Italien

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.

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.

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.

Italienska vinresor bjuder på vacker natur, urgamla anor, modern arkitektur och så klart utsökta viner! Vi tar en svängom i vinlandet och listar 4 unika upplevelser.

Utanför den italienska småstaden Bomarzo är skogen full av monster. Med förvrängda och groteska ansikten och förtvivlade sneda grimaser vittnar de om deras skapare Pier Francesco Orsinis stora sorg efter förlusten av hans fru.

Under Colosseum i Rom går ett enormt närverk av underjordiska tunnlar där gladiatorerna och djuren förbereddes inför sina blodiga strider. För första gången i amfiteaterns historia öppnas nu det 15 000 kvadratmeter stora tunnelnätverket upp för allmänheten!

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.

Drömmer du om att ge dig ut på ett äventyr till fots? Vi tipsar om sju långa vandringsleder på hyfsat nära håll i Europa.

Tröttnat på snöfattiga dalar och hederliga men lite tråkiga alphotell? Vänd blicken uppåt. I italienska Aostadalen bor man bäst på bergens snösäkra rifugios. Med dem som utgångspunkt blir skidresan en totalupplevelse för hela familjen.

Sicily's wild and empty interior is a beautiful, uncompromising land; a timeless landscape of silent, sunburnt peaks, grey stone villages and forgotten valleys. Traditions live on and life is lived at a gentle, rural pace. It's an area that encourages simple pleasures – long lunches of earthy country food, meanders through hilltop towns, quiet contemplation over undulating vistas. It’s also an area of surprising natural diversity – one minute you’re driving through rolling hills reminiscent of Tuscany, the next through pockets of eucalypt bush akin to Australia.