You’ve probably seen Monterosso al Mare’s coastline before: Bagni Eden, the beach studded by orange and green parasols is perfect postcard fodder. The town is just one in the string of La Spezia’s renowned Cinque Terre coast, often tackled by visitors by a breezy coastal hike. The route from Monterosso to the next town across – Vernazza – is particularly popular (and especially wonderful when you begin it with the sunrise and the smell of fresh chocolate-stuffed cornetti).

Tracing the precipitous edge of northern Italy’s Lake Garda and firmly nestled in the mountains, Limone sul Garda’s position posed an accessibility challenge until just a few decades ago, helping the town retain its rustic charm. Although the village traditionally deals in lemon growing, its name is a derivative of the Latin limen, or border – which refers to its location near the region’s border. 

An atmospheric walled city standing sentry above the Tuscan countryside, San Gimignano can be seen from kilometres away, thanks in part to its clusters of towers that pierce the sky above it. There are 14 remaining medieval towers and a charming central plaza, Piazza della Cisterna, where visitors usually sprawl in the sun with a gelato in hand.

Crowning the apex of a gloriously green hill in the Apennine Mountains, the village of Castellucio can be reached only by tackling a swerving route up to the summit. With a historical centre dating back to the 13th century and a setting of undulating hills and wide plains blanketed by blood red poppies and lentil flowers, this town – with a permanent population of just eight – is a hidden Umbrian gem. 

Pop a pin in the middle of the northern Sicilian coast and you’ll find Cefalù, a place that seems to float on its glittering ocean edges. Known for its cinematic beauty (immortalised in the classic heartbreaker Cinema Paradiso), the heart of the town is the imposing Cattedrale di Cefalù, a sand-coloured UNESCO World Heritage listed church built in 1136.   

Clinging to a cliffside between the tourist-magnet towns of Positano and Amalfi, oceanside Praiano seems to defy gravity. Its most spectacular feature is its vantage point, and the views seen from various perches throughout the town are spectacular; with some reaching as far as the tiny isle of Capri, across the mist-blue Tyrrhenian Sea. 

So far north-east it’s just a few kilometres shy of not being Italy at all, Trieste is a port city in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region near the Slovenian border along the Adriatic. The city’s cuisine is a delicious meeting of its surrounding influences, with everything from fresh seafood to hearty and warming Austro-Hungarian sausage stews and strudels.  

With a landmass of just 450 hectares, you might think there isn’t a lot to discover on Monte Isola, an island in Brescia’s Lake Iseo. On the contrary: this diminutive islet has a wealth of walking trails, authentic restaurants and hamlets of narrow streets and traditional houses with terracotta-tiled roofs in its tiny towns such as Peschiera and Siviano. 

Yes, you can draw a line between this vibrant town in northern Italy and your favourite midweek meal. The origins of “spag bol” connect to Imola, a town 45 minutes west of Bologna by car, which historians agree is the birthplace of tagliatelle al ragù or, as we’ve come to know (a form of) it, spaghetti bolognese. Needless to say, you’ll eat incredibly well during a visit here – the city is known for its diverse and delicious cuisine.

It’s little surprise that a town in the region that founded parmigiano, prosciutto and ragù has an outstanding dining scene. Two whole episodes of the uber-popular Netflix show, Master of None, centred on the cobbled city, with a flood of featured eateries from the stand-out sandwich shop Bar Schiavoni to the authentic salumeria-slash-restaurant Hosteria Giusti. Michelin-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana, fronted by maverick chef Massimo Bottura and featured in another Netflix hit, Chef’s Table, also resides here. 

Built on a hook-like peninsula jutting into Lake Orta near the Italian-Swiss border, this lovely little village of Orta San Giulio is a place of flower-fronted houses and woodland surrounds. Across the water is a little gem you’d be forgiven for mistaking for Slovenia’s Bled Island: Isola San Giulio, home to a Benedictine monastery dating back to the 4th century, reachable by a five-minute water taxi journey.

Venice isn’t the only Italian town that’s striped by picturesque canals. Chioggia, in the southern bend of the Venetian lagoon, is known as “Little Venice” for its architectural similarities to the region’s famed capital. It has the same elegant palazzi, quiet canals and buzzy little markets without one key element: the notorious crowds of visitors.

Strewn with stately, grand buildings and enveloped by calm, wide lakes, tranquil Mantua is a lovely UNESCO World Heritage city with an abundance of Renaissance-era architecture. Una passeggiata (Italian for “stroll”) is practically a non-negotiable here, especially along the tree-shaded river banks and under the soaring arch of Basilica di Sant’Andrea, the city’s 15th-century church. 

Firmly planted in the “heel” of the country’s geographical boot, Lecce is a mesmerising hive of both modern activity and staggering history. Its streets are lined with beautiful baroque buildings, old mansions with wrought-iron balconies and, amidst it all, crumbling Roman ruins, hinting at its past. The town’s cuisine is also known for its harnessing of local and seasonal produce – especially the spoils from the nearby Ionian Sea.  

Carved from volcanic cliffs rising up out of green, rolling fields, Pitigliano is an impressive architectural (and archeological) wonder, right in the heart of Tuscany. Remains identified as Bronze, Copper and Neolithic in their origins confirms the age of this fascinating city; visitors these days can expect to find streets of charming homes and pretty boutiques, many stocking bottles of the region’s speciality grape (trebbiano Toscano).

The walled city of Volterra, about an hour and a half from Florence, seems frozen in time. Its medieval architecture is perfectly preserved, from its narrow streets and stone-fronted homes. The history of the city stretches back much further however; parts of the city’s Etruscan walls from the 3rd and 4th century BC are still intact in places.  

As one of two of Italy’s Capitals of Culture for 2023, Brescia is about to have its moment in the sun. It should've already been basking in it for all its beauty is concerned: a well-planned wander around the historic centre can deliver glimpses of everything from 1st century Roman ruins to elegant coffee houses and grand palazzi from the Renaissance. 

The mountain town of Bolzano has only been part of Italy post-World War II; its unique position astride the Austrian border in the foothills of the staggering Dolomites makes it a unique melting pot of Italian, Austrian and German cultures. Many visitors travel here on their way to Lake Carezza – a half-hour drive south- east – a mountain lake of gemstone shades ringed by pine forests and craggy alpine peaks.

In Sicily’s south-east corner, Syracuse catches an Ionian breeze from its coastal position. Once the biggest city of the ancient world, Syracuse had its heyday in 734BC, as its ancient and wonderfully preserved architecture will attest. These days, it’s a modern city with all of Italy’s renowned charms: lively cafes, a picturesque Duomo and a seafood-flecked local cuisine to boot.