Ten reasons to love Lake Como

mount grona

Ros Ormiston reveals ten of the best reasons to visit captivating Lake Como in Lombardy – there’s something to appeal to absolutely everyone… Lake Como photos by Provincia di Como Servizio Turismo unless otherwise stated   1 The Villa Melzi botanical gardens at Bellagio Bellagio is picture perfect with vibrant cafés and restaurants and busy shops, […]

Ten top Italian beaches

marina di alberese, Italian beaches, Tuscany

Join us for a trip around some of the best Italian beaches, from the impossibly iconic to some that are right off the beaten track. Which is your favourite? Photos by Getty Images Though Italy attracts visitors throughout the year, many of us also like to spend summer holidays there, enjoying the country’s coastline and […]

Pavia & Oltrepò Pavese travel guide

pavia cathedral

Valentina Nicastro shares some of the best attractions and sights around Pavia and its surrounding countryside – plus top spots to eat and stay. Photos by Valentina Nicastro What to see & do Certosa di Pavia This beautiful monastery complex (left) is a masterpiece of the Lombard Renaissance. It’s about 10 km from the city […]

48 hours in Pavia & Oltrepò Pavese

pavia, italy

Explore Pavia and Oltrepò Pavese – one of Italy’s best-kept secrets and not far from Milan. Words and photos by Valentina Nicastro   There’s a stretch of land just 40 kilometres south of Milan that is still fairly unknown to tourists and offers the unique opportunity to live a truly authentic Italian experience. This is Oltrepò […]

Five best Italian piazzas

Piazza del Campo, Siena

The piazza is at the heart of Italian life and each one boasts its own unique history and atmosphere – here we pay homage to a few of our favourites Photos by iStock 1 Dubbed by Napoleon “Europe’s finest drawing room”, Venice’s Piazza San Marco is simply breathtaking. Even during the height of the season, when […]

Puglia dining & accommodation guide

octopus ceviche

Adrian Mourby shares some of his favourite places to eat in Puglia, plus places to stay with a focus on local gastronomy… Puglia photos by Kate Tadman Mourby  Where to eat Gran Bar Pugliese This superb café and fish restaurant sits on an old harbourside just 15 minutes from Bari Airport. Ideal for a first […]

Apulia: back to the land

Masseria Naturalis Resort

Adrian Mourby takes a tour of Apulia – Puglia – to explore its culinary traditions and the land that produces its varied, and often vegetarian, foods… Photos by Kate Tadman-Mourby unless otherwise stated   When I wake up, the view outside our room is fields of lavender, then a meadow peppered with bright crimson poppies and, […]

Verona travel guide

Romantic graffiti

Sara Scarpa shares some of the best places to eat and stay in Verona – plus a few of her top things to see and do in the city Photos by Iain Reid What to see & do The Arena The arena (left) with its gigantic dimensions dominates Piazza Bra. It is the most famous […]

48 hours in Verona

Verona view

Our Venice correspondent Sara Scarpa travels west to spend a weekend in Verona, the city of love and opera set in the land of wines   Photos by Iain Reid   When you visit Verona, you will soon understand why this city is the perfect setting for the world’s greatest love story. Beautiful piazzas, winding […]