Travels with my teen

Lorenza and her daughter sat on a wall lakeside in Menaggio

After two years of pandemic-imposed travel restrictions, Lorenza Bacino enjoys an extended trip to Lake Como, the Cinque Terre and Sardinia with her teenage daughter… It was with some trepidation that I embarked upon a month-long trip with my 16-year-old daughter as a post-exam treat. She’d been involved in the decision-making from the start, using […]

Discover Umbria on foot

Looking down towards Ferentillo from Rocca di Precetto

Among the nature and hilltop villages of Italy’s green heartland, Amy McPherson discovers that travelling slowly on foot means seeing and experiencing more… There is something very precious about the steps we take, knowing that thousands have taken the same steps before us, hundreds of years ago. Their mission was to follow a spiritual path, […]

Travel through the natural wonders of Italy

Photographing nature in Italy

From tracking Italy’s ‘big five’ to honing your photography skills or wild volunteering, Italy offers a wealth of travel opportunities to bring you closer to the natural world, says Jenny Oldaker… You’ve seen the treasures of the Renaissance in Florence, marvelled at Rome’s ancient history and been awestruck by Amalfi’s glittering coastline. What next? Italy […]

5 reasons to visit Cinque Terre

5 reasons to visit cinque terre

Cinque Terre is pretty as a picture, but a colourful coast and stunning scenery aren’t the only things offered by these vibrant seaside villages. Discover five delicious reasons to visit Cinque Terre… 1. Luscious lemons One sight you can’t fail to notice throughout the rugged terrain of Cinque Terre is the many lemon trees that […]

Portoferraio Travel Guide

Portoferraio Elba Map © Google

Your guide to travelling in Portoferraio, Elba… What to see and do ACQUA DELL’ELBA Acqua dell’Elba, the island’s perfumer, creates fragrances based on Elba’s scents and colours, from deep blue to turquoise. The business does a lot to sponsor the arts and the environment in Elba. ELBA WINE ROAD The Costa degli Etruschi wine and […]

48 hours in Portoferraio

Portoferraio Harbour

Spending a weekend in Elba’s capital Portoferraio is the best introduction to the island, says Jane Gifford Mythology has it that Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty and love, was visiting one of her many lovers on the Italian mainland when she accidentally broke her string of pearls, and in doing so formed the Tuscan […]

Over the bridge to San Polo

Rialto Bridge Venice San Polo

Adrian Mourby takes us on another of his guided walks around Venice with a visit to San Polo, the cradle of the city   San Polo can claim to be where the modern archipelago of Venice began in the 9th century. While the administration of this great trading empire developed in the lower-lying sestiere of […]

An at-a-glance guide to Florence in Winter

Florence in Winter

Winter is a great time to visit Florence, and you will see the city in a new light – though if it does happen to snow while you’re there, you’ve been very lucky! You might not find an excuse to stop for a gelato quite as often, but you will avoid the worst of the […]

48 Hours in Varese

Varese Estense Palace and gardens

Val Nicastro visits the “Garden City” north of Milan that is, among other things, home to a palace that one Italian poet described as “Little Versailles” All images © Val Nicastro With an enchanting old town, unmatched natural beauty and plenty to explore, Varese and its surroundings are one of Lombardy’s best-kept secrets. Only one […]

Lecce: Puglia’s Baroque Lady

View of the Basilica of Santa Croce church in the historic center of Lecce, Puglia, Italy

Amy McPherson takes a tour around the baroque city of Lecce in Puglia and discovers that there is a lot more to the ‘Florence of the South’ than meets the eye It seems that I am eating all the time in Lecce, which I find makes it appropriate to use this simile: Lecce is like […]