Sanremo

Sanremo is where Europe has gone to escape winter for over a century, and it still does the job beautifully. Tucked into the far western corner of the Italian Riviera, almost close enough to France to wave at it, this is the City of Flowers, blessed with the mildest, sunniest winters in northern Italy, about 2,500 hours of sun a year. The grand old hotels, the casino, the palm-lined seafront, and the famous music festival give it a faded belle-époque glamour. But strip away the reputation and what you find is gentler and more attainable than the name suggests.