The mild climate of Ventimiglia, together with a 19th century Englishman’s passion for botany, have resulted in Liguria’s Villa Hanbury becoming one of Italy’s most important botanical gardens, home to more than 500 species of plants, from every corner of the globe.

A paradise of biodiversity in Abruzzo, the National Majella Park is the ideal destination for a winter getaway spent skiing, snowshoeing and trekking but also for a “wolf-weekend” discovering the behavioral traits and natural habitat of Italy’s Apennine wolves.

If you fancy an Italian holiday with a difference this winter, head to the Val Camonica, the high plain of Asiago, or the Monti Simbruini Park. This is where the country’s best sled dog schools are located, all of which offer an exciting range of courses for both absolute beginners and expert mushers!

Tropical plants, Japanese camellias, artistic water features, 19th century hothouses and a Mediterranean Zen corner: Cannalicchio’s Stanze in Fiore is a rare botanic paradise just outside the city of Catania, Sicily .

A passion for contemporary art, nature, and the wines of Val D’Adige revealed within the labyrinth of grapes vines in the Kränzler estate.

A marvelous display of pretty fountains, ornamental bridges and romantic pathways through the woods: the gardens of Racconigi Castle provide the perfect setting for the Potager Royal flower festival.

An expedition to Sardinia’s Costa Verde to see the Dunes of Piscinas: great mountains of continually shifting sand, masterly sculpted by the warm mistral wind.

Five ancient sanctuaries dedicated to the cult of the Virgin Mary, expression of the religious sentiment of the seafaring population of Liguria, all linked by the Via dei Santuari, arguably the most beautiful pathway in the Cinque Terre.

In a corner of Renaissance Florence, within the walls of the Giardini Torrigiani, the esoteric symbols and neo-gothic edifices of Europe’s largest private garden.

Each year, from the last days of March to the first of May, the historic gardens of Pralormo Castle are transformed by the spectacular display of 50.000 tulips in flower.