Salento travel guide

Street market, Lecce, Puglia

Sara Scarpa explores a few of Salento’s top things to see and do, plus great places to eat and accommodation to suit all budgets… Photos by Iain Reid What to see and do Basilica di Santa Croce, Lecce The Basilica di Santa Croce is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in Salento. The […]

48 hours in Salento

Lecce, Puglia

Sara Scarpa travels to Salento in Puglia and discovers a timeless land ‘beyond the sea’ Photos by Iain Reid    Puglia, the iconic and much loved ‘boot heel’ of Italy, is a large and varied region that has been a crossroads for several civilisations and cultures over the centuries. Salento, possibly the best known area […]

Five of the best Tuscan gardens

Tuscany garden

Tony Bassett of Tuscan Secrets explores a few of his favourite green spaces in Tuscany… how many have you visited? Images by PG Media; Getty Images 1 Villa Reale, Lucca Once home to Napoleon’s sister Elisa. It has several different gardens including camellias, which flower during February and March, as well as a Spanish garden, and a lemon […]

Making Tracks, Part 2: to Rome

Train

Twenty years ago Rachael Martin arrived in Italy, exploring the country by rail and dreaming of rooms with a view. Twenty years, one Italian husband and two kids later, she still has the memories of those first voyages of discovery… Photos by Rachael Martin   “What can I get you?” the woman on the other […]

Fizz in Franciacorta

Franciacorta vineyards Italy

Sarah Rodrigues has a sparkling time on the southern shores of Lake Iseo, where they produce champagne-method wines to rival the best… Images by Sarah Rodrigues unless otherwise stated   “Why wasn’t I born the daughter of an Italian winemaker?” This green-tinged thought ripples through my mind as I stand in the cavernous space below […]

Milan travel guide

Milan

Join Amanda Robinson to discover some Milan’s very best sights and attractions, plus top places to eat and great accommodation to suit all budgets… Photos by Amanda Robinson unless otherwise stated What to see and do San Bernardino alle Ossa The walls of this 13th-century ossuary chapel are almost entirely covered with skulls and bones. […]

48 Hours in Milan

Galleria Milan Italy

This is a city full of iconic must-sees, but there are also hidden gems and lesser-known spots just waiting to be discovered, says Amanda Robinson Photos by Amanda Robinson unless otherwise stated   Like all large metropolitan cities, Milan sets a busy pace. A centre for international business and at the cutting edge of haute […]

Matera travel guide

Matera landscape Basilicata

Sara Scarpa explores some of the best things to see and do – plus top places to eat and stay – in the atmospheric southern city of Matera in Basilicata Photos by Iain Reid What to see and do Discover Matera Underground at Ipogeo Materasum Book a guided tour at Ipogeo Materasum, an underground environment […]

48 Hours in Matera

Matera, Basilicata, Italy (sassi di Matera)

Sara Scarpa flies south to visit a unique town in Basilicata that lives in the imagination of all Italians… Photos by Iain Reid unless otherwise stated   Lots has been written about this mystical and historic town in the otherwise little-known and rarely visited region of Basilicata. Part grotto, part subterranean wonderland (it is known […]

Walking the Dolomites

Trekking, Alta Badia, Dolomites

With wonderful locations, a warm welcome and delicious food, the Alta Badia mountains aren’t just for the winter, says Amanda Robinson Photos by Amanda Robinson unless otherwise stated Think of the Dolomites and what do you see? It usually conjures up a picture of snow-capped peaks twinkling in the sunlight, rustic mountain lodges, bustling cable […]