How to experience Italy like a local this summer

Soaring mountain passes and centuries-old forests mean incredible hiking and cycling. “Cycling is an ideal way to discover the city and experience a day out on two wheels,” says Lipparini. Try tackling a tract of the Via Francigena, an ancient 6th-Century, 1,700km pilgrimage trail snaking from Canterbury, England to Puglia in Italy’s deep south, or check out YesMilano’s Lombardy-based bike routes. Trekkers hit the rainbow-hued expanse of the Cinque Terre National Park and skyscraping Path of the Gods on the lemon-perfumed Amalfi Coast.

Italy’s seaside culture has inspired countless films – and holidays. Today, its beaches range from family-friendly clubs like the sprawling white-sand San Vito lo Capo in Sicily to party beaches like Bazzano in Sperlonga on the Tyrrhenian Sea. You can explore Italy below the surface, too: take a guided snorkelling tour to discover underwater kingdoms like the sunken Roman villas of Baia or Ischia’s underwater Roman city of Aenaria.