Bowled over… at the Vatican!

vatican cricket team

Cathy Heald finds out about the most exclusive cricket club you’ll ever see: St Peter’s at the Vatican… Photos by Cathy Heald unless otherwise stated   There are a multitude of things that we all associate with the Vatican: the Pope, the Swiss Guard, St Peter’s Square and stunning architecture to name a few. What […]

Italy’s five best fountains

Trevi fountain, Rome, Italy

Italy’s public fountains speak of the nation’s history, culture and art. We’ve picked five of our favourites. What do you think? Have we missed any? Photos by iStock 1 The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and attracts millions of tourists every year. Clemens XII commissioned it in 1732, and it was christened […]

Lake Maggiore travel guide

Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso, Italy

Rosalind Ormiston shares a few of her favourite places to eat, drink and stay around Lake Maggiore – the perfect place for a laid-back Italian break… Photos by Rosalind Ormiston and Getty Images The location of Lake Maggiore has given it a colourful past, close to the borders of Switzerland, Austria and France. Many people […]

Ten reasons to visit Lake Maggiore

Stresa, Maggiore, Italy

Rosalind Ormiston travels to one of the largest Italian lakes and shares ten good reasons why you should pay this northern beauty a visit Photos by Getty Images unless otherwise stated 1. Stresa Stresa is a town that has to be high on the list of any visit to Lake Maggiore, and is a popular […]

Southern Puglia travel guide

Santa Maria di Leuca, Puglia

Penny Wainwright shares some of her highlights from travelling around the very southern tip of Puglia in Italy’s heel… Photos by Penny Wainwright What to see & do Fiera and Festa di San Marco The Fiera and Festa di San Marco takes place every year in April. San Marco has been celebrated since the 12th […]

Meet the makers

Fernando Falcone at his wheel, Puglia, Italy

Penny Wainwright explores the villages at the southern tip of Puglia, in search of traditional artisan crafts, underground tunnels and ancient local festivals… Photos by Penny Wainwright   The sunshine welcomed me as I arrived in Ruffano to join the Fiesta and Fiera di San Marco, to celebrate St Mark the Evangelist’s feast day on […]

Alta Badia travel guide

wildflower meadow in Dolomites, Italy

Jon Palmer finds plenty of things to see and do around this spectacular area in the Dolomites Mountains during an e-biking trip… Photos by Jon Palmer unless otherwise stated What to see & do   Movimënt The Movimënt area (left) is a network of activity parks on the plateau between La Villa, San Cassiano and […]

E-biking in Italy, part 2: Alta Badia

E-niking in Alta Badia mountains, Italy

If you really want to experience the beauty of a natural landscape there’s no better vehicle than the bicycle. And it needn’t be an exercise in strength and endurance. Jon Palmer goes e-biking in the Dolomites… Photos by Jon Palmer, unless stated otherwise   There are places in Alta Badia that even an e-bike won’t […]

Drive Italia: Fiat Barchetta

Fiat Barchetta

Originally coach-built by the Turinese manufacturer Maggiora, until their demise in 2003, FIAT’s Barchetta is pretty, peppy and very Italian! Photo by Getty Images In the 1990s, the choice for a small, cheap, two-seat roadster was limited to the Mazda MX5 and this little left-field beauty from FIAT. Developed between 1990 and 1994, the ‘Barchetta’, […]

Past Italia: La Villa Donn’Anna

Palazzo Donn'Anna, Italy

This historic but dilapidated residence sits on the Posillipo coast in Naples, west of the Mergellina harbour, some way beyond the Castel dell’Ovo… Photo by Getty Images The Villa Donn’Anna takes its name from Anna Carafa, the wife of a Spanish viceroy of Naples who inherited the property in 1630 and had it rebuilt to […]