The Empires

London eats like the world city it became, from the cheeses, pies and oysters of Borough Market to the South Asian cooking of Brick Lane and Southall. For something traditional, book a Sunday roast in a pub or an afternoon tea with scones, clotted cream and jam.

London's calendar is full of ceremony. In June, Trooping the Colour marks the monarch's official birthday with a parade on Horse Guards, and through the summer the Proms fill the Royal Albert Hall with concerts that end in a famously flag-waving last night. At the end of August the Notting Hill Carnival turns west London into one of Europe's largest street festivals, and on the fifth of November fireworks light up the sky for Bonfire Night.

Start the day at a boulangerie with a warm croissant, then linger over lunch in a classic bistro with steak frites or a slow-cooked boeuf bourguignon. In the evening, cheese and a glass of wine make an easy supper, and the covered Marché des Enfants Rouges in the Marais, the oldest market in the city, is a good place to taste your way around France.

Paris celebrates on a grand scale. On the fourteenth of July, Bastille Day brings a military parade down the Champs-Élysées and fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. On the longest day of the year the Fête de la Musique puts free concerts on almost every corner, and through the summer Paris Plages brings sand, deckchairs and open-air swimming to the banks of the Seine.

Vermouth was created here in the eighteenth century and gianduja, the smooth blend of chocolate and hazelnut, was born in the city's confectioners' workshops. Try a bicerin of coffee, chocolate and cream in a historic café, then settle in for agnolotti del plin, vitello tonnato and a glass of Barolo from the nearby Langhe hills.

Turin honours its patron saint, John the Baptist, every June with a festival that ends in a bonfire and fireworks over the Po. In spring the city hosts one of Europe's largest book fairs, and in winter its streets glow with Luci d'Artista, light installations created by contemporary artists. Every other autumn the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto brings food producers from around the world to Turin, a reminder that the Slow Food movement was born in Piedmont.

The four great Roman pastas are carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana and gricia, and every trattoria has its own view on how to make them. Snack on supplì and pizza al taglio, try deep-fried artichokes in the old Jewish Ghetto and browse the Testaccio market for the flavours of everyday Rome.

Rome marks its own birthday on the twenty-first of April with historical parades that recall the city's legendary founding. On the twenty-ninth of June the city celebrates its patron saints, Peter and Paul, with a public holiday and carpets of flowers near St Peter's. In July the Festa de' Noantri fills Trastevere with processions, music and food stalls, and at Christmas the market in Piazza Navona keeps a long seasonal tradition alive.