Iconic Italy: Rome, Florence and Venice

The Eternal City is a crumbling classic of romance and relics, where every sculpted cheek comes with a story. History is everywhere: be it the glory of the Colosseum, the tombs of ancient emperors, or churches lavished with masterpieces. Chefs and saints, aesthetes and artisans have all shaped this city, whose jumbled skyline sings with whirring Vespas and clinking espresso cups, the dome of St Peter’s reigning over it all like Jupiter himself.  

You can barely move for masterpieces in the Tuscan capital: Michelangelo’s David, centerpiece of the Galleria dell’Accademia; the Uffizi; the romantic Ponte Vecchio; and the Duomo, a holy canopy of terracotta high above the rooftops. Even the streets are an elegant, edifying showcase of Italian culture: browse boutiques, markets and gelaterias before taking in the Renaissance beauty of the Piazza della Repubblica, complete with a charming carousel. Nearby, the romantic Tuscan cities of Pisa and Lucca can be visited on day trips.

A heady dream of Carnival, canals, basilicas and Byzantine relics, Venice bewitches from the very first breath. Nowhere else in the world can you turn from a grand marble palace, seemingly floating on the Adriatic, and into a warren of stirring, salty-aired passageways, where life has ebbed and flowed with the rhythm of the water for centuries.