Italy

Rome: 2,000-year-old ruins between the espresso bars

In Rome, history isn't behind glass. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Pantheon are all within walking distance of each other.

In Vatican City, the world's smallest country, Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel is worth every minute in the queue.

Cross the river to Trastevere for cobbled lanes and family trattorias. Order carbonara: egg, pecorino, guanciale and black pepper. No cream.

Best for: history, city breaks, food · Spinny tip: Refill your water bottle at the nasoni, Rome's free street fountains with running drinking water.

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Venice: a city of canals where boats are the traffic

Venice is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon, linked by bridges. There are no cars, so boats do the work.

Ride a vaporetto (water bus) along the Grand Canal past the palazzi. For a short taste of a gondola, take a traghetto, a gondola ferry that crosses the canal where there's no bridge.

Skip lunch in St. Mark's Square. Find a bacaro instead, a wine bar serving cicchetti, small Venetian snacks.

Take the boat to Burano for its brightly painted houses, or to Murano for glassmaking.

Best for: romance, photography, wandering · Spinny tip: Stay at least one night. Venice is at its best in the evening, once the day-trippers have gone.

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Florence and Tuscany: Renaissance domes and cypress-lined hills

Florence is where the Renaissance took off, and you'll see it on almost every corner.

Climb Brunelleschi's dome on the cathedral for views over the red rooftops, see Michelangelo's David in the Galleria dell'Accademia and spend a morning in the Uffizi.

Between Florence and Siena, the Chianti hills are made for slow drives and wine tastings. Further south, the UNESCO-listed Val d'Orcia is the Tuscany of cypress trees and rolling hills.

In Siena, the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo hosts the Palio horse race twice every summer, a fierce rivalry between the city's districts.

Best for: art, wine, road trips · Spinny tip: Book Brunelleschi's dome ahead. The climb needs a timed ticket, and there's no elevator.

The Amalfi Coast: cliff-hanging villages and a trail above the sea

South of Naples, the UNESCO-listed Amalfi Coast is a string of pastel villages stacked on steep cliffs above the sea.

Positano is the famous one, Amalfi has the cathedral, and Ravello, up in the hills, has garden villas with huge views.

Hike the Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) from Bomerano to Nocelle, high above the coast, then continue down toward Positano.

The local lemons are huge and fragrant. You'll find them in limoncello, in desserts and in almost every souvenir shop.

Best for: romance, hiking, coastal views · Spinny tip: In summer, use the ferries between the towns. The coast road is narrow and often jammed.