Where to stay in Italy?

In Cannaregio, 1.6 km from the town centre, the most lived-in sestiere of Venice. A simple hotel for those who want the bacari of the Strada Nova in the evening and the Rialto on foot in the morning.

Via Ortigara, in Mestre, next to the station, 8 km from Venice. A hostel for small budgets who sleep on the mainland and reach Santa Lucia in ten minutes by train.

In Cannaregio, on the Grand Canal, 1.5 km from the town centre and a few minutes from the Rialto. A palace for those who want the canal beneath their windows and a quieter district than San Marco.

A 15th-century palace listed as a national monument, next to the Ca' d'Oro: the grand staircase and its frescoes are worth stopping for.

Via Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, 1.3 km from the town centre, between the station and San Marco. A hostel with a pool for those who want the San Lorenzo market on foot and the Duomo fifteen minutes away.

Viale Francesco Redi, in San Iacopino, 2 km from the centre, on the Porta al Prato side. A hostel for small budgets who are happy with a twenty-minute walk or the tram to reach the Duomo.

Via dell'Oriuolo, 500 m from the town centre, just behind the Duomo. A simple hotel for those who want the historic centre on foot and to sleep a stone's throw from the cathedral without paying neighbourhood prices.

Lungarno degli Acciaioli, 300 m from the town centre, on the Arno a few metres from the Ponte Vecchio. For those who want the river beneath their windows and the Uffizi on foot.

Owned by the Ferragamo family: the Salvatore Ferragamo museum, in the neighbouring Palazzo Spini Feroni, takes an hour to visit.

Borgo Pinti, 1.2 km from the town centre, in a quiet neighbourhood east of the Duomo. For those who want a garden and silence, and a fifteen-minute walk to the historic centre.

The Giardino della Gherardesca, the largest private park in Florence, surrounds the 15th-century palace: enjoy it first thing in the morning.

Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci, 1 km from the town centre, on the Arno on the San Frediano side. For those who want the river and the view, with the Ponte Vecchio fifteen minutes' walk away.

Via Torino, in the Castro Pretorio district, 200 m from the town centre and near Piazza della Repubblica. A design hostel for those arriving at Termini who want the Trevi Fountain on foot.

Via Palestro, in Castro Pretorio, 700 m from the town centre, between Termini and San Lorenzo. A hostel for small budgets who want student bars in the evening and the metro to the Colosseum.

A hotel with gardens in central Rome, for those who want some greenery between visits. The Spanish Steps and Via del Corso are on foot, the Vatican by taxi.

On Piazza del Popolo, with a terraced garden designed by Valadier climbing towards the Pincio: the entrance is on the left of the square.

Via Ludovisi, in the Ludovisi district, 900 m from the town centre, at the top of Via Veneto. For those who want Villa Borghese on foot and the Spanish Steps a ten-minute walk downhill.

La Terrazza, the top-floor restaurant, is one of the best-known tables with a view in Rome: book well in advance.

Via Sistina, in Campo Marzio, 1.1 km from the town centre, at the top of Trinità dei Monti. You walk down the Spanish Steps in the morning, before the crowds, and climb back up in the evening.

Piazzetta Trinità alla Cesarea, in the Materdei district, 2.3 km from the town centre. A hostel for those who want a working-class neighbourhood, quiet in the evening, and the metro to the centre and Pompeii.

Via Melisurgo, in Rione Carità, 1.7 km from the town centre and next to the Molo Beverello. A hostel for those leaving early for Capri who want to walk to the port with their bags.

Vico Tre Re a Toledo, in the Quartieri Spagnoli, 2.1 km from the town centre. For those who want the Naples of narrow lanes and washing hung from windows, with Via Toledo close by.

Via Partenope, in Pizzofalcone, 2.9 km from the town centre, on the seafront facing Castel dell'Ovo. For those who want the bay and Vesuvius from the Lungomare, and the centre by taxi.

The tenor Enrico Caruso died here in 1921: the top-floor restaurant bears his name and looks out over the gulf.

Corso Vittorio Emanuele, in Chiaia, 3.6 km from the town centre, on the hill above the bay. For those who want the view and peace, with the funicular to get down into town.

The oldest hotel in Naples, opened in 1870 on the Corso hill: go up first and foremost for the view over the gulf.