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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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” 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 hour’s drive from Milan and […]
Amy McPherson takes a tour of the apiary of Borgo Pignano and finds a heaven not only for the guests enjoying the luxury surrounds of this Tuscan retreat, but also a sustainable paradise for the estate’s bees as well. Francesca Orlandini carefully picks up a struggling bee from the ground, then deposits it in the […]
We follow Marina Spironetti in her discovery of one of Italy’s most beautiful and lesser-known winter carnivals in the Alpine town of Bagolino… Images by Marina Spironetti Getting to the small town of Bagolino was quite a job. It might have been because of my not-so-accurate map, but certainly the winding mountain road that eventually […]