While some lay abandoned, others have been refurbished to host some of the coolest restaurants in the area. Lonely Planet's Italyis our most comprehensive guide that extensively covers all the country has to offer, with recommendations for both popular and lesser-known experiences.

Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of Croatia, Republic of the Congo, Reunion, Romania, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (U. Split in two, its new and old halves are linked by an underground tunnel burrowed beneath the blustery San Cristoforo promontory. Island-hop across the Gulf of Naples 5, from chic, day-trip favourite Capri to laid-back Procida and thermal Ischia, the largest and most developed island.

Our guide to Italy's highlights, featuring the best sights and recommended itineraries for a curated selection of top destinations, this visually inspiring guide will help you to make the most of your time in Italy. Lonely Planet: The world’s leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet’s Best of Italy is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore over two millennia of European art and architecture in Rome, discover the Escher-esque maze of skinny streets and waterways in Venice, and tour the blockbuster museums and elegant churches of Tuscany; all with your trusted travel companion. High summer means packed beaches as cities empty and holidaymakers head to the coast, while winter promises good times in the country’s many ski resorts. Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet Italy is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you.

Cinque Terre has lighter crowds in the spring months, but some hotels can be booked solid from April to October © Atlantide Phototravel / Getty Images When's the best time to visit the Cinque Terre? Discover erotic frescoes and kilometres of haunting Hobbit-like tombs in the Etruscan cemeteries of Cerveteri and Tarquinia 4 in northern Lazio. Excellent new format which explains what you can experience and achieve as opposed to telling you what to do at the lowest cost.In the warmer months, hikers and cyclists take to the trails that snake across the country’s rocky peaks and forested highlands. The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Italy , our most comprehensive guide to Italy, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled. On the way, stop in one of the rocky bays with access to the sea for a swim, maybe at Grotta Zinzulusa in Castro.

What’s new: we reveal what’s happening, from e-bike tourism in Tuscany, to Rome’s urban hostel boom, and a new zipline above Pacentro for cultured thrillseekers. Pay homage to Leonardo da Vinci’s version of The Last Supper, on show at the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie 2 in Milan.In the past decade, some areas have made headlines for hosting flashy weddings and being celebrities' summer escapes. During spring and autumn, the less hot times of the year, it's common to meet groups of adventurers that cycle along the way.

There’s exhilarating year-round sport to be enjoyed, or you can keep it relaxed and take to the country’s back roads to luxuriate in the superlative scenery that unfurls before you at every turn. Many businesses are family-owned, having been passed down through the generations, while others have grown from modest origins to become global brands known for their classic designs and quality workmanship. Check out Lonely Planet's Discover Italy, a photo-rich guide to the country's most popular attractions.

The Renaissance was a lucrative period for builders as palaces sprang up across the country, from Vicenza and Mantua to Ferrara, Urbino (pictured) and Florence. Almost a million people have moved abroad in the last 10 years, according to the Italian National Statistics Institute, ISTAT. Revel in the exotic drama of Palermo’s Arab-Norman architecture as showcased in the Cappella Palatina and Palazzo dei Normanni 2 . On the surface, Italy looks like a movie scene coming to life, starting from its shape as a boot in the middle of the Mediterranean. You might still have 400km (250 miles) – almost the distance between Paris and Amsterdam – to drive if you aim to reach its deep south in one go.