A love affair with Italy starts in Lake Garda

Are you looking for the perfect location to start a love affair with Italy? The Novel Traveller, Michelle Jackson, enjoys some enjoys some gems with Travel Department on a guided tour of Lake Garda, Verona and Venice. Before we start… Now that Covid vaccinations are progressing well the world is slowly starting to open again […]

Slopes and more: discover the Dolomites

Cortina d’Ampezzo exudes Italian elegance and style. Alongside its glorious pistes there is shopping, strolling and a cultured après-ski. Mary Novakovich reports on a visit she made there… Images by Adam Batterbee Cortina d’Ampezzo’s elegance is practically inexhaustible. Fashions come and go, but this grande dame of Europe’s great ski resorts still reigns as the […]

Dolomites travel guide

Find some of the best places to stay, eat and visit while staying around the Dolomites with Mary Novakovich’s guide to the highlights of the area… Image by Adam Batterbee Where to eat and stay Cinque Torri Largo delle Poste 13, 32043 Cortina Local specialities – including spätzle and casunziei – join excellent pizzas on […]

Caffè Corretto

caffe corretto

Joe Gartman discovers that his morning coffee may require a little lift. Discover more about the history and process of making grappa today! Images by Patricia Gartman The swift Brenta River flows through Bassano del Grappa and is crossed by a venerable wooden bridge, the Ponte degli Alpini (which, incidentally, was designed by Andrea Palladio). At […]

Tagliatelle

Join resident chef Mario Matassa as he shows us how to make perfect tagliatelle with step by step instructions! When I first moved to Italy, many years ago now, I quickly realised that there was one sure-fire strategy for ingratiating myself with my new neighbours: learn how to make a decent plate of fresh egg […]

San Marco travel guide

san marco

Find some of the best places to stay, eat and visit while staying around San Marco, Venice with Adrian Mourby’s guide to the highlights of the area… Images by Kate Tadman-Mourby unless otherwise stated What to see and do Museo Correr Piazza San Marco 52  In 1830, the Correr family donated its collection of art […]

The real San Marco

Adrian Mourby ventures deep into San Marco, Venice’s oldest sestiere, which is known the world over for its piazza and yet is otherwise relatively rarely explored. Images by Kate Tadman-Mourby unless otherwise stated Of course we all know San Marco. This area of Venice has the best of the Grand Canal, the Rialto and Accademia […]

Discover Mount Etna

mount etna

Standing between the cities of Messina and Catania, this icon of Sicily is perhaps the world’s most famous volcano. Hearing Sicilians refer to “her” as “Mamma Etna” you’d be forgiven for assuming that this was a fond reference to a local lady. And to some people Mamma Etna is indeed a living, breathing companion, overseeing […]

Yoga in the Sabine Hills

Karen Jensen-Jones discovers the quiet contemplation and self-care on a restorative yoga retreat in the rolling Sabine Hills. Images courtesy of In Sabina. It’s true. Our general surroundings really can make a difference to our wellbeing, and within an hour of landing in Rome, travelling north, I’m dazzled by the glorious sunshine, undulating olive groves […]