Italian Hotels & B&Bs

A romantic stay for two, or a friendly welcome for the solo traveller… Here’s our pick of the best Italian Hotels & B&Bs for those planning a quick jaunt to Italy… RELAIS SAN PIETRO This family-run establishment is set in an 18th-century converted hamlet in the Tuscan hills and is pure paradise for those seeking […]

A Culinary Adventure in Umbria

Writer Christine Smallwood joins vegetarian chef Jane Baxter on a culinary adventure in Umbria to discover its meats… Recipe for a culinary exploration of Umbria: Take two friends ? Christine Smallwood, the writer of An Appetite for Umbria, and Jane Baxter, an acclaimed chef who was the creative culinary force behind the Field Kitchen, the […]

Italian Regional Guide: Umbria

Umbria is known as the ‘green heart of Italy’, thanks to the fact that more than 30 per cent of the region is made up of woodland… This is a tranquil and historically rich region, landlocked on all sides by Tuscany, Lazio and Le Marche and situated right in the middle of Italy, although the […]

Life in Italy: Umbria

BERENICE ANDERSON, based in Oxford, bought and restored a 400-year-old house on a hillside in Umbria…. Set amidst terraced olive groves overlooking the Vale of Spoleto, Casa del Cinguietto (‘birdsong house’) provides a peaceful retreat for Berenice and her family several times a year. The rest of the time, it pays for itself through holiday […]

Property in Italy: Umbria

Tuscany’s tranquil neighbour Umbria is an exquisite place of rounded hills, forested heights, and jewel-like ancient towns, says Fleur Kinson… Set in the very middle of the Italian peninsula, Umbria is a dreamily serene region of wide rural vistas and captivating old hilltop towns. Spacious and leafy, it rightly calls itself ‘the green heart of […]