Savona, Italy

First impressions of SAVONA, 30km along the coast from Genoa, aren't impressive: it's a functional city much rebuilt after a hammering in World War II. However, its port infrastructure and ugly outskirts hide a picturesque medieval centre. Although you are unlikely to want to stay the night, it is worth a look, especially when it's taken over on summer Saturdays by a huge antiques and bric-a-brac market. The town's main claim to fame is as the Città dei Papi (City of Popes), after local boy Francesco Della Rovere who became Pope Sixtus IV in 1471 and his nephew Giuliano, who became Pope Julius II in 1503. Both men are closely linked with the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican – Sixtus IV had it built (hence the name) while Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to decorate the ceiling.