Italien

With its triple-barrelled moniker, Friuli Venezia Giulia's multifaceted nature should come as no surprise. Cultural complexity is cherished in this small, little-visited region, tucked away on Italy's far northeastern borders with Austria and Slovenia. Its landscapes offer profound contrasts too, with the perpetually snowy Giulie and Carnic Alps in the north, idyllic grapevine-filled plains in the centre, sandy beaches along the southern shore, and limpid lagoons and craggy karst cliffs encircling the regional capital, Trieste.

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.

Milan’s centre is conveniently compact. The splendid cathedral sits in a vast piazza that throngs with tourists, touts and the Milanese themselves. From here, choose God or Mammon, music or art, or take in all four by visiting the epic Duomo, historic shopping arcade Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, La Scala opera house and the Palazzo Reale, Novecento and Gallerie d’Italia museums.

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.

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).

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.

Milan is Italy's city of the future, a fast-paced metropolis where money talks, creativity is big business and looking good is an art form.

Rising out of the cobalt-blue seas off Sicily's northeastern coast, the Unesco-protected Aeolian Islands (Vulcano, Lipari, Salina, Panarea, Stromboli, Filicudi and Alicudi) are a little piece of paradise, a seven-island archipelago offering a wealth of opportunities for relaxation and outdoor fun. Stunning waters provide sport for swimmers, sailors, kayakers and divers, while trekkers can climb hissing volcanoes and gourmets can sip honey-sweet Malvasia wine.

Best known for its Shakespeare associations, Verona attracts a multinational gaggle of tourists to its pretty piazzas and knot of lanes, most in search of Romeo, Juliet and all that. But beyond the heart-shaped kitsch and Renaissance romance, Verona is a bustling centre, its heart dominated by a mammoth, remarkably well-preserved 1st-century amphitheatre, the venue for the city's annual summer opera festival. Add to that countless churches, a couple of architecturally fascinating bridges over the Adige, regional wine and food from the Veneto hinterland and some impressive art, and Verona shapes up as one of northern Italy's most attractive cities. And all this just a short hop from the shores of stunning Lake Garda.

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.