VENICE... plus the Alps

PART ONE There are many reasons to see La Serenissima, one of which is that, with it having celebrated its 1,600th anniversary in the shadow of Covid last March, a visit will at least let you wish it a belated happy birthday in person. Not that a year will have made much difference to this timeless jewel of a city, forever living its Renaissance dream in its canals, churches and cafés.

ESSENTIAL SIGHT The Gallerie dell’ Accademia (gallerieaccademia.it), which contains myriad art treasures from the 16th to 18th centuries, including works by Tintoretto (below), Titian and Canaletto, as well as Da Vinci’s incomparable The Vitruvian Man.

PART TWO A visit in April not only allows you to avoid the crowds of high summer, but can also enable a dash to Italy’s premier ski resort while it still has snow on its slopes. Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites – which is due to co-host the next Winter Olympics – is just a 100-mile, two-hour drive to the north and remains open until mid-May.

DON’T MISS The Olympia delle Tofane run, which will stage the downhill events in 2026. Or do miss it, if you would prefer a descent that doesn’t throw up gradients as steep as 65 per cent. Cortina (dolomitisuperski.com) has plenty of easier terrain across 75 miles of pistes.

DO IT

Flexiski (01962 587777; flexiski. com) offers a seven-night combination of Venice and Cortina (from £1,265 per person with flights), which can be tailored to a shorter duration.