Making Tracks, Part 4: To Turin

Train

Two decades 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 Life on the train today consists of a group of Spanish […]

Lazio & Abruzzo travel guide

St Benedict’s monastery, Italy

Penny Wainwright brings us some highlights from off-the-beaten-track destinations in deepest Lazio and rural Abruzzo – from food & drink to great places to stay and things to see and do… Photos by Penny Wainwright What to see & do The Monastery at Subiaco (Lazio) The monastery of Santa Scolastica was one of 12 created […]

48 hours in Lazio & Abruzzo

View across Lake Turano from Antuni, Italy

Driving northeast from Rome, into deepest Lazio, you soon come across some places that could only be in Italy. Penny Wainwright takes the tour… Photos by Penny Wainwright    On the drive from Rome through the tree-covered hills of Lazio, on the shores of Lago Turano, is Castel di Tora, one the Borghi più belli […]

Italian chestnut festivals

Chestnuts in Italy

If you’re heading for Italy in the autumn months, you may be lucky enough to stumble across a chestnut festival – wonderful events for foodies to enjoy! Photos by Getty   Chestnut festivals take place all over Italy in autumn. As well as the one at Vallerano, there are chestnut festivals at Marradi near Florence, […]

Chestnuts roasting…

Chestnuts Italy

Julie Friend attends a special food festival in the province of Viterbo, and discovers that here the chestnut is not just for Christmas Photos by Getty unless otherwise stated   Clinging to the side of Mount Cimino, in the province of Viterbo, is the hilltop town of Vallerano. Perched 400 metres above sea level, the […]

A Wild Christmas

Krampus festival in a snowy field just outside Castelrotto, South Tyrol, Italy

Each December, the terrifying costumed figures of Krampus paint South Tyrol red with their extravaganza. Marina Spironetti attends a traditional parade of the monsters in Castelrotto Photos by Marina Spironetti   If your idea of a typical Italian Christmas involves getting dressed up as Babbo Natale for the fun of the little ones in the […]

Five reasons to visit Italy’s lakes

Lake Como, Italy

Whether you favour the grandeur of the tourist favourites, or the peace of off-the beaten-track locations, there is a perfect lakeside destination for you Photos by iStock and Jane Keightley 1 Maggiore Lake Maggiore is one of Italy’s beloved northern lakes. The Borromeo family has dominated three islands on the lake since the 16th and […]

Making Tracks, Part 3: to Lake Como

Train

Two decades 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 I start off in Lecco, at the southern tip of Lake […]

Castello travel guide

Graffiti near San Francesco della Vigna, Venice

Adrian Mourby shares some of the best sights, accommodation and places to eat & drink in one of Venice’s least-visited districts Photos by Kate Tadman-Mourby What to see and do Querini Stampalia After the Querini family died out in 1868 their palazzo – and all its art works – was turned into a museum featuring […]

Castello: the quiet sestiere

Londra Palace, Venice

Adrian Mourby takes a walk around the tranquil backwaters of Venice as he explores the city’s fascinating Castello district… Photos by Kate Tadman-Mourby   It’s the sestiere that Venetians call truly Venetian. The neighbourhood of Castello consists of the same narrow lanes, broad campi and monumental churches as the other five sestieri, but it lacks the […]