Cosmopolitan Charms

Beaches or bargains, the sea or sights. Palma has it all, together with enough sunshine and souvenirs to keep anyone happy. If you like beaches, cafes or simply lazing around in the sunshine, you'll love Palma, together with the nearby resorts of Palma Nova and Magaluf. Before you relax, though, make sure you visit Palma City itself to see the Moorish palace, the designer stores and the quaint shops and cobbled streets of the old city, behind the Gothic Cathedral. And for souvenirs, make a bee-line for Inca, the largest street market on the island which opens every Thursday.

The chequered history of the capital of Sicily is the key to its beauty, its fascinating sights and its endless charm. Palermo offers every visitor something to see. From the Quattro Canti, the intersection of the original four streets of the city, to the beautiful Greek Orthodox Martorana Church with its Arab/Norman bell tower and Byzantine mosaics, it has many stories to tell. Add theatres, lush gardens and glorious views and this is the place to relax as well as explore. And if you can, visit Monreale. High in the hills with a wonderful panoramic view over the Gulf of Palermo, its cathedral reveals exquisite mosaics depicting stories from the bible.

This is the most spectacular natural setting in Italy. With its beautiful bay overlooked by Mount Vesuvius, a sunny climate and lots to see, Naples is unmissable. A stroll through the narrow streets and hustle and bustle of the local markets that sell literally everything is an experience in itself in Naples. That's before you discover the memorable sights like the majolica-tiled cloister of the Church of Santa Chiara, the local craftsmen of San Gregorio Armeno who make the famous Neapolitan crèche figures, or the Galleria Umberto where designer shops sit amidst glorious architecture. Don't forget to take the chairlift up to Mount Vesuvius itself or the tour to Pompeii and the ancient ruins of Herculaneum. And why not take the short boat ride to the picturesque and exclusive island of Capri?

History doesn't come much better than the Eternal City. Neither does the opportunity to find exclusive designer shops. Discover the old and the new city in Rome. Whatever you're looking for in Rome, you'll find it. For a touch of the past, try the magnificent 50,000 seater Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Forum Romanum and the Spanish Steps. That's not forgetting the Vatican itself, with St Peter's Cathedral and the unrivalled Vatican Museum. Or the Trevi Fountain where you can throw a coin in the water for good luck. But not all Roman roads are lined with antiquities. Some boast the exclusive shops of Fendi, Valentino and Gucci, while others are lined with bustling cafes from the fancy to the casually friendly.

An isle of majestic mountains rising up from turquoise seas, idyllic Corsica overflows with natural beauty. Set on Corsica's southwestern coast, Propriano is a bustling harbour town. Boasting a wide array of cafes and boutiques this is the place to shop and people-watch. Propriano is also known for its selection of traditional Corsican restaurants where you can sample some mouthwatering specialities such as garlicky ratatouille and fresh fish soup. Propriano is perfectly placed to visit the 4,000 year old life-size statues of Filitosa.

Its phenomenal reputation makes other cities positively green with envy, and bohemian Barcelona continues to top the popularity charts. So what makes it such a big hit? Well, where do we start?

Beaches or bargains, the sea or sights. Palma has it all, together with enough sunshine and souvenirs to keep anyone happy. If you like beaches, cafes or simply lazing around in the sunshine, you'll love Palma, together with the nearby resorts of Palma Nova and Magaluf. Before you relax, though, make sure you visit Palma City itself to see the Moorish palace, the designer stores and the quaint shops and cobbled streets of the old city, behind the Gothic Cathedral. And for souvenirs, make a bee-line for Inca, the largest street market on the island which opens every Thursday.