Take a look at this inspiring selection of travel essentials, gadgets, gizmos and kits, all available to the weary traveller. What will you choose to help turn a trying trip into a dream destination? You’ve packed your clothes, reading books, favourite sun hat and passport and, of course, your shades. Could you have missed an […]
Not only does Italy boast a fantastically distinguished and high-profile operatic heritage, the nation also has some stunning open air venues to match… Verona Arena, Verona, Veneto Built in 30AD, this incredible Roman amphitheatre is the third largest in existence and provides an out-of-this-world setting for the city’s three-month opera season, from June to August. Blessed […]
With truffles, Barolo and hazelnuts on the menu, Francesca Unsworth is very happy to indulge herself at the gastronomic centre of Italy on an autumnal trip to Alba and Asti The Italians have elevated numerous foodstuffs to iconic gastronomic status, but no single region can boast quite the same gourmet cachet as Piedmont. Home to both […]
If you visit Ascoli Piceno in the heart of Le Marche you’ll find a wealth of incredible religious artworks by a Renaissance artist who fell in love with the region This detail of San Giorgio is part of the stunning polyptych found in the Holy Sacrament Chapel in the cathedral in Ascoli Piceno. The art is the […]
Join us to celebrate the delights of a visit to this historic Umbrian city and its surrounding hill-towns Umbria has already been nominated as the next Tuscany, the region on its northern border. However, Umbria is a big place and the overflow of visitors from Tuscany hasn’t yet spoiled this peaceful, rustic region where the […]
Touring Sicily’s historic and picturesque Ionian Coast, Chris Allsop takes in the sights while contending with the island’s ever-increasing profile thanks to its superb culinary scene, extraordinary history, and all-round Mediterranean pulchritude… Trips are all the sweeter when there’s an unseasonal Arctic blast forecast for the weekend back home. On this gale of Schadenfreude I breezed […]
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 […]
Marina Spironetti picks a selection of the best activities and events to get involved with during a stay in Milan Hangar Bicocca This brilliant contemporary art exhibition space opened in 2004 following the conversion of a huge industrial plant. The space now houses permanent and temporary exhibitions that will wow in size and innovation. Take […]
Jane Keighley learns how best to enjoy the Italian island of Sicily in less than a week, from Palermo to the charming town of Trapani and beyond… In the words of a Sicilian proverb “He who goes to Palermo without seeing Monreale leaves a donkey and comes back an ass”. As I wandered around the […]
Has the bewitching, world-famous destination lost its shine in recent years? Sarah Lane visits the northern Italian resort, Portofiono, to discover it has more to offer than ever… Portofino – the very name conjures up images from the 1950s of glamorous film stars rubbing shoulders with the world’s richest, most influential aristocrats and politicians. More […]