Mother Nature and History have united to shower this peninsula with riches—yet its stunning scenery and incredible monuments are just the start of Italy’s charm. Where else do cities double as outdoor museums and mouth-watering meals cost only a few Euros? Discover a legendarily beautiful and passionate people who know how to appreciate the pleasures of life, from a gelato eaten on a sunny terrace to a reckless Vespa ride through busy urban streets.

Sun-baked Sicily with its golden fields of wheat and red sandstone palazzos lives up to its nickname of “God’s Kitchen”, offering world-class wine and delicious specialties like cannoli. Stroll down a narrow Florence street and find yourself plunged into the heart of the Renaissance, surrounded by the glory of the Medici dynasty reflected in masterpieces by Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo. Fall under the spell of Venice where an intricate maze of lanes and canals lined with picturesque palazzos opens into the expanse of San Marco Canal.

In Rome, architecture ranges from massive Roman monuments to Renaissance churches and Baroque palaces, around which modern life swarms and buzzes. After a hard day of sight-seeing, relax near the fountains of Piazza Navona, lounge in the lovely Villa Borghese gardens, or dine in one of the city’s seemingly endless restaurants serving delicious wine and exquisite antipasti.      

From fiercely fashionable Milan to the dramatic Amalfi coast, through central vineyards to the jewel-like northern lakes surrounded by terraced villas, in idyllic Sardinia or bucolic Tuscany, Italy’s loveliness is unparalleled.