Our experts are here to help with all your questions about Italy. This week, taking an early summer holiday in Puglia. Question: We are planning to rent a family villa in Puglia this year, probably in May. We all like cycling, so are there any rural locations you would recommend? Does Puglia have a cycle […]
Southern Piedmont is the rich agricultural powerhouse of Italy. In part 1, we explored Turin, the Alps and Lake Maggiore. Part 2 of this Piedmont region guide focuses in on Asti and Alba where the truffle fairs attract a global audience. In the mountainous north, the climate is distinctly continental; the southern region is just […]
Piedmont lies in the far northwest of Italy and gets its name from its location at the ‘foot of the mountains’ It is bordered by Alpine ranges offering plenty of winter sports, making it a popular and long-established mecca for ski enthusiasts. The flat plains below the mountain ranges are an important centre for industry […]
The second part in the series, click here for part 1 of Hidden Rome Previously, we visited one of the earliest surviving Christian ruins in Rome and Nero’s summer residence, Domus Aurea. This week we relax in the open spaces at the Diocletian baths and investigate the the mysterious and tragic stories behind the tombstones at Campo Cestio, the […]
Don’t let traffic fumes and tourists get you down in Rome… there’s so much to enjoy in Italy’s vibrant, bustling capital, without bypassing its history and beauty. If you’ve been elbowed out of the way once too often at the main attractions, Lorenza Bacino has some ideas of where to go and what to do […]
Dive in to Sicily’s historic and picturesque Ionian Coast, today we visit Syracuse, an area featuring some fantastic ruins and beautiful lanes My final stop involved travelling south once again, to Sicily’s third city, Syracuse. Founded on the island of Ortigia in 734 BC by the Greeks, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a shining Baroque […]
To begin with Chris Allsop took us on a journey through Taormina, today we look at more of the picturesque Ionian Coast On this island of five million people, Catania houses about 300,000 and is referred to as the ‘Milan’ of Sicily; a nod to its economic importance (second only to the capital, Palermo). About half an […]
Just 25 miles off the coast of Lazio, Ponza is a favourite holiday haunt of the Romans. Mario Matassa embarks on a voyage of discovery to Italy’s undiscovered island. There’s something about island holidays that brings out the boy adventurer in me. From the moment I see the ferry navigating its way into port I […]
Italy’s largest lake is famed for its scenery and its gardens. Lorenza Bacino visits some of her favourite horticultural spaces, and finds a cookery course and a wedding venue… Stay in the Grand Hotel Gardone If an air of relaxed fin-de-siècle elegance is what you’re seeking, then this beautiful 19th-century villa and hotel in Gardone Riviera […]
Sarah Lane travels to Italy’s northwestern corner to Aosta and discovers beautiful scenery and some surprising saints in an area of castles and culture much loved by popes and kings With spectacular alpine skylines, a chain of medieval castles and colourful ancient customs, the Valle d’Aosta region – Italy’s smallest – has a lot to […]