ICONIC WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN

The enchanting city of Barcelona is a visual delight, and has an atmosphere that combines elegance and sophistication with provincial charm. In exploring its streets you'll discover medieval romance in its Gothic quarter and the awe-inspiring delights of the fantastic and sometimes outrageous Art Nouveau architecture of Gaudi and his contemporaries.

The funicular up to Tibidabo, or the cable car up Montjuic, both offer breathtaking views over this attractive city. Its skyline is perhaps most famous for Antoni Gaudi's masterwork, the still incomplete church of the Sagrada Familia, as well as the city's huge Gothic cathedral. The artistic legacy of Barcelona is one of the city's most appealing attributes, with museums containing extensive collections of the works of Miro and Picasso. Barcelona is also a shopper's paradise, with the city's flair for style reflected in its numerous boutiques and markets, open late into the evenings. As the sun sets, and the city's many bars and restaurants open, the night truly comes alive. Dinner is served at any time between nine o'clock and midnight, and the festivities around the bars and nightclubs carry on well into the early hours of the morning.

Barcelona is the commercial centre of the popular holiday region known as the Costa Brava, the northernmost Mediterranean seafront in Spain, as well as the Costa Dorada to the south. The coast is dotted with popular resort towns, many retaining their age-old charm, which can be easily reached from the city.

The fishing village of Sète serves as gateway to Montpellier, in the North. Other noteworthy destinations in this area include Carcassone, Aigues Mortes, the Abbaye de Fontfroide, and Pezenas. For a look at the real fisherman's life, however, stay right where you are. Sète is the Mediterranean's biggest fishing port. Canals winding through town make it fun to stroll around, and there are a number of good walking paths leading to the beach (about 30 minutes to the west). Although it's small and unspectacular, Plage de la Corniche has calm, pristine waters that are perfect for swimming. For a panoramic view of the area, climb Mont St-Clair or Les Pierres Blanches and pick a beach to settle down on.

Marseille is France's second largest and most ancient city. It was founded by the Greeks in 600 BC and was later conquered by the Romans after becoming a thriving port and centre for trade. Today it is littered with ancient sites and artefacts, mostly Roman additions to the original Greek settlement.

Marseille is down to earth and lacks the pretentiousness of most other French cities. There are plenty of attractions to explore, including the colourful harbour and pedestrianised squares. The city is also divided into arrondissements in the style of Paris, which makes it relatively easy to get around on the metro.

The Old Port area is filled with restaurants, bars, hotels, office blocks and a daily fish market at the Belgian Quay, giving it a lively and sophisticated air. There are also a number of decent museums, galleries, theatres and shops dotted about the city that are worth visiting. Marseille is also famed for its Opéra: an Art Deco opera house, situated in the heart of the city, which still hosts performances even though it was all but destroyed by fire in 1919. La Plaine is a trendy area filled with cafes, bookstores and fountains, with a bustling market on Thursdays and Saturdays, while Noailles' bazaar is a multi-ethnic area filled with Indo-Chinese and Arabic shops.

The outgoing, friendly inhabitants of Marseille are a cosmopolitan bunch, with diverse backgrounds including a number of Italian, Spanish and North African communities. There is far less of the style and image consciousness evident in the rest of the Cote d'Azur, creating a more North African flavour and a vibrant atmosphere. Marseilles also acts as a good base for exploring the nearby natural beauty of the calanques (or Mediterranean fjords) and some excellent beaches.

The city of Villefranche-sur-Mer is located on the French Riviera, in the southeastern part of France. It is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department and the capital of the canton of Villefranche-sur-Mer. The city has a population of about 30,000 people and is a popular tourist destination.

Villefranche-sur-Mer is located on a bay of the Mediterranean Sea and is surrounded by mountains. The city has a mild climate, with average temperatures of around 20 degrees Celsius in the summer and 10 degrees Celsius in the winter.

The city is home to a number of historical and cultural attractions. The Old Town is a maze of narrow streets and alleyways, lined with colourful houses and shops. The Citadel, a medieval fortress, overlooks the town and offers panoramic views of the surrounding area. The Church of St. Pierre, a Gothic church from the 13th century, is also worth a visit.

If you are looking for a place to enjoy the outdoors, Villefranche-sur-Mer is the perfect spot. There are numerous hiking and biking trails in the area, as well as several beaches where you can relax and soak up the sun.

Whether you are looking to explore history and culture or simply enjoy the outdoors, Villefranche-sur-Mer has something to offer everyone.

The principal Tuscan city of Florence nestles below the wooded foothills of the Apennines, along the banks of the Arno River. The works of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bruneschelli, Leonardo, Boccaccio, Alberti, Masaccio, Donatello, Vasari and Fra Angelico imbue the city with the magnificence of their contribution to art and life. The city is home to many stylish citizens, who enhance the cobbled streets and fashionable piazzas with their inimitable Italian flair.

The heart of the city is the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria, where everyone from tourist to tout seems to congregate, The statues dominating the Piazza della Signoria commemorate major historical events of the city's life, and the magnificent Palazzo Vecchio still performs its original role as Florence's town hall.

The adjacent Uffizi is the oldest art gallery in the world, with a collection of the greatest works of the Renaissance, commissioned largely by the Medici family. The man who founded the great long-ruling Medici dynasty was Cosimo il Vecchio, his legacy imprinted in the city's northern area marked by the churches of San Lorenzo, San Marco and the Palazzo Medici Riccardi.

The western stretches of the city are formed by Florence's railway station at one end and the Ponte Vecchio at the other. The quaint Ponte Vecchio bridge was built in 1345, one of the few areas to emerge unscathed from the wartime bombs. Little workshops that used to belong to butchers, tanners and blacksmiths peer onto the river from their timber supports. The church of Santa Maria Novella also rises from the city's western boundaries in true Gothic splendour, preserving some of the most important works of art in Florence.

The Oltrarno area became the place from which the Medici ruled from the Palazzo Pitti. The magnificent Boboli Gardens were designed and laid out around it. The area surrounding Via Maggio and Piazza di Santo Spirito boasts a collection of other palazzi built during the 16th and 17th-centuries.

Florence has wonders and treasures enough to occupy travellers for many holidays.

Rome is like a living museum, liberally dotted with fascinating ruins, ancient relics and archaeological sites. Centuries are peeled back from the Eternal City with each new vista in this great metropolis of fearsome gladiators and gorgeous art. Vespas, sports cars and nippy Fiats speed past trendy sidewalk cafes, bistros and nightclubs, revealing the Rome of Fellini's La Dolce Vita, while the stark facades of the Stadio Olimpico reminds visitors of Mussolini's attempts to reinvent the architecture of the Caesars.

For a taste of the Baroque, visitors need only climb the famous Spanish Steps, walk through the Piazza Navona or toss a coin into the beautiful Trevi Fountain. Renaissance splendour is best revealed in the Vatican Palace, specifically Michelangelo's efforts on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. From early Christian Basilicas and the Roman Forum to the Colosseum and the Pantheon, the sequence of history trails back to the dizzying heights of the empire.

It may sound like a city of contrasts, but Rome's timeless magic lies in its ability to blend the old with the new. Empires have risen and fallen, old gods have been replaced with the new, but Rome nonetheless remains.