Pienza
It is a Renaissance town in a beautiful valley in the south of Tuscany called Val d’Orcia. In Val d’Orcia they make the Montalcino and the Montepulciano wines. The town has so much character, the medieval churches are still there, but the best part is that this town is related to a family — like it happens in Italy very often — and this family is called Piccolomini.

When I went there last, they were having an exhibition about this family and I discovered that a lady of this family came to India in the early 19th century. India was then the dream travel destination and she had this blue travel book and it was so nice to see her photos from Madras and Calcutta. I mean, to find in the middle of this most beautiful Renaissance town 
in Tuscany a connection to India was fantastic! Apart from that, you can explore the entire region, which has been declared a heritage place by Unesco. It is really beautiful. People love Tuscany, but for them Tuscany is just Florence and they don’t know that outside Florence, Tuscany and central Italy is a very beautiful part.

Assisi
Assisi is in Umbria, which is right in the middle of Italy. It is a pilgrim town where mostly Catholic tourists go. A lot of Indian Catholics also visit Assisi and even live there. They go to the Basilica of St. Francis and it is beautiful. The road to the Basilica, which is on top of a hill, is also beautiful. I love the food there. Umbria is famous for its wild boars and also for its truffles. It is a very small town, peaceful, and all the roads lead up to the Basilica. There are other religious sites as well, like the Basilica of Santa Chiara. And of course there are the frescoes of Giotto. There are also a lot of treks that you can do from Assisi. 

Positano
It is on the Amalfi Coast. It is one of the places in Italy that Indians love the most. It was very nice that Dev and Koel went to shoot a movie there and they sent me a snap from there. From Positano you can explore the entire Amalfi Coast. Amalfi again is made of small towns, each of them different from the other. You are just a ride away from Capri and it is less touristy. When in Italy, you need to have good shoes because you have to walk a lot and Positano is no different. You have to go up and down, up and down. You can go one day to Capri, one day to Pompeii, one day to Ravello, which is one of the most famous places on the Amalfi Coast because the picture you see of the two churches and the palm trees and sea, that is Ravello. And of course it is home to the famous Limoncello (an alcoholic lemon drink).  

Frascati
It is a small town close to Rome. You should go there in the evening and you’ll see a culture that is all about enjoying the outdoors and eating and drinking, especially during summer. They make good wine, but wine that is not marketed internationally and not too expensive. It is great wine! For everyone, Italian wine is Chianti but Frascati does a very nice wine. The place is just an hour from Rome and there’s good public transport connecting the place. 

Puglia
This place has become very fashionable. Last year a big Indian wedding happened there of Calcutta girl Ayesha Thapar. If Italy is called the boot, its heel is Puglia. There are some beautiful small towns there and I love the city of Lecce, which is a baroque city — absolutely stunning. And then you have some beautiful villages. Puglia was less developed than other regions and became popular only 10 years ago. They have these traditional farmhouses where they produce olive oil.

People have started to restore Puglia and now it has become very fashionable. And I am happy to see that Indians have also discovered Puglia. There are some religious sites, beautiful beaches and small towns and the beautiful countryside. And you have the Trulli in Alberobello, small dry stone conical houses. In Puglia you can see a lot of influences of the Mediterranean Sea. And some parts are so close to Greece that there are influences in the architecture and ambience. But the highlight would be the town of Lecce. It is such an amazing baroque dream.

Courmayeur
The last had to be the mountains, and my hometown, because I’ve heard so many times that Mont Blanc is in Switzerland. It is not in Switzerland, it is between France and Italy. And my family actually lives in the foothills of Mont Blanc on the Italian side. It is one of the highest mountains in Italy and one of the oldest skiing resorts and has the oldest mountaineering club. Too many people in India believe The Alps is only in Switzerland. It is a big mountain range, shared by a lot of European countries, and the highest mountain in that range is Mont Blanc and it is in France and Italy, and I was lucky enough to be born in the foothills of the Italian side. 

As told to Chandreyee Chatterjee
Which is your favourite place in Italy? Tell t2@abp.in