The Amiata effect

Cycling, Monte Amiata Italy

Tuscany isn’t all about sipping wine and watching the sun set, as Amy McPherson discovers on an e-bike tour around Monte Amiata, in the region’s south Photos by Ciclica Foto, Mario Llorca   Giant moss-covered boulders rise in vertical stacks, as if someone was attempting to build a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It […]

Alto Adige: the right altitude…

Sonwies Alto Adige

For Chris Allsop, holidays in the mountains of Alto Adige have previously been adventurous sojourns with ski-safaris, Michelin-starred huts, daring hikes and near misses with ice climbing. So how would it be with the kids in tow? Photos by Chris Allsop   The path was narrowing. As I sweated on how the pushchair’s wheel was shaving […]

Lake Como travel guide

gravedona palazzo

Find some of the best places to stay or eat while staying around Lake Como, with Rosalind Ormiston’s guide to the highlights of the area… Photos by Provincia di Como Servizio Turismo unless otherwise stated Lake Como was colonised by the Romans in the 2nd century BC and has been a haven for relaxation and vacationing […]

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 […]

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 […]