes heaves after dark as crowds swarm to its foodie and fashionable restaurants, cafes and bars. Rising up behind all this, Gianicolo Hill offers a breath of fresh air and superb views of Rome, which is laid out at your feet.

Redan 2019 gick Venedigs borgmästare ut med att man skulle börja ta betalt av besökare. Projektet blev sedan framskjutet på grund av pandemin – tills staden återigen såg 80 000 besökare om dagen.

Fenomenet med italienska byar som rear ut hus för en spottstyver har pågått några år. Oftast har det handlat om orter en bra bit från huvudstaden, men nu har bergsbyn Maenza – bara sju mil söder om Rom – lagt ut sina första hus för 10 kronor. Totalt vill man sälja 100 hus!

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.

When museum and/or tourist overload strikes – a common occurrence in this culturally resplendent city – consider stretching your legs amid some urban greenery in this soul-soothing eastern neighbourhood on the Oltrarno (aka 'the other side of the river'). Fronted by the grandiose palace of Palazzo Pitti, jam-packed with museums, Boboli's magnificent tier of palaces, villas and gardens climbs uphill to San Miniato, a hilltop ’hood famously crowned by a copy of Michelangelo's David and one of the city’s oldest and most beautiful churches. Views, predictably, are sweeping and soul-soaring.

Italien har ingen brist på cykelvägar med undersköna vyer – men kommande Ciclabile di Limone sul Garda spås bli något i en klass för sig. Den 140 kilometer långa sträckan kommer att gå runt hela Gardasjön och har redan titulerats "Europas mest spektakulära cykelbana".

The most evocative of Venice's southern islands are tiny specks capped with monasteries such as San Servolo, San Lazzaro degli Armeni and (especially) San Giorgio Maggiore, its gracious Palladio church forming the essential backdrop for dreamy lagoon views. The much larger crescent of Giudecca has its own Palladian masterpieces and is a fascinating mash-up of luxury hotels, workaday apartments, the remnants of industry and a still-functioning women's prison. Lido is Venice's 12km beach escape, its A-list film festival a hangover from its days as one of Europe's most glamorous resorts.