Madrid
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All of Spain is celebrating this summer after months of Covid-induced lockdowns. And fully vaccinated Americans can now join them, as the entire country opens to stateside travelers this month. That feeling of optimism is especially strong in Madrid, thanks in part to two of the biggest hotel openings in years. Last fall, the Four Seasons made its debut in the country — an opulent collection of seven historic buildings (the oldest of which date to 1887) as part of the Centro Canalejas urban regeneration project. Here, the once crumbling downtown neighborhood of Puerta del Sol is alive again, and beyond the property's 200 guest rooms, there's a sprawling food market, a commercial gallery of shops, one of the largest spas in Spain, and a restaurant helmed by chef Dani García that's already become one of the most coveted reservations in town. Several blocks east, meanwhile, the storied Ritz hotel has rebranded and become the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid. Spanish architect Rafael de la-Hoz and French designers Gilles & Boissier have breathed new life into this formerly stuffy (though legendary) property, with a near-perfect location steps from one of Europe's great cultural institutions, Museo del Prado — which itself is in the midst of completing an extensive renovation by Foster + Partners. —John Wogan
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Northern + Central Italy
PHOTO:SHAUN EGAN/GETTY IMAGES
Italy, a longtime reader favorite and T+L's 2021 Destination of the Year, has something for every traveler. Food and wine lovers flock to the country's northern and central regions, like northwestern Piedmont, home to the Barolo and Barbaresco communes producing wines of the same names. There, the newly opened Casa di Langa hotel is a destination in its own right. Guests can take cooking classes, enroll in a "wine academy," and embark on truffle-hunting excursions without ever leaving the 100 plus–acre estate. Further south, in Tuscany, smaller cities and picturesque villages like Siena and Lucca surround the popular tourist destinations of Pisa and Florence. Opening in early 2022, Monteverdi can serve as a home base for exploring Val d'Orcia, a quintessentially Tuscan landscape and UNESCO World Heritage Site. In nearby Umbria, after visiting one of the region's olive oil mills, settle into the new Castello di Reschio, a 1,000-year-old castle impeccably restored into a luxury hotel on the nearly 4,000-acre Reschio compound. —Erin Agostinelli