Feast on fabulous Italian culture, history, food and wine on this journey from the top to the toe of Italy by train in just one week – sampling some of the highlights of one of my favourite countries in…
Italy
Lake Como epitomises La Dolce Vita – conjuring up images of 1950s film stars speeding across its sparkling waters on motorboats or zipping through narrow streets on a Vespa. This famous lake lies to the north of Milan, where…
Sorrento is one of my favourite places in Italy. It has stunning sunsets, clear blue seas, delicious food and views for miles. But as well as being a fantastic place to visit in its own right, it’s also surrounded…
Built into the foothills of Mount Etna, Catania is Sicily’s second-largest city. But when it comes to tourism, it’s often overshadowed by more famous spots like Taormina or Syracuse. Catania has a reputation for being a bit chaotic and…
A string of coastal villages, with pastel buildings tumbling down the hillside, set around picture-perfect harbours with clear blue seas – over the last few years the Cinque Terre has become one of Europe’s top wishlist destinations. With the…
From five sleepy Italian fishing villages to one of the most famous coastal landscapes in the world – the Cinque Terre has been through a few changes over the years, but it still looks every bit as gorgeous as…
Italy’s Cinque Terre is a bit like a beauty pageant, with one village after another competing to have the most charming backstreets, the cutest pastel buildings and the most Instagrammable views. Just when you think you’ve found the most…
In Greek mythology, Sorrento was home to the sirens, who lured passing sailors onto the rocks with their beautiful songs. And it still pulls in the visitors today – though now it’s the panoramic views, sunshine, fantastic food and…
Below an unassuming town south of Naples lies a buried Roman city – but not the one you’re probably thinking of. Herculaneum was covered by the same eruption that destroyed its more famous neighbour Pompeii in 79 AD. But where…
In a country packed with beautiful landscapes, it says something that the Amalfi Coast is ranked as one of Italy’s most scenic stretches of coastline. This string of pastel-coloured villages are cut into a steep hillside, with jagged mountains…
Italian food has to be one of the most popular cuisines in the world – who doesn’t love pizza, pasta and risotto? Before my trip to Sicily I assumed the island would have similar food to the rest of…
Today it’s one the most famous Roman sites in the world, but Pompeii was just another Roman seaside resort until Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. Just a day later, thousands of people has been killed and the whole…
‘We’re going where?’ After trudging up a kilometre-long stony, dusty track as it looped its way up the side of the volcano, we had reached the top of Vesuvius. Or so I thought. To our right a neatly fenced-off…