48 hours in Lazio & Abruzzo

View across Lake Turano from Antuni, Italy

Driving northeast from Rome, into deepest Lazio, you soon come across some places that could only be in Italy. Penny Wainwright takes the tour… Photos by Penny Wainwright    On the drive from Rome through the tree-covered hills of Lazio, on the shores of Lago Turano, is Castel di Tora, one the Borghi più belli […]

48 hours in Salento

Lecce, Puglia

Sara Scarpa travels to Salento in Puglia and discovers a timeless land ‘beyond the sea’ Photos by Iain Reid    Puglia, the iconic and much loved ‘boot heel’ of Italy, is a large and varied region that has been a crossroads for several civilisations and cultures over the centuries. Salento, possibly the best known area […]

La dolce vita in Sicily

Join us for a tour around the Donna Coraly Resort: a glorious Sicilian country escape… Drifts of snowy white roses fringe the approach to Donna Coraly Resort, where the sleek lines of the wide verandah offer shelter from the glorious Sicilian sun. And there’s an even warmer welcome from charismatic Lucia Pascarelli, owner of this […]

48 Hours in Cefalù and the Aeolian Islands

With nothing particular to do except enjoy the sun, sea and scenery, James Miller spent the weekend ambling around Cefalù and venturing out to the neighbouring islands… Here are countless reasons why visiting Sicily is a good idea: natural beauty, historical and cultural interest, food, even romance. As a regular visitor I’m no stranger to […]

Viewpoint: The Mediterranean Cypress

Anyone who has ever visited the region will immediately recognise this scene as quintessential Tuscany – the green fields, the rolling hills, the sense of timeless peace – and those trees… The Mediterranean Cypress (cupressus sempervirens) is as much a symbol of Tuscany as the Duomo of Florence and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. A […]