Italien

Inkilade bland väldiga kullar klädda i terrasser med vinrankor väller pastellfärgade hus ner i havet. Här är allt du behöver veta för en lyckad vandring mellan de pittoreska byarna.

Italiens kust är en dröm många går och längtar till – turkost vatten, badstränder, parasoll och vackra byar med härliga restauranger. Vi listar tre kustområden och tipsar om mat, boende och aktiviteter (när du är klar med att bara ligga och jäsa på stranden).

Tossed like colourful dice into the beautiful blue Bay of Naples, the islands of the Amalfi Coast are justifiably famous and sought out. They are surprisingly diverse as well. Procida, Ischia and Capri vary not just in ambience and landscape but also in their sights, activities and size. Pretty Procida is the smallest of the trio; tiny, tranquil and unspoiled, and possible to explore in just a few hours. The fashionable flipside is Capri, with its celebrity circuit of experiences, sights and shops; plan your day (and your footwear) with care, especially if you’re hoping to hike. Ischia is the largest island, with natural spas, botanical gardens, hidden coves and exceptional dining. If that all sounds too challenging, make a beeline for the beaches – they are the Bay of Naples’ best.

Tar du in på vandrarhem får du mer pengar till restaurangbesök och andra nöjen. Vagabond har listat tre tips på budgetboenden i Rom.

Gourmets get ready to indulge: the rolling hills, valleys and townships of southern Piedmont are northern Italy's most redolent pantry, weighed down with sweet hazelnuts, rare white truffles, arborio rice, delicate veal, precious cheeses and Nebbiolo grapes that metamorphose into the magical Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Out here in the damp Po river basin, the food is earthy but sublime, steeped in traditions as old as the towns that foster them. There's Alba, the region's vibrant, pretty capital; Bra, home of the Slow Food Movement; Pollenzo, host to the University of Gastronomic Sciences, and the constellation of charming villages that includes La Morra, Neive, Barolo and Barbaresco. Further north, the Monferrato area occupies a fertile triangle of terrain between Asti, Alessandria and its historical capital, Casale Monferrato. Vineyards fan out in all directions interspersed with castles and celebrated restaurants.

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.

Italien har drabbats hårt av coronaviruset varpå hela landet satts i karantän. Ett annars myllrande Italien blev tyst rapporterade många, men till och med då hittar italienare satt att lätta upp stämningen och stämma upp i sång och musik.

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.

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.

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.