ITALY Magazine 2015 Must-See Destinations

Milan, the capital of Lombardy, will be hosting the World Expo in 2015, beginning May 1st. If you are looking for a holiday in a cosmopolitan city buzzing with events, this is the hottest Italian destination this year. However, don't miss visiting the surrounding area as well, including its beautiful lakes and art cities. And if you are not interested in the Expo or you'd rather avoid a busy city, skip Milan and just the tour the region's many enchanting sites.

Our passion for food is well known, after all we are a magazine about Italy and there is no holiday in the Bel Paese which does not include a full immersion into its wonderful food. Many of us have recently visited Parma, the capital of good food, famous for its Parmigiano (Parmesan cheese) and prosciutto (Parma ham). We found the city as charming as ever with its cobbled, medieval streets, grand buildings and memorable restaurants. Spending a few days in Parma would give you the chance to visit its many museums and theatres, try the many local delicacies and enjoy the surrounding area, however, if you can only devote a day to the capital of Italian food, we have the perfect one-day itinerary for you.

Too often overlooked, Trieste, in northeastern Italy, has a unique atmosphere and is so different from other Italian cities. It oozes the atmosphere of Mittle-Europa and is greatly influenced by its location at the crossroads of Latin, Austro-Hungarian and Slavic cultures. Today, the proximity with Slovenia means also that your cellphone might show a Slovenian network name at times!

Recently, Puglia has been making "Italy's hottest destinations" list on various magazines for good reasons. We love the 'heel of the boot' too and would like to suggest our favourite spot, Salento. Located at the southerly tip of the region, Salento features lovely seaside towns, beautiful beaches, great climate and delicious food and wine...what more could you ask for from a single destination?!

Le Marche is one of those magical places that leaves you feeling slightly peeved you hadn’t visited sooner. It’s enchanting, with a varied landscape combining hilly countryside with a long coastline, alongside impressive mountain views and picturesque medieval towns. It made the top list of all the members of our staff, contributors and authors!

We are so biased when it comes to Sicily! Part of our team is based in the South-Eastern part and is very passionate about the island. If you wish to avoid Sicily’s crowded tourist hotspots, but still want to enjoy all that the island is famous for – a beautiful coastline, historic villages frozen in time, archeological sites, natural reserves, excellent cuisine – head west and follow our itinerary combining nature, history, culture and time at the beach.

The Casentino Valley is not the most famous area in Tuscany; foreign and local tourism have passed it by, stopping in the better known Chianti or Val D'Orcia. But for us, this beautifully secluded, wide, oval-shaped valley surrounded by gentle hills between Florence and Arezzo is definitely our favourite Tuscan destination for 2015.

Up-and-coming Cagliari, Sardinia's capital, has steep and narrow streets, impressive architecture, a busy waterfront and a rich history. But that's not all: leave the city and you will find miles of white sand gorgeous beaches with azure waters.

Going beyond the Cinque Terre, we recently suggested how to best enjoy a tour of Liguria, but we kept the best for this list! There are five islands in the Ligurian Sea, all of them protected nature reserves, all of them beautiful and unexplored. Plan a summer trip to the area and include visits to these wonderful islands.

Head to Matera before anyone else does! This Basilicata town has been selected as European Capital of Culture for 2019. Known as "la città sotterranea" (the Subterranean City), Matera is famous for its UNESCO-listed historical center, called "Sassi", and for the Park of the Rupestrian Churches.

Buone vacanze!