Five families, five regions of Italy, and one line I keep hearing: the cooking class was our favorite part of the trip. Here is where the great classes actually are, what each region gives you in the kitchen, and how I choose the right teacher for the right traveller.

A family embroidery atelier that supplies the fashion houses. A 1930s villa with a swimming pool and a winter garden. Verdi's Milan, told by a musicologist. If you think you've already done Italy, you haven't met this city yet.

Monet's bridge in a medieval village. Taggiasca olive oil from centuries-old trees. Rossese wine almost no one outside Liguria has tasted. And a twenty-kilometre coastal cycling path on a former railway line. This is the Italian Riviera for travelers who have outgrown Cinque Terre.

I've secured 26 Tribune Silver seats to the Marostica Living Chess Game on 12 September 2026, a biennial Veneto spectacle staged by more than 650 performers in Renaissance costume. Here's the luxury Italy journey I'm building around it.

Opera in a first-century arena. Amarone in the winemaker’s cellar. Shakespeare brought to life in the streets. Verona has everything Rome and Florence have — without the crowds. Here’s why it’s the Italy trip that surprises everyone.