Hilltop villas, castles, B&Bs, boutique hotels, palazzi Some people visit Italy in order to explore its history through its museums and ancient ruins; others spend weeks taking in the splendid art. Or you may wish to centre your trip around the fantastic regional food and wine on offer, or just relax on a beach. For others the splendour of cities such as Verona and Venice brings them back again and again. Whatever your reason, when it comes to planning your holiday you will find we have a great selection of independently reviewed hotels to choose from. We hope readers will nominate their favourites too; the more feedback we get from you our readers, the more reliable and comprehensive our selection will be. We like this tribute from the owner of Il Castello, Certaldo Alto, near Florence: 'I am happy we are in the Guide. What I appreciate most is the kind of guests the Guide directs to our hotel. Very nice persons that look exactly for what we can offer.'