Genoa, Italy

Italy's sixth largest city, GENOA (Genova in Italian) is a marvellously eclectic place, vibrant and full of rough-edged style. Sprawled behind the port area (Italy's biggest) is a dense and fascinating warren of medieval alleyways and caruggi (tiny alleyways): boasting more zest and intrigue than all the surrounding coastal resorts put together. It's here that most of Genoa's important palazzi are to be found, now transformed into museums and art galleries. The tidying-up hasn't sanitized the old town, however; the core of the city, between the two stations and the waterfront, is still dark and slightly threatening. But despite the sleaze, the overriding impression is of a buzzing hive of activity – food shops nestled in the portals of former palaces, carpenters' workshops sandwiched between designer furniture outlets.