Travel in city Sanremo

PESARO NAMED ITALIAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2024

It's a fact: Summer would simply not be summer without ice cream. Extreme heat is often made (a bit) more bearable with a cone of ice cream in hand, no matter what your flavor of choice may be. The great thing about this beloved treat is that you can find great versions just about anywhere.

Last year around this time, I headed to Florence to experience The Mall Luxury Outlets with a close friend and loved it so much, I came home and wrote about why you should consider doing your holiday shopping in Italy.

Say “Italian Riviera” and most people’s eyes light up. East of Genoa, the rainbow-coloured villages of Cinque Terre and bobbing superyachts of tiny Portofino are etched in travellers’ imaginations. But this is only half the story – the Riviera di Levante half. West of the Ligurian capital, skirting the coast for 150km to the French border, the Riviera di Ponente takes over, revealing beaches and wild mountain scenery every bit the equal of its sibling. And for those in the know, its mix of culture, outdoors and fine cuisine makes it irresistible.

Italy’s Riviera di Ponente, or Western Riviera, has long attracted travelers—in the late 19th century new rail connections made it easier for well-heeled and titled English and Russians to escape their dreary winters, but before and after WWII, destinations on the Côte d'Azur and Riviera di Levante (the Eastern Riviera), like Rapallo, Portofino, and later, Cinque Terre, stepped into the spotlight, drawing celebrity names and eventually flocks of tourists.