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La Piazza is regarded as one of the finest Italian eateries in New Delhi. And rightly so. It’s been highly ranked by various local magazines year after year. Every bite of every dish oozes with freshness and is cooked to perfection. It’s one of the few restaurants where I found that they offered healthy substitutes such as whole wheat pasta. The ambiance is dimly-lit and romantic, mimicking somewhat of a sidewalk Italian cafe with cascading white pillars, stone tiles, and wooden louvres. Top off your experience with scrumptious desserts and crisp Italian wine…and VOILA, you’re in Italian heaven! As expected, the dress code is upscale and classy. They will refuse service, so dress up! To try: the wood-fired pizzas!

Visiting the 17th-century Büyük Valide Han in Eminönü is my all-time favorite experience in Istanbul. It’s an Ottoman inn that accommodated traveling merchants over 350 years ago and also stored the Oriental and European wares from the wooden ships moored in the Golden Horn. The han is hidden away in the backstreets of the Spice Bazaar, though got some big-time exposure when featured in a montage in the 007 movie Skyfall. Artisans still make and repair some of Turkey’s well-known handicrafts in the timeworn workshops upstairs, but my favorite feature is the view from the roof. To experience this you need to locate the building off Çakmakçılar Yokuşu. Then go up the steep stairs and say, “Merhaba” (hello) to the craftspeople. If you’re lucky, the caretaker will agree to unlock a door that hides a secret staircase to the roof. Do give him a tip for his kindness and time because the view of the Bosporus, dividing Europe and Asia, is spectacular. A little word of warning: The roof is flat (with some domes), and there are no safety rails—so watch your step. Please respect the history of the building too and collect only memories and leave only your fondness for Istanbul to waft away in the Bosporus breeze.

Like all outdoor markets in Rome, Campo de’ Fiori is a bustling social center where locals push past throngs of tourists to complete their errands. Every morning you can find nonni shopping for produce with their grandchildren, feisty butchers running the day’s orders, and barmen hand-delivering trays of espresso to the vendors. By late afternoon, the market quiets down as vendors head home for the evening, and slowly buskers and musicians make their way to the square. By sunset, Campo once again surges with energy, this time to fuel the nightlife.

The Bellini was born in Venice at Harry’s Bar, which has been hopping since 1931. Declared a National Historic Monument by the Italian government in 2001, this San Marco bar and restaurant is a cultural institution. Even though it doesn’t do the best food in Venice, and prices are ridiculously expensive, it’s worth dining here once just for the experience. Over the decades it has served a global collection of writers and artists, including Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, and Orson Welles, and today it’s still popular with Venetian movers and shakers.

The interior decor has not changed since Giuseppe Cipriani opened Harry’s on the eve of World War II (and during the war, Harry’s was one of only a handful of restaurants in Venice that would serve Jewish patrons). The food is classic Venetian. Try the baked sea bass with artichokes for a main, and make sure to save room for dessert. Harry’s is famed for crêpes flambées and also its Cipriani chocolate cake. Reservations are imperative; when booking ask for the ground floor because dining here is all about seeing and being seen, and the second floor is considered much less cool by Venice society (although it has much better views and more dining space).

It’s hard not to feel hip upon entering this Williamsburg hotel. Credit those Insta-cool vibes to the always abuzz rooftop lounge Westlight, or to Leuca, where food-loving socialites flock for a taste of the Italian plates that chef Andrew Carmellini does best. Thanks to the hotel’s partnership with Brooklyn Arts Council, locally designed artworks greet guests in each of the 183 rooms, as do luxe Frette linens, floor-to-ceiling windows, and wraparound balconies with stellar views of the Manhattan skyline. Once settled in, it’s straightaway to the pool, a 60-foot stretch of water surrounded by daybeds and cabanas. If you’d prefer a private hot tub, book the Vale Garden Residence, a two-story suite complete with an open-air Jacuzzi, a fully furnished patio, and its own covetable city vistas.

If you’re a shopper, then Bologna is the city for you. Thanks to the combination of a large student population and a robust corporate climate, the ability to spend some money shopping abounds. One of the top buys can be found at the many food shops around town. Bologna is one of the culinary centers of Italy and you can find everything from the freshest of foods to the coolest of kitchen gadgets around town. This is also northern Italy, so fashion is always close at hand as well. If high-end labels are your thing, then a walk through the main shopping district won’t leave you disappointed.

A reservation is an absolute necessity at this very traditional and very popular Florentine trattoria. The white-tiled walls are hung with photographs and prints; hard wooden benches and tables run along the perimeter, and more tables are squeezed into the center. The menu is decidedly Tuscan with highlights like finocchiona (a fennel-flecked salami), slow-cooked beans, tortino di carciofi (artichoke in swirl of whipped eggs), and butter chicken, which is served sizzling in the pan. Save room for the house dessert: heaped layers of cream and meringue surrounded by tiny wild strawberries.

Since its founding in 1893, the Hassler has been a pillar of luxury accommodation in Rome. This five-star hotel is perched theatrically atop Trinità dei Monti, the hill at the apex of the Spanish Steps, providing dazzling vistas over Rome’s rooftop terraces and church domes. More than a century after opening, the hotel remains privately owned. Generations dedicated to carefully cultivating a loyal clientele have made the Hassler the destination of choice for many royal and celebrity visitors to Rome. Accordingly, the staff is well-equipped to fulfill every imaginable whim and desire, regardless of how outlandish.

The formal service and decor hark back to the last days of the Grand Tour when European and American elite converged on Rome for its cultural—and couture—offerings, a tradition that still thrives in places like this. The Hassler oozes Old World charm, and its nearly 100 rooms are clad in marble, embellished with antiques, and accented with gilded furnishings, a reminder of the city’s late 19^th-century splendor. The common areas are similarly lavish and offer palatial settings for meetings, cocktails, and lounging.

Just across the Piazza Trinità dei Monti, the Hassler’s second property, Il Palazzetto, offers accommodations with a lot less gilding but no less class.

If you are looking for a quick bite while passing through or doing some shopping at Punta Cana Village (or just craving a taste of home) Pizzarelli, in business for more than 30 years offers what it calls the “real Italian pizza.” The restaurant’s thin-crust pizzas, prepared using fresh ingredients, and other Italian-style dishes are a hit with locals and might just be the best you’ll find in the Dominican Republic.

If Southern California had ever been annexed by La Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia, the Fairmont Grand Del Mar would be the governor’s palace—all marble columns, gold-leafed staircases, and hand-stenciled ceilings. Even the 400-acre grounds, with their classical fountains, garden rotundas, and neatly arranged cypresses, are true to the retro Italianate vibe. The luxuries, however, are modern—namely, the 18-hole Tom Fazio–designed golf course and the critically acclaimed restaurant Addison. There, Relais & Châteaux grand chef William Bradley lures locals and travelers with his contemporary French cuisine, a seasonal tasting menu, and a wine list of more than 3,500 selections. (There are a few other drinking and dining options, too, including a casual all-day option, a clubby grill room, and a nightclub for live music and weekend DJs.)

The hotel’s 249 guest rooms and suites feature European-style soaking tubs, and views over the gardens, golf club, or Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. Two opulent villas—ranging in size from 4,500 to 5,000 square feet—are tailor-made for families and larger groups. The spa here is also one of San Diego’s best: Book a signature Renaissance spa therapy, and follow the scent of eucalyptus-infused mist all the way down a grand staircase to your Moor mud wrap.

This Scottsdale megaresort opened in 1988 as an Americanized vision of European style, which explains the white marble in the lobby, the mother-of-pearl tiles lining one of the pools, and the 11 Steinway pianos (including one in each of the four presidential suites). Over the years, though, the Phoenician has melded with its surroundings to become one of the classic Arizona desert hotel experiences. The 27-hole golf course, the 11 tennis courts, the eight pools (one with a 165-foot waterslide), the spa, the hiking, and the alfresco dining all make it the kind of place people contemplate when they find themselves looking at a closet full of winter coats and scarves. The rooms are spacious, with large Italian marble bathrooms, and have a private terrace or balcony. The service is tip-top, and the kids’ club even features a Bunny Hoppy Hour. Recent renovations updated the hotel’s public spaces, including the lobby, restaurants, pool area, and spa.

If you’re looking to eat veggie in Venice, head to La Zucca, which serves a sophisticated vegetarian menu that makes use of local, fresh ingredients from northern Italy, including sweet pumpkin (from which it gets its name – zucca). The chefs are talented at bringing out the flavors of the vegetables they’re working with and combining just the right amount of seasoning and ingredients to create a well-balanced dish – try the finocchi piccanti con olive (fennel in a spicy tomato-olive sauce), radicchio di Treviso con funghi e scaglie di Montasio (with mushrooms and Montasio cheese shavings) or the flan di zucca, which is the house signature, and a rich, naturally sweet, pumpkin pudding topped with aged ricotta cheese slivers.


But while the vegetarian entrees here really shine, the menu doesn’t exclude carnivores and has a number of excellent meat dishes like piccata di pollo ai caperi e limone con riso (sliced chicken with capers and lemon served with rice). The restaurant is a simple place with lattice-work walls and not a lot of pomp and circumstance, making it perfect for families.

At Park Hyatt London River Thames, creativity and discovery unfold around you as soon as you enter the lobby. A Charlie Whinney commission inspired by the iconic waterway outside the hotel, Ebb and Flow, welcomes guests. From there, explore a “park by water” art gallery, admiring pieces by more than 20 world-renowned artists throughout the property for a distinctive cultural experience that reflects London’s international appeal. It’s a significantly quieter, more personal journey than you might find at the nearby Tate Modern or other major institutions here, but no less impactful.

An anchor in CityCentre (the 37-acre, mixed-use development unveiled in west Houston in 2009), Hotel Sorella has an intimate, boutique feel with graphic interior touches and contemporary furnishings. Guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in showers, and custom beds with Egyptian cotton linens and non-allergenic goose down and foam pillows. Amid 22 upscale shops (Lululemon, Kendra Scott, Anthropologie, Free People, Paper Source, and H&M) and an eight-screen Studio Movie Grill, the hotel’s back door is an outdoor plaza with green space where kids can run around. Musicians play Wednesday through Saturday. The open-air, European-style development caters to pedestrians and alfresco dining.

If you’re looking for a chic lodging with personality to spare, Park Hotel is it. Designed under the concept of ART—atrium, restaurant, travel—it occupies 10 levels of the triangular Shiodome Media Tower and pays homage to Japan’s natural beauty with a glass-enclosed courtyard (purported to be the largest hotel atrium in Tokyo) and trees and greenery dotting the spaces between the building’s 25th and 34th floors. An artist-in-residence program ensures that every room on the 31^st floor features unique murals and paintings by local creatives, while more conventional rooms come in light, neutral tones, but all are furnished with stylish pieces by B&B Italia. The hotel also houses a wood-paneled spa, an art gallery, and a kaiseki-style Japanese restaurant and casual French bistro where the dishes are pieces of art in and of themselves.