5 Thermal spas to visit in Lombardy

Thermal spas lombardy feature

Penny Wainwright travelled to Lombardy to discover five of Italy’s thermal spas, each with its own unique qualities… Words and images © Penny Wainwright The term ‘spa’ is sometimes said to come from an acronym of the Latin phrase ‘sanus per aquam’, meaning ‘health through water’, but while that’s a neat idea, it isn’t true. […]

Day trips from Rome: 12 top locations to visit in Lazio

Temple of Vesta Tivoli with passing train taking day trips from Rome

Let Elisa Colarossi take you on a voyage of discovery around Lazio, with her 12 favourite day trips to take from Rome Words by Elisa Colarossi. Lazio, my region. A region of many wonders; a compound of sumptuous landscapes, ancient medieval hamlets, superb regional delicacies and ravishing nature. Bordered by the Tirreno waves and traversed […]

6 alternative things to do in Puglia

trulli to visit in Puglia

Looking for things to do in Puglia? Kate Wickers recommends 6 ways to explore this charming region at a more considered pace Featured photo © Kate Wickers Words by Kate Wickers It’s not so very long ago that Puglia was off the tourist map, judged as the poor southern relation to culturally rich northern Italy. […]

10 best things to see and do in Le Langhe

Italian signposts to represent things to do in Le Langhe

Kate Wickers picks out her top 10 things to do in Le Langhe as she heads for adventure in this beautiful part of Italy… Featured photo © Richard Semik/Adobe Stock Words by Kate Wickers In Italy there’s a saying, andare per Langa (heading for Le Langhe), which is used for when you’re off on an […]

48 hours in suburban Rome

streets of pigneto in suburban rome

Revealing another side to the Eternal City, Elisa Colarossi takes us on a guided tour around the treasures of Rome’s suburbs… As any born-and-bred Roman, I acknowledged early in my life that with its enticing history, movie-like atmosphere and picture-perfect features, Rome is undoubtedly the city of dreams. But behind that magical façade, another kind […]

Top 10 things to do in Le Marche

Loreto, Marche, province of Ancona. Panoramic view of the residence of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular pilgrimage site for Catholics at sunset

Looking for things to do in Le Marche? Jane Keightley talks us through her top 10 Le Marche attractions… Although not as popular with tourists as neighbouring Tuscany and Umbria, Le Marche is blessed with beautiful hill towns as far as the eye can see. With the soaring peaks of the Sibillini Mountains on one […]

5 best Italian walks

family walking in tuscany

Take a stroll (or a hike) through our five favourite spots for Italian walks… 1. Via Ferrata (SOSAT), Brenta Dolomites, Trentino Alto Adige. Italian walks don’t get much more stunning than this. The Dolomites are liberally scattered with vie ferrate, or ‘iron paths’ – high mountain routes with fixed climbing aids to help walkers negotiate […]

Wine, women & song

Mary Novakovich and friends enjoy a long-awaited reunion – and where better to do it than Tuscany? Better late than never. Covid had put the kibosh on so many celebrations during lockdown, but there was no way my friend Tracey wasn’t going to make a big splash for her 50th birthday – even if it […]