Rome is Italy's treasure, packed with masterpieces from more than two millennia of artistic achievement. Modern Rome has one foot in the past, one in the present. Find a cafe at summer twilight and watch the shades of pink turn to gold and copper before night finally falls. That's when another Rome comes alive; restaurants and cafes grow more animated and after dinner you can have a gelato (or an espresso in winter) or stroll by the fountains or through Piazza Navona, and the night is yours.

Bologna is one of the most overlooked gems in Italy, one of the most architecturally unified in Europe - a panorama of sienna-colored buildings, marbled sidewalks, and porticos. Located at the crossroads between Venice and Florence and surrounded by hills, Bologna provides the best of several worlds; it has beautiful piazzas, churches and museums, as well as being a thriving university town, filled with cafes, bars and nightlife. The bars, cafes, and squares fill up with students, and an eclectic mix of concerts, art exhibits, and avant-garde ballet and theater performances always marks the calendar.

The proximity of the city of Naples (Napoli) to the Vesuvius gives its inhabitants a certain edge. Its reputation as the most vibrant city in Italy can be a double-edged sword, explaining why some tourists like it and some hate it outright. Nonetheless, the charm of Naples resides in its narrow streets with numerous ancient churches, street markets, cafés, bars and restaurants, all leading to a cacophony of sounds and images embodying the spirit of the Italian South.

Florence, the capital of Tuscany, is one of Italy's most atmospheric and pleasant, retaining a strong resemblance to the small late-medieval center that contributed so much to the cultural and political development of Europe. Art treasures Michelangelo's David Botticelli's Birth of Venus, and Raphael's La Velata draw millions of visitors every year. Throw into the mix fabulous architecture (the Duomo with Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's campanile, Santa Croce), fine restaurants and earthy trattorie, plus leading designer boutiques and bustling outdoor markets, and the city of the Renaissance becomes quite simply one of the world's must-see sights.

Siena is a city of brick, where urban development all but ceased after the great plague of the 14th century, busy as it was defending itself. Today, Siena is one of the largest Tuscan cities to maintain a distinctively medieval atmosphere and a great place to discover Tuscany at its medieval best, with numerous gothic palaces, pastry shops, and unequaled altarpieces.

Pisa does not need an introduction, as testified by the millions of tourists offloading each year for their mandatory photo of the Leaning Tower. In the rush of the moment, few bother to find out that Pisa was founded circa 1000 b.c. and became an important maritime republic alongside Venice, Amalfi, and Genoa. Birthplace of the famed Galileo Galilei, Pisa is also home to one of Italy?s top universities. For those choosing to stay longer, there are plenty of architectural splendors around the Tower.

Montecatini Terme is a heaven for those who love spa treatments. The curative powers of the hot springs and steaming vaporous caverns of the Valdinevole west of Pistoia have been renowned for centuries. Wrapped in mud packs, drinking mineral-laden waters, getting radioactive vapors steamed into your face you will forget all about the stress. The Parco dei Termi, a long park of neoclassical temples expanding over the sources of various underground hot springs is the ideal place for relaxation.

The birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, Lucca is a beautiful medieval walled city. The wide walls lost their military importance and became a pedestrian promenade ringing the old town. If you are interested in religious art, enter the 14th-century cathedral Duomo San Martino to see Nicola Pisano's Descent from the Cross or have a look at the multi-patterned columns at "San Michele", the church of the archangel. Take some time to enjoy Lucca's tranquil atmosphere and its many fine restaurants.

Assisi is one of Italy's top sights, competing with the Colosseum, Pompeii, and Venice's canals. It boasts some of Italy's finest early Renaissance art. One of the top attractions is the remarkably preserved portico of a Roman temple on its main square. The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi (St Francis) is a World Heritage Site that well worths a visit. The town is dominated by two medieval castles. The larger, called Rocca Maggiore, was built by Cardinal Albornoz (1367).

Milan is Italy's window on Europe, its most sophisticated and high-tech metropolis. La Scala, its landmark, is one of Europe's most prestigious opera houses. In addition, it's the site of several world-renowned annual trade fairs. Milan is one of Europe's top shopping cities, with an incredible concentration of sophisticated, high style boutiques - and that's only fitting because Milan is the dynamo of the Italian fashion industry. Dolce & Gabbana, Ferré, Krizia, Moschino, Prada, Armani, and Versace have all catapulted to international stardom from design studios based here. Inevitably, shopping is of almost religious significance.

With sumptuous palaces and romantic waterways, Venice is straight out of an 18th-century Canaletto masterpiece. No matter how many times you have seen it in movies or TV commercials, the real thing is more surreal and dreamlike than you ever imagined. Its landmarks, the Basilica di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale are exotic mélanges of Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance styles. It is full of secrets, ineffably romantic, and - at times - given over entirely to pleasure. You must walk everywhere in Venice and where you cannot walk, you go by water.

The city of Verona in the province of Veneto, Northern Italy, rivals Venice in terms of magic and romance. Visitors turn here in numbers, making this town the most visited of the province after Venice. Aside from Romeo and Juliet's strong pull, Verona is a charming medieval and Renaissance city, with numerous medieval palazzi, churches, towers, and centuries-old piazzas. Among other objectives of interest are the Roman amphitheatre (the third largest in Italy), Arco dei Gavi, Basilica of San Zeno.

Innsbruck is one of Europe's oldest and most beautiful ski centers. Nestled in the Tyrolean Alps, the area has some 200 trails covering 500 kilometers (310 miles) and is perfect for beginner and intermediate-level skiers. It is a winter sports center with modern facilities. The world-famous Air and Style Competition at the Olympic Ski Jump stadium attracts over 25,000 visitors in early December and is a must-see for the ski lovers. Non-skiers and summer visitors can enjoy the sights of the medieval Old Town, the shops with Tyrolean specialties, and the many other outdoor activities that Tyrol offers. Culture seekers will be happy with world-class opera, gorgeous architecture, and superb museums.

Located at the north end of the Lake Lucerne within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi, Lucerne is a beautiful small city in the heartland of Switzerland. It abounds in narrow cobblestone streets, covered bridges, frescoed houses, and fountains. The city became a center of Swiss history and legend, and is the setting for the most memorable part of the legend of William Tell who shot an apple off of his son's head. Lucerne is also a great base from which to explore other famous Swiss sites.

Big-city style and rural charm, Alpine character and Mediterranean verve, art treasures and the Oktoberfest, traditional customs and high technology, beer gardens and haute cuisine, operas and in bars; these are all ingredients that makes Bavaria's state capital so endlessly fascinating, and so popular with visitors from all over the world. Sprawling Munich is one of Germany's major cultural centers, second only to Berlin in terms of museums and theaters. It's also one of Germany's most festive cities, and its location, at the foot of the Alps, is idyllic. Munich's self-imposed image is that of a fun-loving and festival-addicted city - typified by its Oktoberfest.

Art lovers call Salzburg the Golden City of High Baroque; historians refer to it as the Florence of the North, or the German Rome; and music lovers know it as the Festival City - birthplace of Mozart and home of the world-famous Mozart Festival. Several beautiful castles and palaces dot the city. While Salzburg is a visual pageant of Baroque motifs, music is the element that shapes the life of the city. It is heard everywhere: in churches,castles, palaces, and, of course, concert halls.

City of music, cafes, waltzes, parks, pastries, and wine - that's Vienna in a nutshell. Vienna doesn't hurry, and, as you saunter through its stately streets, marveling at its Baroque palaces, neither should you. Explore churches filled with statues of golden saints and pink-cheeked cherubs, wander through treasure-packed museums, or while away an afternoon in one of those countless meccas of mocha (the inevitable cafés), you will feel lapped in lashings of rich, delicious, whipped cream - the beloved Schlagobers that garnishes most Viennese pastries.

Zurich is a stunningly beautiful with a charming old town where cobbled streets of the 12th-century Old Town are pristin and the blue trams run reliably. The avant-garde Dadaist movement started here in 1916. Zurich also attracted Irish author James Joyce. The city's extraordinary museums and galleries, confirm the city's position as Switzerland's spiritual, if not political, capital. There is also a hip, less conventional side to Zurich. Züri West, once the industrial section, has become the in spot over the last decade, with loft living, galleries, museums, experimental theater and clubs.