Unusually, Italy has two capitals of culture in 2023: Bergamo and Brescia, sharing the spotlight after their devastating 2020, when the pair were Italy’s early pandemic hotspots. Bergamo is better known — its beautiful Città Alta, or upper town, cantilevered above the Po Valley, has been a tourist fixture for the past couple of decades. That makes lesser-known Brescia your priority for this year — and this astonishing city may just surprise you.

It has incredible Roman remains, one of northern Italy’s best museums, and a boundary-pushing food and drink scene. Plus it’s a mere 36 minutes by train from Milan. A new 50-mile cycle route via Lake Iseo connects it with Bergamo, too, should you wish to combine the two. The Capital of Culture events programme is heavily focused towards Italians, but you might want to skip the official events and just see the city.