Italien

Louise flyttade från den skånska myllan till storstadslivet i Milano för en vardag kantad av italiensk livsglädje, höga smakupplevelser och jakten på sin egen sanning.

Rom har ett överflöd av antik historia, mysiga gränder och enastående matupplevelser. Men det är lätt att gå vilse bland alla frestelser. Vagabonds Peter Loewe, som sedan länge bor i Rom, berättar hur du bäst tillbringar din tid i Den eviga staden.

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!

Poets and politicians, divas and dictators, they've all been drawn to captivating Lake Garda (Lago di Garda). In fact, 7% of all tourists to Italy head for the lake’s shores, taking to its wind-ruffled waters in the north and village- and vineyard-hopping in the south. Surrounded by three distinct regions – Lombardy, Trentino Alto-Adige and the Veneto – the lake’s cultural diversity attracts a cosmopolitan crowd. Mitteleuropeans colonise northern resorts such as Riva del Garda and Torbole, where restaurants serve air-dried ham and Austrian-style carne salada (salted beef), while in the south, French and Italian families bed down in Valtenesi farmhouses and family-friendly spa towns such as Sirmione and Bardolino.

Anchored by its magnificent basilica, this ancient and intriguing part of Florence defies easy description – from the rough-cut streets around the central train station it’s only a short walk to the busy social scene around increasingly gentrified Piazza di Santa Maria Novella and the hip boutiques on the atmosphere-laden, old-world ‘back streets’ west of Via de’ Tornabuoni. Shopping here, intermingled with a multitude of attractive dining and drinking options, is among the best in Florence.

Italiens kulturhuvudstad för 2022 har presenterats – och det är en riktig färgklick den här gången! Den lilla staden Procida ligger på ön med samma namn i Neapelbukten. Följ med in bland de pastellfärgade gränderna!

Den eviga staden Rom har ingen brist på varken sevärdheter eller upplevelser. Men kanske vill du maxa din semester med en liten utflykt? Vi har listat sju förslag på trevliga avstickare från Rom.

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.

Despite being only a hop, skip and jump from the city’s major museums, most of this ancient part of Florence is far removed from the tourist maelstrom. The streets behind main sight Basilica di Santa Croce are home to plenty of locals, all of whom seem to be taking their neighbourhood’s reinvention as hipster central – epicentre of the city’s bar and club scene – with remarkable aplomb.

Despite possessing the types of landscapes that dreams are made of, much of this part of Tuscany feels far away from well-beaten tourist trails. Here you can investigate the multicultural past and extraordinary cuisine of port city Livorno and then follow the Strada del Vino e dell'Olio Costa degli Etruschi south, visiting vineyards, olive groves, medieval villages and scenic archaeological sites along the way.