Pop singer, Ebi, on a family holiday in Italy

Venice

Venice never loses its capacity to enchant. There's a reason why it's popular: the sheer loveliness of an exquisite city that seems miraculously built on water. It's important to remember that, even at peak visitor times, you are never more than a bridge and an alley away from a more secluded city, full of secret campi (squares), handsome Gothic palazzi and lively neighbourhood wine bars. In any season, Venice's churches and museums offer antique glories aplenty, but there is also a vibrant contemporary art scene, even away from the Art Biennale.