For a cooler alternative to a beach holiday, try Italy’s mountain villages. You’ll find majestic landscapes, rustic architecture and extraordinary food. Snow capped peaks crowning thick green woods, meadows bursting with flowers, long walks up emerald slopes to spot an eagle or a chamois. Summer on the mountains is a quieter but just as spectacular alternative to the traditional beach holiday.

In Italy, a mountain holiday is also an opportunity to discover the charming villages of Trentino, the wilderness of Friuli Venezia Giulia or the Walser architecture of Piedmont. Not to mention enjoy the mountain food — crunchy apples, aromatic rye bread, walnut salami, raw milk cheese infused with the subtle flavors of mountain herbs.