Italien

Centred on transport hub Stazione Termini, this is a large and cosmopolitan area that, upon first glance, can seem busy and overwhelming. But hidden among its traffic-noisy streets are some beautiful churches, Rome’s best unsung art museum at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, and any number of trendy bars and restaurants in the fashionable Monti, student-loved San Lorenzo and bohemian Pigneto districts.

In Puglia, everything the Italophile craves is here in abundance: ancient towns, extravagant churches, seas of olives, olive-green seas and food to equal of anywhere else in Italy.

Maggiore is Italy’s international lake – its northernmost point protrudes sinuously into Switzerland, while its Italian shores are shared by Piedmont (west) and Lombardy (east). Free of Como’s overt glamour or Garda’s Disney-esque theme parks, it is often considered the most peaceful of northern Italy’s great bodies of water, its shores a little less crowded and its hinterland intriguingly wilder. The star attractions are the Borromean Islands, which, like a fleet of fine vessels, lie at anchor at the Borromean Gulf’s (Golfo Borromeo) entrance, an incursion of water between the lake’s two main towns, Stresa and Verbania.

Nu öppnar flera länder i Europa för besökande turister. Från och med 30 juni blir det möjligt att besöka de flesta Medelhavsländerna. Men länderna har infört olika restriktioner och krav. Vagabond har kollat läget för Grekland, Italien och Spanien – svenskarnas favoriter!

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.

Vilket är det bästa sättet att motverka eventuell höst- eller vinterdepp om inte en resa? Här listar vi tio sköna weekendstäder, och vad du inte får missa när du reser dit.

For all the noise, chaos and scruffiness that hit the visitor at first glance, Catania has a strong magnetic pull. This is Sicily at its most youthful, a city packed with cool and gritty bars, abundant energy and an earthy spirit in sharp contrast to Palermo’s aristocratic airs.

Abruzzo är så okänt att knappt italienarna vet var det ligger, trots att här finns både höga berg där man kan åka skidor och fina stränder vid Adriatiska havet. Välkommen till det vilda Italien!

There's far more to this green corner of Tuscany than Italy's iconic Leaning Tower. Usually hurtled through en route to Florence and Siena's grand-slam queue-for-hours sights, this is the place to take your foot off the accelerator and go slowly – on foot or by bicycle or car. Allow for long lunches of regional specialities to set the pace for the day, before meandering around a medieval hilltop village or along an ancient pilgrimage route.

Växla mellan varmt och kallt. Här kommer sex ställen där du kan kombinera gnistrande vit snö med ljummet hav och soliga storstadsparker. Bäst tid att blanda skidåkning med utekafésittande i Europa är mars och april.