The 15 best places to visit in Italy, from Venice to the Cinque Terre

Europe’s airports are regularly ranked from best to worst to help travellers make informed choices.

Cinematic Naples lives to eat, but there is far more to this southern Italian city than scoffing pizza margherita at Da Michele like Julia Roberts did in the 2010 movie Eat Pray Love, or frequenting the pizzeria where Sophia Loren flipped ’n fried dough on screen in the 1950s.

Embark on a festive journey with The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts, where enchanting experiences await in Amsterdam's winter wonderland, Madrid's vibrant Christmas fiestas, Rome's artistic celebration, Phuket's Thai-European fusion market, and Bali's rich cultural feasts. Uncover the magic with these exclusive 'December Discovery' packages, blending luxury, local delights, and seasonal festivities. Check out these 5 great holiday escapes.

In the historic streets of Trieste, an often overlooked town on Italy’s Istria peninsula, there is an aroma of coffee in the air. Dating back to the early 18th century, when the tax on coffee beans arriving at its port was waived, the city has had a deep association with coffee and was the main entry point for coffee beans into Europe. In the historic centre, visitors can still find some of the original coffee houses, modelled on those found in Vienna at the time and, each year, the city hosts the Trieste Coffee Festival.

As options for the traditional chalet ski break have dwindled and prices risen, venturing to Europe’s far corners and beyond for a ski break can reap rewards. Costs are often lower, while luxury accommodation can be similarly priced to budget options in mainstream European ski resorts. As well as being potentially cheaper, skiing in territory off the beaten track can offer a rich cultural experience, plus better flight routes, less crowded slopes, sunnier days and a friendlier welcome.

Moving to a new country can be daunting, especially if you don’t speak the language.

There’s no denying that the power of libations brings people together—and there’s simply nothing like toasting to the holiday season with Christmas drinks that are essentially crafted cocktails. This year is a perfect excuse to sip your way into one-of-a-kind Christmas traditions, celebrated around the globe.

Compelling books on travel inspire readers to not only learn about destinations and cultures across the globe, but also, lock in that bucket list trip they’ve been dreaming about. As most travelers can attest, exploring a new locale keeps the brain sharp, curiosities peaked, and humanity intact. Much may be gleaned through reading the memoirs, poems, and true tales of adventurers; seeing beautiful photography; and following writers down the rabbit hole, through verdant valleys, and up and over mountain peaks.

Of the key Alpine ski destinations, Italy offers the best value for money. Here, an espresso can cost €1.50 (£1.30) a shot, and a piste-side plate of pasta €10-15 (£9-13), items that are often 70-100% dearer in the A-list ski areas of France. And a peak-week, February half-term holiday in a three-star hotel can come in less than €1,745 (£1,500) per person half board, including flights and transfers. And that’s not taking some back-of-beyond resort as a point of comparison, either: all these prices are available in or around Canazei in Val di Fassa, part of the vast Dolomiti Superski area. On its doorstep, more than 300 miles of perfectly groomed pistes spin off the central Sella Ronda circuit; explore the area’s outer limits and that total hits 745 miles.

Since the holidays can be a hectic and stressful time of year, why not gift the person you care about a destination-inspired candle? This way they can whisk themselves to their favorite places in the world, right from the comfort of home and whenever the mood strikes.

The highest echelon of hotels know how to take an experience and bed it into something that lives on in the heart. The world’s finest perfumiers do a remarkably similar job. So it’s fitting that - increasingly - the two are coming together as hoteliers create brilliantly evocative scents - and perfumiers pay homage to their favorite hotels creating an experiential circle of glorious memories.

The True Italian Experience Observatory, a permanent research center on tourism trends and flows from abroad to Italy, uses WOSM (World OpenSource Monitoring) technology to monitor, read and analyze more than 25 million sources in 182 countries.