Southern Italy
PHOTO:LAURA LA MONACA/TRAVEL + LEISURE
Some of the regions of Italy hit hardest by a lack of American tourists over the past year are poised to make the biggest comebacks in 2021, including Rome, to where COVID-free flights have already launched from New York and Atlanta. The first Italian outpost of the millennial-favorite Hoxton brand opened in May near the Villa Borghese gardens, and Ian Schrager's Rome Edition will bring a rooftop terrace with bites, cocktails, and views that are sure to draw a crowd later in the year. In Sicily, Taormina's historic San Domenico Palace hotel has been given a Four Seasons makeover and is now accepting reservations for its July opening. Overlooking Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea, it will have a clifftop infinity pool and cloistered courtyard filled with idyllic lemon trees. Meanwhile, the family behind two of Taormina's Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Villa Carlotta and Villa Ducale, opened Q92 in the heart of UNESCO World Heritage city Noto and in Palermo, Villa Igeia, a Rocco Forte Hotel, just opened with stunning views across the bay. For those seeking an ultra-private escape for their first COVID-era trip abroad, The Thinking Traveller has added new Sicilian villas for rent exclusively through the site. On the northeastern coast of Sardinia, a new Baglioni Resort opened in June, with a private beach and restaurant collaboration with Michelin-star chef Claudio Sadler. And while shiny new resorts are a draw, perhaps the best reason of all to visit Southern Italy this summer is to surround yourself in the unchanged, nostalgic familiarity of it all, a comforting thought after forced time away. —Nina Ruggiero
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Oslo
PHOTO:DAMIEN VERRIER/GETTY IMAGES
A slew of new additions are coming to Norway's capital city this year, and with direct flights from the U.S. resuming this summer and borders anticipated to reopen soon, now's the time to start plotting your Oslo itinerary. The most anticipated 2021 arrival is that of the MUNCH Museum, an enormous waterfront space that will hold the world's most extensive collection of works by Edvard Munch, along with galleries featuring works by other Modernist and contemporary artists. With the recent addition of SNØ, summer travelers can get the best of both worlds: the massive winter sports complex offers year-round downhill skiing and snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and even ice climbing. While you're in town, pay a visit to Maaemo, the three-Michelin-starred fine-dining venue that reopened in a brand-new location last March, and stay at Amerikalinjen, a boutique hotel that opened in 2019 within the century-old headquarters of the long-defunct Norwegian America cruise line. Get to the city before everyone else catches on: with the new National Museum opening next year, Oslo is poised to be the next uber-cool Scandinavian destination. —Lila Harron Battis