Puglia feels like sunshine made tangible — a region of whitewashed towns, ancient olive trees, and the bluest sea you’ve ever seen. Spend a weekend exploring Martina Franca, Alberobello, and Polignano a Mare, three gems that capture the essence of Italy’s slow, soulful south.

Start in Martina Franca, the refined capital of the Itria Valley. Wander through the old town’s maze of white stone streets and ornate Baroque balconies. Visit Piazza Roma and the Basilica di San Martino, then linger over dinner at Ciccillo – Boccali and Bocconi and try the local specialty.

If you have a car and a sense of adventure, spend your days exploring Puglia’s Ionian coast, about an hour and a half from Martina Franca — a side of the region often missed by tourists.

Marina di Lizzano offers some of the most pristine stretches of sand in all of Puglia. The water is shallow, crystal clear, and framed by sand dunes and pine trees — perfect for a morning swim and lazy hours under an umbrella.

Continue south to Spiaggia di Saturo, near Taranto, where rocky cliffs and hidden coves create a wilder, more dramatic landscape. Locals love this beach for snorkeling and picnicking, and the nearby Saturo Archaeological Park hides ruins from ancient Magna Graecia — history meets paradise.

Afterwards, drive back inland through olive groves and vineyards, stopping for one gelato at Latteria del Ringo in Martina Franca.

No trip to Puglia is complete without visiting Alberobello, just 20 minutes from Martina Franca. The town’s white trulli houses — round stone cottages topped with gray conical roofs — look like something straight from a fairytale.

Stroll through Rione Monti to see hundreds of trulli turned into cafés, shops, and tiny museums. For a quieter experience, cross over to Rione Aia Piccola, where locals still live in their traditional homes.

After lunch, head east toward the coast — it’s time to dip your toes in the Adriatic. Just 35 minutes away you will find Monopoli, this seaside town blends medieval charm with beach-town energy. Wander the whitewashed old town, snap photos at the harbor filled with blue fishing boats, and relax and eat at the amazing restaurant Porto Rosso.

Then, you can drive 20 minutes south to Torre Canne, famous for its long sandy beaches, shallow turquoise waters, and laid-back lido bars. 

Return to Martina Franca in the evening for dinner at Il Traino and a leisurely stroll through its softly lit streets — the classic southern Italian passeggiata.

End your weekend by the sea in Polignano a Mare, a stunning town perched on cliffs above the Adriatic. Wander through its poetic old town and take in the views from Lama Monachile Bridge. Have a gelato at Martinucci Gelateria.

This weekend trip through Puglia offers everything: the culture of Martina Franca, the fairytale charm of Alberobello, and the irresistible pull of the sea. From Monopoli’s harbors to Torre Canne’s sands, and the untouched beauty of Marina di Lizzano and Saturo, you’ll experience the heart and soul of southern Italy — a place where every road leads to sunlight, sea breeze, and a long, lazy lunch by the water.

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Where to spend a weekend where you will feel like you have stepped out of fairy tales? The answer is the Borromean Islands archipelago at Lake Maggiore. An archipelago of five islands-three of which can be visited-that chronicle centuries of Italian nobility, pomp, and true luxury. Only an hour and a half from Milan, you find yourself immersed in an incredible setting of sumptuous palaces, beautiful gardens, and the magic of water.

The archipelago consists of: the Isola Madre, Isola Bella, Isolino di San Giovanni, Isola dei Pescatori, and Scoglio della Malghera. Just think that in 2019 The New York Times listed the Borromean Islands among the ten most fascinating places in the world.

In the 14th century the Borromeo family, aristocrats of Florentine origin, and later lords of Lombardy became owners of the islands and thus began their transformation. The family still owns Isola Bella and Isola Madre and the three emerged rocks known as Castelli di Cannero because of the ruins of medieval fortifications.

How to visit the Borromean Islands?

The first thing to check is whether the islands can be visited and book your ticket that allows you to enter the island and visit its palaces and gardens.

The advice is to take a tour between the main islands (Bella, Madre and Pescatori), aboard a boat. Ferry departures take place both from Stresa and from the other side of the lake, Pallanza-Verbania. But there are also companies that run tours from Arona, Angera, and Baveno. One can choose between passages from the public company (Navigazione Laghi) or a private boat if in a group, or private companies that allow more freedom of schedule.

I preferred to start the boat tour from Stresa (I stayed for 2 nights at this very nice B&B in Arona) by choosing the public line company, which I paid for on the spot to get a good understanding of their operation and schedule).

What to see

The Borromeo Islands are linked to the Terre Borromee, estates and palaces of the family distributed between Lombardy and Piedmont. This immense historical, architectural, and natural treasure is composed of the Borromean Islands; Pallavicino Park in Stresa; Mottarone Park along the slopes of the mountain of the same name; Rocca di Angera, on the Lombardy side in the province of Varese; and the Castles of Cannero, located in upper Verbano.

Isola Madre is the largest of the three islands and was the first to be inhabited. The gardens (a whopping 8 hectares) are home to rare plant species from around the world and animals such as white peacocks and parrots, which frolic freely in the greenery. Not to be missed is the majestic Borromeo Palace, a 16th-century building with period furnishings, portraits, and porcelain, and the spectacular Venetian Hall with trompe l’oeil decorations.

The fairy-tale beauty, in my opinion, is found in Isola Bella, where, in addition to the palace and botanical garden, there are some narrow alleys overlooked by small stores and restaurants. Also here you will find the Borromeo Palace where Napoleon also stayed with his wife Josephine of Beauharnais. The building is an imposing Baroque-style complex, built and expanded over three centuries.

Inside is the Berthier Gallery with more than 130 paintings by authors such as Raphael, Correggio, and Titian, and how can we forget the rooms on the ground floor, which reproduce caves of the marine environment? The highlight (especially in full bloom) are the Italian gardens that surround it. The most important monument is the Teatro Massimo, an amphitheater consisting of statues, obelisks, and ten terraces.

Isola dei Pescatori, also known as Isola Superiore is the only one inhabited year-round. The ancient village was home to fishermen so it still has the original architectural structure, which was used to dry fish. The Island boasts excellent trattorias and every year celebrates the folklore of the traditional Ferragosto, as well as Carnival.

Where to eat?

Finally, a little list of nice restaurants worth a try, with local cuisine and fair prices:

• L’Osteria d’Asti in Arona
• Amici, Bar Pasticceria Jolly and Pasticceria Marcolini in Stresa.

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Florence remains one of Italy’s historic cities that has retained the splendor of its Renaissance past. An enchanting city that never ceases to amaze, with masterpieces of art that evoke its splendor and the role it played in the development of culture and art. The city, however, is not only history but also the history of fashion. Many brands were born and developed along the Arno River, and indeed it is in Florence that you can visit the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum and the Gucci Garden Archetypes.

Salvatore Ferragamo Museum

The museum was established in May 1995 at the initiative of the Ferragamo family with the desire to acquaint the public around the world with the artistic qualities of Salvatore Ferragamo and the role he played in the history not only of footwear but also of international fashion.

In this context, we talk about the vision of Wanda Ferragamo, Salvatore’s widow and at the head of the company since 1960, with her six children, and she decided not to close the company but rather to transform an artisanal women’s footwear workshop into a fashion house, where her children can give continuity to that furrow of innovation and creativity started by her husband Salvatore. In particular, it was Fiamma Ferragamo, the eldest of the siblings, who became the spokesperson within the family for this project, drawing on the technical expertise of historians and archivists.

Each year the Museum selects a different research theme that allows for a cross-cutting investigation of the Ferragamo world, combining it with other fields such as art, architecture, design, economic and social history, and philosophy. At this time – until April 2023 – the museum is hosting, in addition to the brand’s archives, “Women in Balance, 1955-1965,” which honors Wanda’s memory with an exhibition that examines the complex reality of women in Italy between the 1950s and 1960s, a period in which Wanda changed her life. The itinerary sketches the activities and choices of women of different ages, including in fields of work until then reserved almost exclusively for men.

Gucci Garden Archetypes

Inside the Gucci Garden in Florence comes the Garden of Archetypes, an immersive, multi-sensory space that explores Gucci’s campaigns of the past six years and Alessandro Michele’s creative manifesto. The new Gucci museum allows visitors to fully immerse themselves in the heart and vision of the brand. Archetypes, which correspond precisely to archetypes, want to represent Gucci’s advertising campaigns of the past six years that represent a unique and unrepeatable moment, the source and nourishment of the debate on issues of universal scope and creativity itself.

Several rooms are set up completely at opposite ends of the spectrum to reveal the facets of a creative director who has been able to range between art and music, between modern metropolises like Los Angeles and Tokyo and utopian worlds with enchanted gardens and intergalactic landscapes, where the boundary between past, present, and future, between history and mythology, constantly shifts in a journey of senses involving sight, hearing, and smell.

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Turin is the hometown of some of the greatest symbols of Made in Italy in the world, such as Vermut, Gianduja chocolate, and espresso coffee, it is the hub of the Italian automotive industry, as well as an important center of publishing, banking, and insurance, information technology, cinema, food and wine, aerospace, industrial design, sports, and fashion.

For my short weekend, I chose to stay away from the center at Cascina Fossata, a brand new co-living project where apartments and hotel rooms are available.

What not to miss in Turin

Piazza San Carlo is one of the most important squares in the historic center of Turin. Often nicknamed “the living room of the city” by the inhabitants of Turin, it is inserted in the road axis of Via Roma, which connects it to Piazza Castello and Piazza Carlo Felice.

Palazzo Carignano, together with Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama, is one of the most important historical buildings of the city and, like them, is part of the UNESCO serial site Residenze Sabaude. It houses the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento, reopened after lengthy restoration and refurbishment work.

Palazzo Reale di Torino is the first and most important of the Savoy residences in Piedmont. Since 2016 it has been part of the Musei Reali together with the Galleria Sabauda, Armeria Reale, Biblioteca Reale, Palazzo Chiablese, and the Museum of Antiquities.

The Egyptian Museum of Turin is the oldest museum in the world entirely dedicated to the Nilotic civilization and is considered, for value and quantity of exhibits, the most important in the world after Cairo.

The Mole Antonelliana is a monumental building of Turin, located in the historical center, a symbol of the city and one of the symbols of Italy. The name derives from the fact that, in the past, it was the tallest masonry building in the world, while its adjective comes from the architect who conceived it, Alessandro Antonelli. Since 2000, the National Museum of Cinema has been located inside the building.

The basilica of Superga rises on the homonymous hill. It was built by King Vittorio Amedeo II as a thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary, after having defeated the French. For this reason, it is considered a “celebratory monument”. The project is by the architect from Messina, abbot Filippo Juvarra, and dates back to 1715.

The church of the Gran Madre di Dio is one of the most important Catholic places of worship in Turin. Located in the square of the same name, it is on the right bank of the Po, in the Borgo Po district. The project was the work of the architect of the Savoy court Ferdinando Bonsignore, who gave the church shapes and proportions clearly inspired by those of the Pantheon in Rome, in neoclassical-Arian style.

And here we finally come to the real reason why I chose to spend a weekend in Turin: the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale, one of the Savoy residences that is part of the UNESCO serial site inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1997. The palace of Venaria was designed by the architect Amedeo di Castellamonte. It was commissioned by Duke Carlo Emanuele II, who intended to make it the base for hunting parties in the hilly moors of Turin. The village was joined by many houses and palaces of workers and ordinary citizens who wanted to live in the surroundings of the palace until Venaria Reale became an autonomous municipality of the province of Turin. Book your tickets online – there are many discounts and reductions and get ready for an unforgettable visit!

Where to eat in Turin

As you know for me, it’s not a good weekend or vacation if you don’t eat well! So here are the places I’ve tried that are worth trying!

Farmacia del Cambio, a historic place in Piazza Carignano, is a boutique/laboratory where you can taste and buy delicate pastries and products revisited by Matteo Baronetto. With a magnificent view that you can enjoy on the outdoor tables in the warm spring sun.

Stratta is a historical place in Italy, since it was founded in 1836, and is one of the oldest pastry shops in the city of Turin. Stratta was founded as confectionery and official supplier to the Royal House and Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour.

Mare Nostrum Restaurant offers a fish cuisine that takes its cue from the true seafood traditions. The recipes are simple and light, based on the search for quality ingredients, the use of olive oil, and the freshness of the products used, starting from the fish which is naturally fresh, to the aromatic herbs.

Enoteca Parlapà offers delicious traditional dishes of Piedmontese cuisine, with very high care in the selection of raw materials and a wide selection of wines!

Finally, in the municipality of the Royal Palace of Venaria, Passami il Sale. A very well-cared osteria that prepares typical Piedmontese dishes and presents a wide range of wines. Do not miss the risotto and agnolotti!

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Venice is a city rich in history, for 1100 years it was the capital of the Serenissima Republic of Venice: for its urban peculiarities and its artistic heritage, it is universally considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world, declared, together with its lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Obviously it is impossible to see and know all its beauties in one day, but here is my little itinerary for a day trip.

Starting from the train station of Venice Santa Lucia you can head left where the signs along the walls will point you to Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. Along the way you will come across the Teatro Italia, in Campiello de l’Anconeta, a nice old theater that now houses a supermarket!

Continuing straight and enjoying the corners of the city and the small stores that sell the typical Venetian carnival masks you will reach Campo Santa Sofia, where you can find gondolas – ferries that take you to the other side of the canal for only 2 €. A low cost gondola experience!

A few more efforts and following the signs you will easily reach the famous Rialto Bridge, a grandiose work of architecture and engineering supported by 6,000 wooden poles. The original structure was built in the late Middle Ages in wood, while the current stone bridge was designed by Antonio Da Ponte at the end of ‘500. From the top of the you can take pictures of the beautiful landscape of the Grand Canal.

Near the Rialto Bridge you can already start to taste the famous spritz Select with cicheti in the bacaro Bacarando in Corte dell’Orso. The cicheti are snacks born to “absorb the wine” of the “ombre”. The most common are: sarde in saor, baccalà mantecato, nervetti con le cipolle, folpetti that is small octopus or moscardini in umido, peoci al forno that is mussels au gratin or polenta e soppressa. To taste Venetian cicheti you go to bacari, that is small taverns where you can find a place, even at the counter, and order a glass of wine and a plate of samples.

Now you are ready to face the rest of the tour towards Saint Mark’s Square, the heart of the city and one of the most visited squares in the world. In front of you stand extraordinary masterpieces of architecture, such as the stunning St. Mark’s Basilica, also known as the Golden Cathedral for its extraordinary gold mosaics.

To the right of the Cathedral is the center of power of the Republic of Venice: the Doge’s Palace, the residence of the Doge, a building full of contradictions. In its magnificent halls kings, queens and diplomats from all over the world were received. However, it was also the place where justice was administered: its prisons and torture chambers had become known and feared by all.

Continuing on and passing the Doge’s Palace, you arrive at the Riva degli Schiavoni, from which you can admire, on the other bank, the splendid Church of San Giorgio Maggiore and follow the outline of the Giudecca Island. Moreover, you have now arrived at the iconic Bridge of Sighs which owes its name to its original function: to connect the prisons with the Doge’s Palace. The bridge was crossed by inmates awaiting sentence and from those little grates emanated what was probably their last breath.

From the Bridge of Sighs, going back for a moment you can reach Palazzo and Scala Contarini del Bovolo, a hidden late-Gothic jewel with its impressive spiral staircase (which in Venetian is called “bovolo”, hence the name!). I recommend booking tickets to climb up to the terrace and enjoy the visit!

Nearby, specifically in Rughetta del Ravano you can find Bacaro del Ravano so you can enjoy another frozen spritz with some cicheti.

Now head over to the special Libreria Acqua Alta on Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa. Here you’ll find stacks and stacks of antique, used and rare books literally stacked along the walls and on a gondola. You can also take a photo on the gondola docked just outside the back of the store.

The day may be coming to an end, so to return to the train station, take an alternative route and head towards Ponte Chiodo in the Sestiere of Cannareggio. There are 446 bridges in Venice, originally they were all built in stone and generally without lateral protections called since 1600 bande or spallette. Since ‘800, for safety reasons, were instead all equipped with parapet. Only two bridges have survived “without bands”, one is the Ponte Chiodo, which is now a private bridge.

To end your trip completely, from Ponte Chiodo in 10 minutes you can reach one of the most original bacari of the city and pass in front of the Bacaro del Gelato ice-cream parlour. Both are located in Via Fondamenta della Misericordia, where you can then reach the Jewish Ghetto and always following the signs to the train station. In short, the name of the bacaro that you should not miss is Al Timon. Here you can sip the original Select spritz accompanied by cicheti for €1 while sitting on a boat along the canal!

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Como is one of the many small jewels of the homonymous Lombard lake. Very close to Milan and Switzerland, it is a must-see if you want to visit the left bank of Lake Como. For 3 days I stayed at the Hotel Rossovino in the district of Breccia, 4 km from the center of Como. I recommend it not only for the much lower prices, but also for the possibility to park your car easily, useful if your trip includes several stops by car along the lake.

The walled town of Como is closed to traffic and has elegant and picturesque squares, as well as many more monuments than you might imagine. Starting from Porta Torre, you’ll easily reach the Duomo, the Broletto (formerly the Town Hall), the Church of San Giacomo, with its distinctive facade, and then the Tempio di Volta on the lakefront.

The main attractions are the large villas that deserve mornings of exploration. The first to be reached by the Lino Gelpi walk along the lake is Villa Olmo. Built in the 18th century, it is surrounded by a large Italian garden. The villa owes its name, according to an undocumented tradition, to the pre-existing presence in the area of two distinct specimens of elm, very old and large. It was built in neoclassical style between 1782 and 1787 by the architect Simone Cantoni from Ticino, on behalf of Innocent Odescalchi, whose wealthy family in 1664 had purchased part of the property and land of the Abbey of St. Mary of Vico, called dell’Olmo.

You cannot miss a visit to Villa Balbianello, a FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) property, which stands on the small wooded peninsula of Lavedo in the hamlet of Lenno, overlooking the Gulf of Venus. The initiator of the wonders of the Balbianello was Cardinal Durini, man of letters and patron of the arts. In more recent times the property passed to Guido Monzino, entrepreneur, collector and passionate traveler, who in 1974 made of the Villa the refuge where to keep in order the memories of his explorations around the world. His daily life and lucky expeditions emerge from maps, travel instruments, books, furniture and precious and curious collections of ancient and primitive art objects. The villa is a journey in itself that manages to take you to the four continents with just the power to climb four different floors of the house decorated in full English style. Not to mention the garden, kept with meticulous care, so as to be a track of romantic views and panoramic terraces.

I recommend that you book your visit on the website of the Fondo Ambiente!

A last villa worth a visit is Villa Carlotta, which is located between Tremezzo, often cited as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, and Cadenabbia. Built in the early 1700s, it is one of the most famous properties on the lake, thanks to its beautiful landscape and its art collection that displays works of extraordinary beauty. Overlooking the shores of the lake, it was built at the end of the seventeenth century by the Marquis Clerici of Milan. The property then passed to Giovanni Battista Sommariva, at the time president of the Government Committee of the Cisalpine Republic established by Napoleon Bonaparte in northern Italy. Sommariva cultivated his immense passion for the arts, and in particular for sculpture, to which we owe the acquisition of works by Antonio Canova and Berthel Thorvaldsen. The villa takes its name because in 1843 it was sold by Sommariva’s heirs to princess Marianna of Prussia who gave the residence to her daughter Carlotta on the occasion of her wedding. The villa also features a botanical garden composed of more than 500 species of rare exotic plants.

In addition to the villas, the villages and small towns are real pitstops not to be missed that allow you to admire the lake from every corner. The most important, where you can also choose to visit other villas are:

• Cernobbio with Villa d’Este and Villa Erba;
• Comacina Island in the municipality of Tremezzina;
• Argegno, a small town very peculiar that will give you small and beautiful views;
• Menaggio is one of the most visited towns on the shores of Lake Como, it is located on the opposite side of Bellagio and Varenna, in the central part of the lake. It is worth a visit for its beautiful lakefront, a main square full of cafes and a small historic center to explore.

Where to eat

In Como city a very good meat restaurant is L’Antica. Here you will find salami, bread and pasta of their own production and all year round the fireplace is lit to cook fillets and grilled fiorentina. The price/quality ratio is excellent.

If instead you want to enjoy a good aperitif with appetizers I recommend Mariett 1887. It doesn’t have a view of the lake, but the spritz is good and you can enjoy some peace after a long day since it is located in a small corner of the center out of the chaos.

Finally, if you want to treat yourself to an unforgettable dinner overlooking the lake with the colors of the sunset my advice is the Imperialino Restaurant in Moltrasio. Part of the Grand Hotel Imperial you will find the magnificent dishes of land and sea of the chef Ferdinando Romano. The menu is varied and the experience will be unforgettable.

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