Perugia

In the heart of postcard-perfect Perugia close-knit lanes creep away in every direction, blooming baskets of begonias swing in the warm breeze and washing lines connect the stuccoed facades of the leaning homes. The occasional sun-splashed piazza sits watched over by elegant medieval palaces, dotted with babbling founts and ringed with thrumming bars packed out with faces fresh from the lecture halls of the city’s two universities.

Crowned the capital of Umbria, this terracotta town right at the middle of the Italian Boot remains one of the most visited in the country. It’s cut through at the centre with the bustling strip of Corso Pietro Vannucci, where the crenulated facades of the great Palazzo dei Priori give way to the famous Maggiore Fountain, al fresco cafes and the dominating rises of the Perugia Cathedral. Nearby, eye-wateringly beautiful churches await at San Domenico and San Pietro, while festivals for chocolate and jazz erupt ad hoc throughout the year, stacked gelato ice-creams abound and crispy Romana pizzas are washed down with dashes of Limoncello.

Unquestionably the best way to unravel the wonders of this city is on foot, so be sure to ask your Perugia tour guide for a walking route of the town that encompasses all the must see sights, smells, sounds and stop-offs!