The great thing about bucket lists is that every single one is different. Your particular bucket list may be about unique places to stay or unique places to eat, it may centre around traditional local cultures or culinary experiences, you may be in the market for outdoor activities, or you may just want to add some breathtaking views to the memory bank. Wherever your travel interests lie, we know that as a Luxury Gold guest, you will want to do it in style. Here are 10 unique vacations of the moment.

1. Chase the Northern Lights

Scientists think the furthest south the aurora borealis has been spotted is in Honolulu, and over recent years parts of Europe have had surprise sightings. But if you want to be fully immersed in the holographic splendor of the sun and earth’s clashing magnetic fields, you will have to commit more time and patience to the experience. To “chase” the northern lights, your best bet is to head to northern Norway, somewhere like Tromsö, where your probability of seeing the sky lit up with blues, greens and purples is 70-90% in cloudless conditions between August and April.

You may also enjoy reading:Unusual Architecture: Design Marvels Across Europe

2. Receive a Shaman’s Welcome in the Sacred Valley

Our Treasures of the Incas journey is one of our most unique vacations; once you’ve met a local artist in Lima, it’s time to venture into the Sacred Valley in the Andes of Peru, north of the Inca capital of Cusco. Here, a local shaman will perform a welcoming ceremony, designed to connect you to this magical, mystical place of natural beauty, before you head on to the travel bucket list classic, Machu Picchu. Dating back to pre-historic times, the welcome ceremony is a way to celebrate and show gratitude to Pachamama, the only goddess revered by the Indigenous people of the Andes. The journey continues on to Buenos Aires and to Rio de Janeiro for cocktails on Copacabana Beach.

3. Sleep Under the Stars in California

Don’t overlook what’s on your doorstep in favor of getting off the beaten path to find the world’s “hidden gems”. California’s National Parks are home to some of the most iconic views and landscapes on the planet. Yosemite is popular because it’s special – it has glacier-sculpted geology, fairytale sequoias, jewel-like lakes and so much more. Everyone who enters falls in love, particularly if they stay at one of 13 campgrounds, with access to a campfire.

4. Enjoy a Soothing, Open-air Onsen in Japan

Hot springs and the bathing facilities around them are called “onsen” in Japan, where they constitute an important part of daily life and are deeply rooted in the culture. Benefits of bathing in hot springs include relaxation, improved sleep, improved circulation, less joint pain, better skin and a clearer mind. Onsen etiquette usually requires full nudity and no tattoos. Our Majestic Japan journey features the Oirase Keiryu Hotel, one of our most unique places to stay, thanks to its onsen deep within the forest.

Bookmark for later: These Are The Most Unique Romantic Getaways The World Has To Offer

5. Get a Taste for the Wine Life in South Africa

South Africa is home to some of the most breathtaking views in the world. It’s a wildly diverse place to travel, with culinary experiences, wildlife spotting and outdoor activities all on the agenda. Those looking for unique family vacations choose the safari, but if following the vines has always appealed to you, this is the place to do that, too. On our Spectacular South Africa journey, we head to the historic Cape Winelands, where we travel by chauffeured vintage car to indulge in a wine tasting at Vergelegen Estate and a farm-to-table lunch at Boschendal Wine Estate. Sip a delicious Pinotage surrounded by astounding natural beauty – it’s one for the books.

6. Behold an Uluru Sunset

Two weeks in Australia – you’ve probably been meaning to do it for a while, if you haven’t already. Our luxury journey takes in some of the country’s more unusual vacation destinations, as well as classics like Sydney, Melbourne and the Great Barrier Reef. Near the centre of Australia is Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, a large sandstone monolith. It is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area, known as the Anangu. Stopping here to see the sun slip behind the rock is soul-stirring experience – this is a landscape of surreal proportions, awash with the pinks, purples and oranges that only the sun can conjure.

7. Spy the Elusive Tigers of Ranthambore

On the Essence of India, we take the Jan Shatabdi Express from historic Bharatpur to Ranthambore, one of our favorite and most unusual vacation destinations. It’s a vast expanse of wild jungle, with a 10th century palace at its centre, and it’s the greatest place to spot wild tigers. In the former private hunting grounds of the maharajahs of Jaipur, we join a Local Expert on a quest, exploring the fort’s crocodile-filled lakes and vine-laced chhatris (dome-shaped pavilions) along the way.

You may also like: Step Inside the Most Unique Luxury Retreats in India

8. Take the Orient Express to Venice

This one is high on many bucket lists, and rightfully so. It is simply one of the world’s most decadent ways to travel, and it seems fitting that you should take it between two similarly decadent destinations: Paris and Venice. The carriages on the world famous train date from the Golden Age of travel, the 1920s and 30s, and the art-deco features are a feast for the senses, even without the views through the windows. Every detail and moment of a journey on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express has been carefully considered.

9. Go Whale Watching in Kaikoura

New Zealand dazzles from top to bottom, with the makings of unique vacations every stop of the way. Our luxury journey, The Long White Cloud, takes in the wilderness of Wanaka, the adventure of Queenstown, the mammoth serenity of the Fiordland National Park and sulphuric Rotorua, where we tour a working kiwi nursery and hatchery. There are nonstop bucket list ticks here, but Kaikoura often tops them all, particularly if you love wildlife spotting. Giant sperm whales live reasonably close to the shore of Kaikoura year-round, and there is little on earth that tops spying one of these glorious creatures from a catamaran.

More travel inspiration for those seeing a unique vacation: These Are The Most Unique Romantic Getaways The World Has To Offer

10. Dance at Mardi Gras in New Orleans

You are never short of unique things to do in New Orleans, and a trip here should be considered a bucket list trip anyway, particularly by those seeking new culinary experiences. But if you can make it here for Mardi Gras, there is simply nothing on earth like it. On Fat Tuesday, right before Ash Wednesday, it’s an epic carnival featuring parades and parties of pure, unadulterated revelry. And if you can’t make it in March, our Southern Grace journey includes a behind-the-scenes tour of Mardi Gras World’s Blaine Kern Studios, a workshop that has created floats, costumes and props since 1947. It’s a whirlwind of colour and culture.

Feeling inspired be there unique vacations? Take a look at our collection of small group luxury journeys. 

Eating well in Paris is not difficult (even un poulet rôti in a brown bag from the market is delicious, par exemple), but if you want to eat at only the best restaurants in Paris, you must take care and you must plot your bookings well in advance. The long-time food capital of the world has a food scene that stretches far and wide, across arrondissements and cuisines, and you need your little black book to be very detailed, lest you trip up on idiosyncratic opening hours.

If you’re in town for multiple meals, you may want to factor in one extraordinary tasting menu (or menu de dégustation), one classic bistrot and one modern French restaurant, overseen by a chef of impeccable pedigree. You’ll find all three of these – and more – in our list below, which features our 10 current favorites. If you’re traveling with us on our Ultimate France journey, do discuss the possibility of extending your stay in Paris, so you can immerse yourself in the food scene, and eat a little bit of everything the food capital has to offer.

Le Clarence

31 Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, 8th arrondissement

 

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We’ll begin with a bang, at a restaurant that’s twice as elegant as its beautiful name. Le Clarence is a two Michelin star chateau of gastronomy set in a lavish 19th century private mansion, just off the Champs-Élysées. It has all the chandeliers, wood paneling, drapery and period artworks one could hope to see on a night out in Paris – a perfectly flamboyant setting for a high-end multi-course meal that’s always full of surprises. The restaurant describes its cuisine as “vibrantly modern” but chef Christophe Pelé’s history includes many of Paris’s most acclaimed French fine dining restaurants. Choose between a five or seven course tasting menu, and settle in to your jewel box surrounds as you’re regaled with – perhaps – kadaif of langoustine, pig ears, citrus and green chilli cream, or morel gyoza with caviar and squid ink, orgrilled scallop with Sicilian tangerine and sorrel cream. Who knows? No spoilers here.

Table by Bruno Verjus

3 Rue de Prague, 12th arrondissement

 

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Before he was a restaurateur, Bruno Verjus lived many lives – as a medical student, an entrepreneur, a food writer and a radio host – but he has always cared deeply about ingredients. Table – one of the best high-end restaurants in Paris – is his rightful place, where he sources the very best of everything and elevates each ingredient without distorting it. He will animatedly talk to you about his suppliers, if that’s your kind of thing. And though the table at Table is in fact a wave-shaped counter, this is not a restaurant with casual credentials –it has two Michelin stars, and currently sits at number 3 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. It’s fine dining – a sensation of the Paris food scene –  but the atmosphere is warm and accessible. The daily menu is called “couleur du jour”, changing completely each day depending on what local producers have brought in. Bruno Verjus says, “we don’t place quantity orders, only quality”.

You may also enjoy reading: How Do Restaurants Get Awarded a Michelin Star?

Bistrot Paul Bert

18 Rue Paul Bert, 11th arrondissement

 

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What is the best French restaurant in Paris? It can be difficult for outsiders to decipher which traditional French restaurants are worth their appetites, but this bistrot is everything you need it to be. It has a mostly burgundy color scheme and a prix fixe menu which is presented to your table on its chalkboard. This is not just one of the best bistrots in Paris, it’s one of the best places to eat in Paris, and you must book it in advance (by phone, in as much French as you can muster). The menu is all your French dining dreams come true. For instance, to start: crème de lentilles au fois gras or house terrine. Then: onglet with shallots and fries, or sole meunière. Leave space for dessert, because all the French classics are here, vying to live in your memory forever: chocolate mousse, Grand Marnier soufflé, or the crown of your vacation: the Paris-Brest (a choux pastry ring, with praline crème mousseline).

Kubri

108 Rue Amelot, 11th arrondissement

 

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If you want to book something dynamic and creative, this Lebanese restaurant in the trendy north Marais is special. Kubri is run by three women, including chef Rita Higgins, who has put her beloved Lebanese cuisine firmly on the lists of the best restaurants in Paris, where it belongs. In a white and terracotta dining room, Parisians have fallen head over heels for Kubri’s three types of hummus (classic hummus, with zaatar and and dukkah; pea, mint and feta hummus; cuttlefish hummus). The rest of the menu is a riot of color and flavor, with meze dishes like cauliflower fattoush, with feta, crispy shallot, pistachio, herbs and lemon, as well as larger ‘tabak’ dishes like Lala roasted chicken with toum and black lime labneh. There are beautiful French and Lebanese wines, plus fabulous cocktails and homemade iced teas. Kubri is just a damn good time – for vegetarians, pescatarians, meat-eaters and everyone else, too.

Bookmark for later: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2024 and Where to Find Them

Septime

80 Rue de Charonne, 11th arrondissement

 

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Rue de Charonne is a long, winding 17th century road that spans the whole of the 11th arrondissement. There, eyewear boutiques sit between fromageries, concept stores and très chic French brands like Sessun and Isabel Marant. This is also where you’ll find Septime, which Michelin describes as “the quintessence of the new breed of Parisian restaurants, resolutely hip and trendy, but also unwaveringly committed to good food”. It’s true this has become a genre of its own, but Septime was early on the scene, with its stripped back, industrial style interiors (big wooden tables, exposed lightbulbs) and contemporary bistro kitchen helmed by a chef (Bertrand Grébaut) who rose through the ranks at three Michelin-star Arpège, with French food legend Alain Passard. The setting is relaxed, and the seven-course dinner is always a thrill from beginning to end. If you can’t get a table, its sister wine bar, Septime La Cave, is round the corner on Rue Basfroi, offering 10 rotating natural wines by the glass, and a few small plates.

Sushi B

5 Rue Rameau, 2nd arrondissement

If you love Michelin-starred sushi, find a way to make one of the eight seats at Sushi B your own. Close to the Richelieu site of the historic and grandiose National Library of France the diminutive Sushi B is quietly exquisite, with lots of marble, straight lines and fine glassware. Choose the omakase menu to enjoy the chef’s choice of sushi and sashimi as well as two plates of the day. Dishes that foodies wax lyrical about at Sushi B include Breton lobster with wild asparagus and broad beans in a soy-cream sauce, fillet of grilled seabass with spinach and lemon-flavored dashi, and sashimi of amberjack. Remember Sushi B if you need somewhere on a Sunday, when many restaurants are closed, or if you’re dining alone – you may just grab the last seat.

You may also be interested to read: This Country Takes the Crown for the Most Michelin-Starred Restaurants in 2024

Plénitude

8 Quai du Louvre, 8th arrondissement

 

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Follow the trail of luxury: in the Samaritaine department store, a veritable palace of fashion, food and lifestyle, owned by LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA), you’ll find the Cheval Blanc Hotel, which describes itself as “a confidential haven”. Cheval Blanc is an incredibly sophisticated address, with glittering views of the Seine, and it contains the modern, light-filled dining room that belongs to Plénitude, a three Michelin-star cocoon of culinary wonders. Head Chef Arnaud Donckel is an artist and it’s impossible not to be awed by his process. He pays unfathomable attention to sauces, devoting himself to jus, dressings and elixirs and putting them centre stage. It’s like nothing you’ve seen or tasted before. And there’s yet more genius coming from pastry chef Maxime Frédéric, whose millefeuille took him two years to design. Plénitude means “fullness” and Michelin describes this epic Parisian restaurant as “the absolute pinnacle of fine dining”.

Le Colimaçon

44 Rue Vieille du Temple, 4th arrondissement

 

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Meandering the lively Marais on foot is a timeless activity for visitors to Paris, when the icons have been ticked off the sightseeing list. Once the city’s Jewish quarter, the Marais is full of patisseries, legendary falafel spots and big fashion brands, plus King Henry IV’s Place de Vosges, and the one-of-a-kind Centre Pompidou, too. But it’s never been a hub for the best restaurants in Paris, which is what makes Le Colimaçon such a find. It’s just a perfect little traditional French restaurant, exactly where you need it to be, with a big welcoming blackboard out the front, and adorable tables in windows with wrought iton balconies, overlooking the hubbub. It’s the pitstop you need in your back pocket. Head here for: six perfect crispy snails with garlic-parsley butter, eggs with truffle mayonnaise, knife-cut steak tartare with fries, duck confit, and bourbon vanilla crème brûlée. Then – if you can – get back out there and meander.

For even more French travel inspiration: Sophisticated And Stylish: Why Southern France Is Unmissable

Double Dragon

52 Rue Saint-Maur, 11th arrondissement

 

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Our fourth and final entry in the 11th arrondissement, where so many exciting menus are being drawn up every day, Double Dragon is an ‘Asian canteen’ run by sisters Katia and Tatiana Levha, who are also behind nearby Le Servan, the popular bistro with the big gold bar. Double Dragon holds a Bib Gourmand from Michelin for “cooking that is full of character”. Menus feature items like a Comte bao bun served with XO mayonnaise, a version of the Filipino dish lechon kawali (crispy, honey-glazed pork) and cauliflower kare-kare (Filipino curry) with peanut sauce and Thai chilli jam. Not forgetting the muscovado brownie with toasted rice ice cream. If they’re fully booked, you can usually put your name on a waiting list, so try your luck and head for the local caves à vin while you wait.

Les Arlots

136 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 10th arrondissement

This is a brilliant lunch if you need to be near the Gare du Nord, as visitors to Paris often do. But it’s one of the best places to eat in Paris if you don’t, too. It’s a small, cosy, carnivorous cavern, with a zinc bar and hundreds of wine bottles on shelves. There is scarcely a more ideal, more French plate than Les Arlots’ signature homemade herby sausage, with smooth, buttery mashed potatoes and gravy. And if that doesn’t sound very refined to you, wait until you eat it. There’s also (depending on seasonality and availability) a tuna tartare with (perhaps) artichoke and strawberry, and a divine dry-aged onglet steak (one of the best in the city). A sommelier will talk you through the wall of wine, and help you to choose something wonderful. Reservations are essential, particularly if you have a Eurostar to catch.

FAQs:

Is there a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower in Paris?

Currently, the two Michelin star Le Jules Verne occupies a space on the deuxieme étage (second floor), what they refer to as “a mythical setting”.

How many Michelin star restaurants are there in Paris?

As of 2024, there were 121 Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, making Paris the second city in the world for Michelin-starred restaurants, after Tokyo.

What is the most expensive restaurant in Paris?

At Guy Savoy, the 13-course tasting menu costs 680 euros per person. For comparison, Table by Bruno Verjus’s tasting menu costs 480 euros per person.

Of course exceptional French gastronomy is not only found in Paris. Take a look at our Ultimate France small group journey to see what else you could be tasting.

What’s the most beautiful place in Italy? We chose 21, and we’re still lamenting all the places we had to leave out. When you behold a list of the most beautiful places in Italy, you realize how much stunning scenery this one slender European country contains.

Our Ultimate Italy journey is 12 days of signature luxury guided travel, taking in Venice, the Cinque Terre, Florence, San Gimignano, Tuscany, Rome, Naples and more, but you could always extend your stay (for a year or so) to fit in all of the locations below. The pictures are probably speaking for themselves by now, so let’s dive in.

Burano, Venice

It’s impossible to choose just one beautiful spot in one of the most ethereally beautiful cities in the world, but Burano is a sight to be savored. It’s the island in the Venetian Lagoon you’ve seen on art prints a hundred times – pastel-colored homes reflected in the canal below. It’s a special place, deserving of its fame, with its leaning bell tower, fairytale bridges and shops and workshops full of intricate lacework.

Grand Canal, Venice

OK, we didn’t choose just one. There is nowhere on earth like the Grand Canal, especially at sunset, when the sky is streaked with pinks and purples, and the surrounding palazzos take on a golden glow. The most elegant way to arrive in Venice is by private water taxi, which ideally takes you to your hotel by the water’s edge, as on our Ultimate Italy journey.

You may also enjoy reading: The 30 Most Beautiful Places in the World You Need to Visit

Polignano a Mare, Puglia

Just before the heel begins, on the southern Adriatic coast, this enchanting town is perched on limestone cliffs. It’s petite, but spectacularly positioned. Day trippers come from Bari (30 minutes away) to see the waves crashing against the craggy cliffs and to cruise the coastal caves. Admirers tend to focus their gaze on Lama Monachile, a rocky bay between cliffs that was once used as a port.

Lecce, Puglia

In the Salento region of Puglia, tucked well within the heel of the boot, this honey-coloured Baroque city of exuberant carved sandstone is often referred to as the “Florence of the South”. However, that seems a little reductive because Lecce is a masterpiece on its own merit – a mini metropolis of 17th century piazzas, basilicas, columns and gargoyles, with architectural surprises (and leisurely lunches) around every cobblestone corner.

Ostuni, Puglia

Will we ever leave Puglia? Perhaps. But first we must take a pause in Ostuni, which is known as the White City for its wedding cake of sun-drenched, whitewashed houses, arranged across three hills. Delicious things await in Ostuni’s medieval alleys, and from the walled city’s many balconies, you also get glorious views of the Puglian countryside – olive groves, vines and all.

Ortigia, Sicily

Ortigia is the tiny Sicilian island that forms the historical heart of Siracusa – it’s connected by three bridges, with cars best left in the car park outside. Ortigia’s story began in 734, when Archia arrived from Corinth to defeat Sicilians and form the Greek colony of Siracusa. Nowadays, it provides more of that honey-hued baroque magnificence we’ve met before, but with added turquoise waters and atmosphere in abundance.

Discover more about out Ultimate Italy journey: How Travel Concierge Elena Makes Italy Sparkle

Matera, Basilicata

You really have to see Matera to believe it. In Basilicata, in southern Italy, this city of stone is situated on a rocky outcrop and the whole place sparkles at dusk. Matera incorporates the Sassi (“stones”) districts, complexes of unfathomable cave dwellings which have been excavated and extended over millennia. It’s one of the most unique landscapes in the world – beautiful inside and out.

Spiaggia dei Conigli (Rabbit Beach), Lampedusa

What are the most beautiful beaches in Italy? Those of the Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast are up there, but Spiaggia dei Conigli is a special one we couldn’t miss. It’s accessible by boat or on foot via a 20-minute detour from the main road and it is a true Sicilian paradise, named after its original inhabitants. There are aperitif boat rides and dolphin spotting excursions, but once you get there, the best thing to do is sit and drink it in.

Duomo de Milano, Milan

What are the most beautiful cities in Italy? While the capital of fashion might not rank highest in your mind, it’s undeniable that the Duomo de Milano is a Gothic sensation, its facade festooned with gargoyles and spires. Constructed over several centuries, with the input of various architects, sculptors and artists, the duomo combines contrasting styles and contains more statues than any other cathedral in the world – over 3,500.

Val d’Orcia, Tuscany

This is a lush, hilly expanse of countryside so green and densely packed it’s on the UNESCO World Heritage list, making it officially one of the most beautiful places in Italy. This quintessential Tuscan landscape is graced with vineyards, olive groves, medieval villages, cypresses and chestnut groves. Visitors meander between thermal spas, rustic osterias and enrapturing wine trails, stopping to take photographs around each and every bend of the cypress-lined road.

Soak up even more travel inspiration: The 30 Most Beautiful Places in the World You Need to Visit

Roman Forum, Rome

Once the centre of public life – the place to witness gladiatorial combats, public speeches and criminal trials – this is now (bear with us) an assemblage of rather random ruins between the Palatine and Capitoline hills. And while it’s hard to picture the area in all its former glory, the sheer spectacle of the iconic columns and archways seemingly sprouting from the ground right in the middle of modern day Rome is something special.

Ravello, Amalfi Coast

High in the hills, with coastline views unlike anywhere else on earth, Ravello is one of the Amalfi Coast’s quieter but no less flamboyant towns. It may not be as famous as Positano or Amalfi, but its position is second to none. Ravello is a place of such stark beauty that writers and artists have come here for decades to feel alive again, and be inspired. Whether you’re creative or not, the view from the belvedere at Villa Cimbrone will live with you, always.

Lake Como, Lombardy

Opulent neoclassical villas and garden follies in shades of pearl and rose are set against a backdrop of mountains, cypresses, magnolias and palm trees, arranged around the star of the show: the twinkling Lake itself. Add to the picture a few speedboats and ferraris and here you have the location of the Bond film Casino Royale and the site of Amal and George Clooney’s wedding. Not just one of the most beautiful places in Italy, it’s one of the most luxurious and captivating places on earth, and you have to see it.

Tropea, Calabria

On the Gulf of Saint Euphemia, part of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Tropea is another irresistible cliffside town. It’s a white sand paradise, famed for its associations with Hercules (who may have founded it), for being “the jewel in the crown of Calabria”, for its assemblage of cobbles and piazzas, and – not forgetting – its Tropea red onions. It’s frequently named one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

Food lovers may also enjoy reading: These Are Our 15 Favorite Michelin Star Restaurants in Italy

Vernazza, Cinque Terre

On the rugged Italian Riviera, this divine little fishing village is the Cinque Terre in a nutshell – little jumbles of candy-coloured houses balanced on and around the cliffs, opening out to perfect bays where lucky people are taking the most beautiful and invigorating sea swims of their lives. Cinque Terre means “five lands”, and it actually consists of five villages, all of them absurdly photogenic, but Vernazza just pips the others.

Capri, Bay of Naples

In Italy’s Bay of Naples, Capri (darling) is chic to the bones, with its elegant boutiques, megayachts and sun-kissed limoncello. But it also has natural beauty in rich abundance, in its dramatically craggy rock formations and sea caves tucked into cliffs. The Blue Grotto is the most famous sea cave – so-called because the sunlight streams through an underwater cavity, giving the water a blue glow that lights up the space.

Langhe, Piedmont

The softly rolling, wine-growing hills of the Langhe may be less dramatic than Italy’s city duomos and craggy coastline, but it is no less beautiful. As you drive around, among the vines, with the scents of hazelnut and truffle in the air, each hilltop appears iced with its own fairy castle. What are the most beautiful towns in Italy? It could be these Piedmontese dream locales: Alba, Grinzane Cavour and Barolo.

Gulf of Orosei, Sardinia

On the east coast of Sardinia, the Gulf of Orosei is home to some of the most photogenic beaches in Italy and the whole Mediterranean, with their clear turquoise waters and white sand. Cala Luna is the real deal, with powdery soft sand and a gentle slope out to sea – it’s accessible by boat, or a two-hour hike. Cala Goloritzè is just as idyllic, with the same impeccable colour palette, but it’s a little wilder, with a mighty limestone pinnacle.

Piazza del Campo, Siena

Italy has piazzas aplenty, but no others quite like Siena’s huge, sloping social centre. One of the most beautiful places in Italy, it’s the shape of a scallop shell, divided into nine sections, recalling the ‘Nove’ (the nine) who governed the city for the ‘common good’, not for the nobility, at the end of the 13th century. Nowadays, it’s surrounded by the Palazzo Pubblico and its Torre del Mangia, as well as various opportunities for aperitivo.

Bookmark for later: The Luxury Gold Guide to Private Wine Tasting in Italy

Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Dolomites

Three distinctive rocky peaks rise abruptly and spectacularly into the sky in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. These are the three epic icons of The Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage site and if you want to hike them all, it’s a 10km route, best taken in the summer when the buttercups, forget-me-nots and vanilla orchids are in bloom. The Dolomites are a popular draw all year long, though, and one of the most inspiring places on earth to get outside and walk.

San Fruttuoso, Liguria

What this list needs to finish is a good, ancient Benedictine monastery, right on the seashore. The tiny hamlet, situated between Camogli and Portofino, and surrounded by Portofino Regional Park, has all the right shades of aquamarine and sun-blanched white, but its dominated by the Abbazia di San Fruttuoso, with its domed watchtower. It has to be one of the most beautiful places in Italy to lay your chic, striped beach towel.

Keen to discover Italy in luxury style? Take a look at our Ultimate Italy small group journey.