Guide to Aosta Valley ski resorts in northern Italy

It’s hard to know if Milan’s fashionistas are bemused more by my driving or by my vehicle as I stall, splutter and crunch the gears while double-parking the tuk-tuk on Via Monte Napoleone, the city’s swankiest street. Both it and I look comically out of place on a thoroughfare dripping with designer shops and high-end motors. I’ve just seen a Hermès shirt with a €10,500 price tag and spotted the Argentina World Cup winner and Inter Milan star Lautaro Martínez laden with Gucci shopping bags, and bouncing into a blacked-out Hummer with his girlfriend and minder.

From soaks in therapeutic hot springs to getaways in serene countryside escapes blanketed by fresh air, wellness has traditionally been rooted in nature. But somewhere along the way, self-care made a shift. We ditched outdoor retreats in favor of high-tech treatments, boutique fitness classes, and days spent at luxe spas.

International dialling code: +41 Currency: Swiss f

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.

The 2,000 year old Roman walls that encircle the city are the longest, most complete, and oldest, still standing in Britain today. A walk around the walls will take 45 minutes to an hour depending on how fast you walk and how often you stop. You can see the entire city from the walls, including the UK's oldest racecourse and the Eastgate Clock - one of the most photographed clocks in England. There’s a lovely place to stop by the river, where you can watch the boats float by while tucking into an ice cream. Take centre stage at the Roman Amphitheatre The Roma

Many people use Genoa as an entry point to explore the Italian Riviera, including the famous (and often crammed) Portofino and Cinque Terre. But missing out on the charms of the city by rushing beyond it too soon would be a mistake.

Lake Como, or Lago di Como, is what the Riviera is to France: An area of the country that is so beautiful and serene it has attracted the rich and famous for centuries. (It is no secret that George Clooney has a swanky villa along the lake.) All these wealthy celebrities have managed to create a bubble of luxury around this magnificent part of northern Italy by building immense and luxurious villas along the lake’s shore, but if you’re a non-millionaire traveler who wants in on the action, worry not, there are ways to have a good and affordable time on the shore of Italy’s most famous lake.

California's Death Valley has long been considered the hottest place on Earth.

A 71-year-old man died after going for a hike in Death Valley, California, on Tuesday after the area received numerous extreme heat warnings, with temperatures soaring to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the frenetic chaos of Kathmandu sprawls and teems across the Bagmati River to the north, Patan – or Lalitpur as it's also known – abides in the ways it always has: more peacefully, more quietly, and with an inclination towards the considered and the artistic. It’s no coincidence that Buddhism has long exerted a strong hold on the city – Buddhist enclaves in Nepal, as throughout South Asia, are often characterised by a serenity which eludes their wider, more Hindu surroundings.

With over 150 wineries, breweries, chocolate factories and honey houses, exploring the Valley of Taste is probably one of the most indulgent things to do in Perth . Following a scenic 32km cycling trail, Rough Guides writer Greg Dickinson took on the summer heat to discover Western Australia ’s oldest wine-growing region on two wheels.

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