Travels with my teen

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 […]

48 hours in Portoferraio

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 […]

48 Hours in Varese

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 […]

My life in Puglia

Suffolk-based Elaine Falken bought a two-bedroom trullo cottage in Puglia’s Itria Valley area in 2012. She spends two months there every summer as well as a month over Christmas, and she makes the house available to friends and family as well as offering holiday rentals at all other times of the year. What drew her […]

48 hours in Majella

Officially listed in the UNESCO Geopark network, Majella in Abruzzo is a dream for nature lovers, as Val Nicastro discovers. Images by Val Nicastro About an hour’s drive inland from Pescara and the beaches of the Adriatic coast, the Majella National Park is one of those hidden gems of Italy that impress with their simplicity […]

Our top ten guide to off-peak Alto Adige

Rachael Martin visits Alto Adige and picks out ten highlights to embrace in the months between the ski seasons. Alto Adige is the northern part of Trentino-Alto Adige and is famous for its Dolomite mountains. The 18th-century French mineralogist Déodat de Dolomieu first described and gave his name to both pale-coloured rock and mineral, and […]

Visit Tuscany: the heart of authentic Italy!

Michelle Jackson, The Novel Traveller, visited Italy’s most iconic region and discovered the highlights of Tuscany. Travel with confidence: Your holiday is a very special time, and Travel Department craft the itineraries to make sure that you get the most enjoyment. The world is continuously changing, and they have been adapting to make sure that they […]

Can you feel the heat?

Mary Novakovich visited Calabria and discovered the full extent of the locals’ passion for peperoncino in a region of Italy where the love of this fiery fruit reigns supreme. Images by Adam Batterbee unless otherwise stated Of the colours of the Tricolore, red is the one that best sums up Calabria. Not through any political […]