In this age of low-cost flights and easy travel, how do you avoid the crowds and find the hidden gems? Expert globe trotter and travel photographer Herbert Ypma guides you through an alternative map of Italy to reveal those hard-to-find places that still hold something special.

The experiences and tips that he maps out across the length and breadth of Italy fall into four key categories. ‘Staying in Character’ features thirty-five places to stay, from the grand to the eccentric, all embodying the soul and character of their setting – whether it’s sleeping next to a sloshing canal in Venice, dozing under the plume of Etna’s active volcano or experiencing monastic silence over dinner in Umbria. ‘Eclectic Experiences’ surveys twenty stand-out experiences, from jumping off the cliffs near Otranto to swimming the walls of Dionysius in Ortigia, and from exploring the forgotten farmland of Sicily’s interior to finding the best gelati in Rome. ‘Legend for Lunch’ points you in the direction of the most authentic places to eat, and ‘Convincing Context’ surveys twenty experiences enhanced by nuggets of history.

Together they amount to a new map of authentic Italian experiences, and the ultimate answer to the question, ‘What will I do when I get there?’