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Located just a few minutes’ stroll from the Rialto Bridge, Al Volto is Venice’s oldest wine bar and home to an impressive 1,000-bottle collection. The list includes Italian and international wines, but not all are offered at the same time—the wine list rotates daily. If you aren’t sure what to order, the staff is very knowledgable. Beyond the attraction of the wine, the atmosphere is jovial and the vibe is cozy with wood-paneled walls and every bit of the ceiling plastered with wine labels. If you’re hungry, the adjoining restaurant cooks up delicious traditional Venetian lagoon fare. The homemade pastas are excellent—keep it simple and try the spaghetti with clams and olive oil.

This small, family-run wine shop in the Oltrarno district has been a gathering place for Florentines since 1947. Now run by the founder’s grandson and his family, it remains a place where neighborhood denizens come to buy wine to take home or to have a chat over a glass. Inside the shop, floor-to-ceiling shelves display bottles from a variety of Italian regions and vintages, with options in every price range. Glasses of red or white wine, dispensed from taps, can be enjoyed at the narrow bar. Or linger a little longer: Ask for a seat at one of the sidewalk tables, then order a glass of Chianti and a snack of chicken liver pâté (made from Nonna’s recipe) served on grilled Tuscan bread.

While boating on Lake Como we happened upon a peaceful corner of the lake. My husband took our daughter to explore, climb and jump off the rocks. It was a wonderful morning of swimming, and cruising in our little rental boat, and then it was onto Varenna for lunch.

Maxxi, Rome’s first major contemporary art museum, cost €150 million and took renowned architect Zaha Hadid 10 years to complete. The result—a vast, bold space with exhibits on architecture and art—proves that modern Rome can produce masterpieces, too.

But it’s not just the building that’s worth visiting. Inside, visitors can explore a rotating set of art exhibitions dedicated to paintings, sculptures, and more from the 21st century. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am – 7 pm. It is closed on Mondays. You can get tickets in advance online.

While it may go without mentioning, the fish along the Ligurian coast is some of the freshest in the world (as most restaurants source from small local fishermen, they get their supplies within minutes of the catch). Most of the fish here is of the flaky, white variety, although during certain months you can find the massive tuna swimming just meters off the coast. Italians love their fish simply prepared, but if you come in spring, make sure you order yours with the delicious seasonal ‘carciofi’ (artichokes).

Set in a renovated 18th-century Milanese palazzo on a private street close to Milan’s Via Montenapoleone, the Bulgari is one of Milan’s most distinguished residences. The hotel’s enormous private garden dates back to the 14^th century, and the interior is awash in sophisticated materials like African black marble, Italian stone, and teak. In short, the place oozes class. The rooms—designed by the architectural studio Antonio Citterio, Patricia Viel and Partner—are tasteful, modern, and surprisingly adventurous. Located along dimly-lit corridors, the rooms come in various color schemes and feature an array of designer furnishings and conveniences, including not one but two plasma screens, Tivoli radios, and exclusive Bulgari bathroom products. Balconies overlook the surrounding villas, and gardens have been redesigned by landscape architect Sophie Agata Ambroise and feature patio furniture and a dedicated bar service. The Bulgari gardens serve as a natural extension of the nearby Botanical Garden and provide private relaxation amid Milano’s bustle. The hotel also has a high-end restaurant and bar, and a comprehensive spa. All guests get access to a personal shopper, personal trainer, luxury car rental, and even assistance with packing and unpacking. In addition, the concierge can arrange everything from hydroplane trips around Lake Como to personal shopping excursions around Italy by private plane, limousine, or yacht.

Even after chatting with the owner, I’m still slightly confused as to why this lovely women’s shoe boutique/art gallery is called Plastic Passion, but like so many things in Genoa, we just go with it. Drop by this lovely little shop to pick up Italian-made suede heels, or my favorite, the kitten-heeled black t-strap beauties. And take a minute to check out the upstairs art gallery before you head out.

This tiny Venetian bacaro (bar) is so popular that many of its patrons don’t even make it inside. Instead, they cluster around the entrance drinking wine. Sample cicchetti (bar snacks) that the locals come for, especially the meatballs.

Given how popular it is, your best bet at getting in is to go at lunch or just before closing. It’s an excellent option for a full meal or just a few snacks, depending on how hungry you are.

Minsk, the austere capital of Belarus and a former Soviet satellite, harbors Beatles cover bands, bookish bohemians feasting on salo and vodka, and the curious legacy of Lee Harvey Oswald.

When my husband and I visited Italy last year, we each chose one place we wanted to visit. I chose Venice: I wanted to see the famous canals and gondolas first-hand. My husband, a long-time lover of Ducati motorcycles, chose a tour of the Ducati Factory and Museum (http://ducati.com/company/visit_us/index.do?tab=museum). We arrived on a Saturday and, unfortunately, the factory tour doesn’t run on the weekends, but luckily the museum was open for tours and had a lot to offer fans of vintage Ducatis. The museum focuses on Ducati’s racing history, with examples of every major Ducati race bike to have won World Championships, the Paris Dakar Rally, and other famous races. My husband was in heaven, able to see up close the motorcycles he’d read about and seen in magazines. The museum tours last about a half hour and provides a lot of interesting information about this classic Italian brand. Tours run at three times on Saturdays: 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 12:00 noon, and while you potentially can get on the tour as a last-minute walk-up as we did, reservations are highly recommended (you can reserve a place on a tour online). If you find yourself in Bologna and are a motorcycle enthusiast, spend an hour at the fascinating Ducati Factory and Museum - I think you’ll enjoy it.

Locals love the Sunday Supper at City House, when chef-owner Tandy Wilson serves his highly creative Italian-influenced menu, but you really can’t go wrong any night here. Wilson, a 2016 James Beard Award winner, is a Nashville native who spent time in Italy and California before opening his restaurant in the former home of a sculptor in the trendy Germantown neighborhood. Since then, he’s been drawing visitors and locals alike with his belly ham pizzas, corn bread gnocchi, and main dishes like roasted chicken and corn meal–crusted catfish with peppers, garlic, anchovy, lemon, and parsley. Those in the know bookend their visits with a perfectly crafted cocktail at the bar and a dessert from pastry chef Rebekah Turshen, like the almond ricotta skillet cake with lemon marmalade and lemon ricotta gelato.

Masullo Pizza is my idea of the perfect pizza place in the U.S.—the servers are friendly, the interior is stylish, the food honors what is local and seasonal, and the pizza is outstanding. Robert Masullo, the owner, takes pizza seriously, using a combination of expert technique and carefully picked ingredients to create beautifully simple and delicious pizzas. Greatness continues with the rest of the menu: the appetizers, salads (which change with what’s in season—I was once told that the oranges were from his friend’s tree), desserts, and selection of local wines and beers. Their freshly baked bread (shown above) is sold at nearby Taylor’s Market. I have loved Masullo since it opened about 5 years ago. Then again, I love just about anything from Italy—especially authentic Italian pizza. Masullo Pizza is located in the cute Land Park neighborhood just south of downtown. Outdoor seating is available. Open all day 11:30-9:00 on weekdays (until 9:30 Fridays) and 5:00-9:30 on Saturdays. Closed Sundays.

Foodies (and those simply interested in local color and a good meal) should head to San Lorenzo and its covered Mercato Centrale. Florence’s main market for edibles is housed in a 19th-century glass-and-iron building. On the ground floor, delis, stands, and butcher counters sell a fantastic array of local fruit and vegetables, cheeses, dried porcini mushrooms, baked goods, balsamic vinegars, and olive oils plus fresh fish, poultry, and meat. Upstairs, a modern food hall has opened: Stalls sell prepared foods and meals for happy and immediate consumption at a central seating area.

Bar Basso is one of the oldest cocktail bars in Milan. It’s appeared in many films and is a piece of history in the city. It’s always been a privileged meeting place for designers, journalists, artists, and writers. Here you can taste the best international drinks dipped in a real atmosphere of an Italian bar. Between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., the Milanese file into their neighborhood bars and fashionable watering holes. They elbow their way to the bar and partake in one of the city’s long-held social traditions: the aperitivo. Strictly speaking, an aperitivo is a pre-meal drink served to whet your appetite or, as the Italians say, to “open your stomach,” commonly with drinks such as Campari and orange juice or Cinzano on ice.

Perched high above the Bay of Positano, Il San Pietro is the epitome of Italian seaside glamour—the hotel has attracted a coterie of international VIPs since its opening in 1970, including Gregory Peck, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts—but retains the charm of a family-run inn. Michelin-starred Zass restaurant culls ingredients from the property’s organic gardens, which spill down to the sea across 10 terraces teeming with local produce, and rooms feature custom ceramic tiles made in local factories using traditional techniques. If the 400 steps down to Positano’s only private beach sound daunting, an elevator cuts through the rock to water level, where tangerine loungers on the stone sundeck give way to a cove with sandy shores. Here, breezy Carlino restaurant serves up lemon spaghetti beneath a cheerful thatched roof. Prefer more active endeavors? Hugging the cliff face above, seaside tennis courts serve up sets with a dazzling view.