Good living and dining come easily in Italy, a country that positively brims with exhilarating activity and gourmet fare. There’s adventure in abundance and culture by the bucketload, but there’s also pleasure in sitting back and observing life in the boot of Europe. Take the opportunity to slow down and soak up the ambiance.

Think of Italy and you’ll think of undulating Umbrian countryside with a patchwork of vineyards and cypress trees. In the north these give way to the awe-inspiring grandeur of the Alps and simple beauty of the lakes. Further south rustic villages reside at the water’s edge, sheltering from the Mediterranean sun in the shade of volcanoes.

This is a nation whose landscape lends itself to train travel. Major cities are served by the modern and affordable Trenitalia fleet with the infamous cittàs d’arte less than three hours apart. The same Big Three - Florence, Rome and Venice - are also well connected to Paris by the Artesia sleeper train, making train travel to Italy from the UK easy.