Italy’s five best small islands

Italian islands - Elba

Surrounded by sapphire seas and fringed with golden sand, Italy’s small islands make perfect holiday destinations – here are five of our favourites Photos by Getty Images and iStock 1 With the Tyrrhenian Sea lapping its shores and a mountainous inland terrain, Elba in Tuscany offers both the pleasures of lazy beach life and the challenges of […]

Drink Italia: red wines of the islands

italian red wine

Italy’s two largest islands produce sumptuous red wines of great quality and international renown, with prices to suit any budget. Our experts have chosen six examples to try… Sardinia and Sicily have a proud and long-lived history of wine production, dating from colonisation by the Greeks, whose presence dominated the islands from around 800 to […]

Italy’s Best Undiscovered Islands

favignana

Planning a trip off the beaten track in Italy? Set your compass for one of these secret islands – perfect destinations to discover tranquility and beauty away from the bustle of the Italian mainland… Ponza Isola di Ponza is the largest of the six Italian Pontine Islands, sitting off the Lazio coast in the Tyrrhenian […]

Viewpoint: Porticello Beach

Fishing boats on Porticello Beach - Lipari Island, Aeolian Islands, Sicily, Italy

Porticello Beach lies on the northeastern end of the island of Lipari, one of the glorious Aeolian Islands just north of Sicily… This pebbly beach on Lipari is notable for its content of pumice. Pumice mining was a major part of the island’s economy until 2000, when, as part of the deal for the Aeolian […]

48 hours in Cagliari

From ancient to exotic, Cagliari has it all. Sardinian resident Heather Browne spends a weekend getting to grips with the island’s colourful capital In attractive centre boasting vibrant culture and history? Check. A mild climate that regularly permits shirtsleeves in January? Check. One of Europe’s longest beaches? Check. No, it’s not Barcelona but Italy’s latest […]

48 Hours in Capri

Fleur Kinson spends 48 hours in Capri and discovers the island’s best-kept secrets – its wonderful walking routes, far from the crowds, with stunning natural beauty in every direction… Towering out of the Bay of Naples, Capri has long seemed a distinctly enchanted island. It was from here that the sirens of Greek myth reputedly called […]

Springtime on Elba

Tuscany’s largest island is a paradise of white beaches and clear waters, with some fabulous walking routes thrown in. It can be packed-out in summer, so Fleur Kinson nips over nice and early… In travel as in life, journeys should be as interesting as destinations. And my long, convoluted voyage to Elba – a plane, […]