For many, the most beautiful city in the world. Venice has an eternal and poignant charm, and is today among the world capitals of contemporary art. Timeless, magical and decadent, the soul of Venice is made up of 118 islands united together by more than 400 bridges, separated by canals that act as waterways, forever bustling with gondolas and boats in a never-ending back-and-forth. Saying that it is brimming with art treasures is even disrespectful: romantic charm and history are absolutely unique.

One of the oldest cities in the world, nature, history and culture come together in Matera A place rich in scenery, unique architectural works, views of incomparable charm, Matera has captivated many artists, including Carlo Levi and Giovanni Pascoli, and continues to enchant with its Sassi, a World Heritage Site. Worthy of a long visit, it enraptures the heart.

Milan, the metropolis that finds a perfect and dynamic balance between history and modernity. While it is considered one of the world's fashion and design capitals, as well as a financial hub, Milan is also a city of culture and thought. While always looking towards the future, this Lombard capital lovingly preserves its prominent history, boasting spectacular museums and some of the most monumental churches in Italy.

The beating heart of Salento, Lecce enchants visitors with its stunning Baroque historic centre and the splendid sea right on its doorstep. Lecce has an unmistakable style, with monuments dating back to Roman times and, most notably, its extraordinary 17th-century buildings that proudly bare the characteristic blonde colour of the local stone. The atmosphere is vibrant and bustling. During the day, you can while away the hours sunbathing on its beaches, only a few kilometres from the city. In the evening, the city centre will entice you with its elegant, timeless alleyways and delicious local delicacies.

For over a millennium, Florence has been a global icon of beauty. Even its lesser-known neighbourhoods are a delight. The cradle of the Renaissance and the world capital of art in the 15th century, it boasts one of the oldest historic centres and some of the most famous museums in the world, as well as one of the most iconic and distinctive landscapes as far as the eye can see. Everything in Florence is spectacular: from the shops to the streets that lead to the hills overlooking the most touristy areas, from the most authentic and popular neighbourhoods, just outside the historic centre, to the monuments that exhibit its soul.

Explore Lucca and its treasures: from walls to towers, along with fine dining. One of Tuscany regional seats, Lucca is a city with a long history, but also a bustling cultural centre full of major events. Famous for its perfectly preserved 16th century city walls, it is characterised by many precious monuments that reveal its past as the most important city of the Italian Middle Ages.

Scattered across Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia, these UNESCO World Heritage Sites are valuable evidence of the pile-dwelling settlements of prehistoric communities. There are 19 in Italy, located in the immediate vicinity of lakes or the wetlands in Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino Alto Adige.

Matera is one of the oldest, still inhabited cities in the world: a magical place that preserves evidence of human settlements since the Palaeolithic period in its natural caves carved into the rock. Over the centuries, these caves, which were to become the symbol of the city, were developed into increasingly complex structures in two large natural amphitheatres. When visiting Matera, which is located on a limestone plateau in Basilicata characterised by deep fissures, ravines, rocks and caves, you feel as if you are entering a nativity scene. Houses, churches, monasteries and hermitages are built in the natural caves of the Murgia in a landscape so evocative that it was chosen as the setting for films such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel according to St Matthew. Are you ready to lose yourself in the wonders of this unique city?

A World Heritage Site according to UNESCO, it was frescoed by Giotto in 855 days between 1302 and 1305: prepare to be amazed when you enter, in front of 1,000 square metres of paintings dedicated to the Old and New Testament.

With one of the largest and best-preserved medieval city centres in Europe, Bologna is world-famous for its porticoes, which in 2021 were recognised by UNESCO for their artistic and socio-cultural value.

Thanks to its strategic position, Genoa established close relations with the Greek, Etruscan and Punic worlds, but the city's great expansion began after the year 1000. As a powerful maritime republic, Genoa was the protagonist of a public aristocratic residential project to build a system of new streets and palaces.

Florence is a city that amazes, seduces and stays in your heart. The Tuscan capital is an open-air museum full of architectural masterpieces and unique works of art. At every turn a marvel, so much so that its historic centre enclosed within the ancient medieval walls has been UNESCO World Heritage since 1982.

Built on the slope of Mount Ingino and crossed by the Camignano stream, Gubbio is a magnificent Medieval Umbrian city full of history and monuments that have always fascinated illustrious travellers and authors the likes of Gabriele D’Annunzio and Hermann Hesse, according to whom the city “produces an absolutely stunning effect and has something unreal and perturbing about it”.

Lake Trasimeno is located in the green heart of Umbria, amidst beds of reeds and charming white water lilies. It’s a true natural paradise home to wild ducks, cormorants, kites and kingfishers. Beyond the downward slope, gentle hills form the backdrop to the lake, along with sporadic woods and sunflower and corn fields, vineyards and olive groves. Agriculture here is still carried out following traditional techniques. Several towns are located on Lake Trasimeno. Some of them directly face the lake while others are nearby and are affected by the charm and attraction of this sheet of water.

The common denominator shared by these five Italian villages, in addition to their beauty, is the sea. They can also be seen or experienced through different food and wine nuances, as well as proposals for trekking, cycling and spa routes. Not to mention unique historical, artistic and architectural heritages.

This is Val d'Orcia, included in 2004 in the UNESCO World Heritage List. A unique encounter of art and nature, rich in evidence of the past, with a natural landscape redesigned during the Renaissance to reflect the ideals of 'good government' in the Italian city-state.

Jagged coastlines and cool golden sand, lively beaches and quiet lidos, but also a nature characterised by mountains and forests, rich in plant species and unique fauna in a natural habitat inhabited by deer, chamois, wolves, bears, foxes and lynx. Abruzzo is an Italian region of unparalleled beauty that deserves at least one visit to fall in love with the incredible variety of its landscapes.

In just a few words, Le Marche is spectacular, harmonious and winding. This region enchants visitors with its hills decorated with tradition and art, mountains equipped for skiing, and rocky coastlines dotted with beautiful sandy beaches. A perfect holiday destination all year round, it offers something for everyone, including sport, relaxation, spirituality and wellness.

It is one of the most-frequented destinations of sun-worshippers, scuba-divers and nature lovers, and it is the last trace of Italian terrain before the African coast. Lampedusa, glorious, sun-bleached island south of Sicily, helps to create the Pelagian Archipelago (“islands of the high sea” in Greek etymology), along with neighboring island Linosa and the Scoglio (a tiny boulder of an island) known as Lampione. A borderland straddling two worlds, Lampedusa contains within it the environmental characteristics of two continents: it is, after all, only 70 miles from Tunisia, and 109 miles from Sicily.

People travel to the Costa Smeralda because they are attracted by the high-society lifestyle of its jet-set habitués or because they want to get to know the coves and promontories of one of the most fascinating and characteristic parts of the island. The real discovery of these places goes far beyond simple stereotypes.

An important ski tourism draw the world over, Courmayeur, in Valle d'Aosta, is known for both its beauty and hospitality. This ancient village weaves that authentic Alpine atmosphere into its entire being: the visitor can feel it whether walking through its main streets – such as the central Via Roma – or getting lost in its most hidden corners. Courmayeur stands at the 4,016 feet-marker of Mont Blanc, within a verdant basin surrounded by firs, spruces and larches, and of course mountain peaks, glaciers and other gorgeous and traditional towns along the Dora Baltea River that traverses the entirety of Valle d'Aosta. The welcome that locals give to their visitors and their care for and attention to the details are evident in the numerous lodging structures – from luxury hotels to typical Alpine baitas, from the historic cafes in the town center to the mountain huts in the vicinity of the slopes.

Many know it as the Riviera of Fun, given its expansive and well-maintained beaches and innumerable attractions the Adriatic Riviera (in Emilia Romagna) is one of Italy’s best-known beach resort localities, and no doubt that the Riviera of Fun is a definition that suits this coast very well.

A sinuous promontory designed by the winds that Mount Conero (after which this area in the Marches was named) encounters while overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Tens of beaches surrounded by rocks and luxuriant vegetation that can only be reached by boat or on paths, and numerous cities full of history and tradition: This is the Conero Riviera. A surprising green and occasionally wild nature, unforgettable crystal-clear sea and many beaches - some easier to access than others - characterize the Riviera. Among these is Due Sorelle beach (which can only be reached by boat), named this way due to two large stacks (precisely the due sorelle or two sisters), and Mezzavalle beach.

While, in the past, it was Italian literature - thanks to Alessandro Manzoni and his novel The Betrothed - that made Lake Como more widely known, more recently cinema has prompted new and unexpected promotion. The shores of the lake - or some of its “branches” if you prefer - were the setting for scenes in blockbusters “Star Wars | Attack of the Clones" and "007 Casino Royale"... to mention but two. That might seem to be more than enough. Yet it was George Clooney, after choosing Villa Oleandra (Laglio) as his favourite residence, who today turned Lake Como into a dream destination for travellers from all latitudes. In our own small way, in Italy, we have always loved the hills and mountains that, in an almost geometric game, embrace the waters of this blue pearl. Just like the products that this evocative corner of northern Italy offers with such great generosity. And lastly, people who enjoy active holidays - blending water, land and sky - will find endless proposals or opportunities around Lake Como to try their hand at their favourite sports. Or perhaps even learn new ones.