While Italy is never a bad idea per se, there are times when the the high-heeled boot kicks better than others. Those times lie in the off-season, when baking heat compounds not with throngs of crowds, and you, the tourist, find yourself with a touch more cool air to breathe. Between October and April and from thigh to toe to rock that the toe kicks (I am referring to Sicily), the entire country comes alive in ways that most tourists will never get to experience if they stick to August.

"Could that really be true?" You ask. “It is true,” we at Traveller respond. It's easier to get reservations, for one thing, at storied establishments in Rome and elsewhere. The weather is milder, and not at cost of sunshine. Seasonal events you won't regret attending like Piedmont's White Truffle Festival and the Feast of Sant Agata in Catania fall during this portion of the calendar.