If Rome has Testaccio, Milan has Isola. Both are areas that have been subject to renewed urban interest, and both have the atmosphere of a village where creatives and locals live side by side.

The last time I was in Rome I stayed in Testaccio, as recommended by a Roman friend. You'll love it, she told me, and she was right.

Christmas festivities in Milan began with the lighting of the Swarovski Christmas tree in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Europe’s oldest shopping mall, and home to Italian fashion brands such as Prada, Gucci and Armani.