1. Sicily & Outer Islands

2. Campania & Amalfi Coast

3. Tuscany & Umbria

4. Puglia & The South

5. Veneto & The Dolomites

6. Piedmont & Liguria

7. Rome & Lazio

8. Emilia Romagna

9. Lombardia & The Lakes

Best time to visit: April through October and during Carnevale (February/March, depending on the year)

Go for this: Visiting Venice’s lesser-known outer islands like Torcello or Venissa after having experienced a private glass blowing session on the island of Murano. Learning about the differences in Prosecco from winemakers in Valdobbiadene and Conegliano.

But try this:  Taking a private tour of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum after seeing the masterpieces of the world’s most talented artists at the Biennale. Walking in the footsteps of World War I soldiers in the Dolomites, discovering fortresses, tunnels, and trenches along the Asiago Plateau is right out of a Steven Spielberg film.

Favorite hotels:

• Aman Venice for pampering and a splurge, the esteemed hotel group’s first city hotel.

• Belmond Cipriani for some rest and relaxation, The Talented Mr. Ripley-style.

• Hotel Adler as base camp for the Dolomites.

Favorite guest experience: Sipping wine at Allegrini Estate in the Valpolicella region while admiring the grotesque Renaissance-era fireplace at Villa della Torre. Dressing up in a period costume and attending a masquerade ball in a private Venetian palace on the Grand Canal at Carnevale.

Favorite restaurant: Le Calandre in Padova

Foods: Cicchetti, pandoro, polenta, spritz, risi e bisi, baccalà mantecato, sarde in saor, folpi, tiramisù, white asparagus from Bassano del Grappa, radicchio trevigiano

Wines:

• Corvina

• Garganega

• Prosecco

• Amarone

• Moscato d’Asti

• Barbera d’Alba

• Grappa