Travel - The classic Italian regions, done to perfection
The classic Italian regions, done to perfection
Sicily
Who goes?
History buffs, chocoholics, beach babes, volcanophiles and watersport enthusiasts. Oh, and if you like a good thriller, this is the home of Inspector Montalbano, BBC4’s grumpy but sexy supersleuth.
History buffs, chocoholics, beach babes, volcanophiles and watersport enthusiasts. Oh, and if you like a good thriller, this is the home of Inspector Montalbano, BBC4’s grumpy but sexy supersleuth.
What do you get?
Sicily is one big, glorious historical muddle: an island overrun, in turn, by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards, all of whom have left their mark on the food, architecture, language and outlook of the native Sicani. And they couldn’t be more welcoming, even after all that.
Sicily is one big, glorious historical muddle: an island overrun, in turn, by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards, all of whom have left their mark on the food, architecture, language and outlook of the native Sicani. And they couldn’t be more welcoming, even after all that.
For a full-on Sicilian taster, spend a couple of days in the capital, Palermo, a dark, sexy mix of startling architecture, exotic food, crazy markets and bling: the Cappella Palatina, Roger II’s chapel of 1132, is a riot of gold and mosaic, a brilliant summation of the island’s complex religious and political history (£5; federicosecondo.org).
Baroque is on a roll in the southeastern triangle of Noto, Ragusa and Modica, rebuilt in flamboyant style after an earthquake in 1693. Head down here to find a new wave of Michelin-starred cooking (try Ristorante Locanda Don Serafino, in Ragusa Ibla, where mains start at £30; locandadonserafino.it), the oldest chocolate-maker on the island, Antica Dolceria Bonajuto (free; bonajuto.it), and the locations for almost every episode of Inspector Montalbano ever made.
Outdoor types have a choice: climb Mount Etna (though the volcano is a bit frisky just now), dive off Cefalu (from £50 a boat dive; sicilia-divers. com), kitesurf in Marsala (lessons from £75; www. leviedelvento.it) or cruise the Syracuse coast in a Tahiti ketch (day trips from £430 for two, including lunch; www.touristboatservice.it).
When you’re done, hit the beach: the Vendicari Nature Reserve, an ornithologist’s paradise, has gorgeous deserted stretches of sand known as the best on the island. West of Palermo, Lo Zingaro is four miles of unspoilt pebbly beach, punctuated by soaring cliffs, while the bright-blue waters of Cala Rossa, in Favignana (part of the Egadi Islands), complete our Sicily top three.
Admirers of classical architecture mustn’t miss the magnificent temple ruins at Agrigento, Selinunte and Segesta (from £4; regione. sicilia.it); the amphitheatres in Taormina and Syracuse, where you can still catch gigs and theatre in the summer (teatrogrecotaormina.com; regione.sicilia.it); and one of Italy’s richest collections of mosaics, in Casale (£7.50; www.villaromanadelcasale.it). Early evening is the best time for all of these, otherwise they’re crowded, and hot as hell in high summer.
Where to stay
If you’re looking for a family-friendly base, Citalia has a week at the three-star Villa Paradiso hotel, perched high above the beach in pretty Taormina. It’s sweetly traditional — and the service is second to none. There’s also a shuttle service down that hill to the sea. Prices start at £665pp, B&B, including flights and transfers (01293 731753, citalia.com).
If you’re looking for a family-friendly base, Citalia has a week at the three-star Villa Paradiso hotel, perched high above the beach in pretty Taormina. It’s sweetly traditional — and the service is second to none. There’s also a shuttle service down that hill to the sea. Prices start at £665pp, B&B, including flights and transfers (01293 731753, citalia.com).
To get closer to all that southeast baroque, try L’Olivastro, a chic villa on the coast, 15 minutes from Noto, which sleeps eight and is available through The Thinking Traveller. The vibe is all white linen, bleached raffia and terracotta tiling, with gorgeous terraced gardens that lead down to the pool — and, from there, into the sea. There’s also an annexe that would be perfect for teens. A week starts at £5,650 ( 020 7377 8518,thethinkingtraveller.com).
Getting there
Fly to Palermo or Catania with British Airways, or to Comiso with Ryanair.
Fly to Palermo or Catania with British Airways, or to Comiso with Ryanair.
Italian lakes
Who goes?
Romantics, gardeners, mountain-bikers, windsurfers, weekenders from Milan — and George Clooney fans. He has a house in Laglio, on Lake Como, that is reportedly on the market. Potential viewers should form an orderly queue.
Romantics, gardeners, mountain-bikers, windsurfers, weekenders from Milan — and George Clooney fans. He has a house in Laglio, on Lake Como, that is reportedly on the market. Potential viewers should form an orderly queue.
What do you get?
Old-school romance is the draw in the great northern Italian lakes, shoehorned between the foothills of the Alps. Wordsworth, Byron and Keats all lost their hearts here, and it’s easy to see why: the misty blue waters, snow-capped peaks, fabulous gardens and pastel-coloured houses are ridiculously beautiful.
Old-school romance is the draw in the great northern Italian lakes, shoehorned between the foothills of the Alps. Wordsworth, Byron and Keats all lost their hearts here, and it’s easy to see why: the misty blue waters, snow-capped peaks, fabulous gardens and pastel-coloured houses are ridiculously beautiful.
So which lake to choose?
The four biggest — Maggiore, Lugano, Como and Garda — tend to eclipse their smaller cousins in popularity, but opt for little Orta or Iseo, which offer nuggets of loveliness that shouldn’t be ignored. They’re a darn sight quieter, and the medieval village of Orta San Giulio is a perfect blend of cobbled lanes, peeling palazzi and fishing boats, looking out onto the tiny island of San Giulio, where fearsome dragons once dwelt. A three-minute boat ride takes you to dinner in its fairy-tale restaurant (mains from £20;www.ristorantesangiulio.it).
The four biggest — Maggiore, Lugano, Como and Garda — tend to eclipse their smaller cousins in popularity, but opt for little Orta or Iseo, which offer nuggets of loveliness that shouldn’t be ignored. They’re a darn sight quieter, and the medieval village of Orta San Giulio is a perfect blend of cobbled lanes, peeling palazzi and fishing boats, looking out onto the tiny island of San Giulio, where fearsome dragons once dwelt. A three-minute boat ride takes you to dinner in its fairy-tale restaurant (mains from £20;www.ristorantesangiulio.it).
On Iseo, walk the six miles of the historic Antica Via Valeriana from Pilzone to Pregasso, up the eastern side of the lake. The autumn colour is particularly fine.
Pretty much every village round here has claimed to be the most beautiful in Italy at some point, but Bellagio, on Lake Como, is hard to beat. Its looks come at a price, though. Base yourself here, walk the promenade lined with lime and oleander trees, marvel at the butter-coloured fin de siècle hotels teetering by the water — but avoid the crowds by hopping on the local ferry to the equally lovely village of Varenna, for lunch at Cavallino, a no-frills fish restaurant where the catch comes straight from the lake (mains from £9; cavallino-varenna.it).
For gardeners, Varenna offers the exotic terraces of Villa Monastero (£5;villamonastero.eu), while Garda has the more eccentric Vittoriale, whose planting was financed by Mussolini for the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio (from £6; vittoriale.it). But it’s Lake Maggiore that really takes the biscuit. Check out Isola Bella, bursting like a wedding cake from the water, eye-poppingly nutty in its terraced greenery, dangling oranges and lemons, camellias and magnolias into the lake. Its sister, Isola Madre, is equally wonderful, if a little more restrained (£15 for entry to both; isoleborromee.it).
Mountain-biking is big in these parts, as weekending Milanese let off steam on their shiny new Santa Cruz rigs. Rent yours at Xtreme, then take the cable car up Monte Baldo, on Lake Garda, to the bike trails at the top (£7; funiviedelbaldo.it). From there, it’s a heart-stopping run down to Malcesine, and a road ride back round the lake (from £22 for a full-suspension mountain bike; www. xtrememalcesine.com).
If that’s not high-adrenaline enough, Torbole, at the northern end, is a world-class centre for windsurfing — no power boats are allowed. Two three-hour lessons cost £99pp with Surf Segnana (surfsegnana.it).
Where to stay
Filario Hotel is a new design flagship on the waterfront at Lezzeno. In a Como neighbourhood that’s big on grandes dames, but short on style, it’s a welcome addition. Fin de siècle bling is replaced by understated luxe: pale textiles and lime-washed woods. The bistro is excellent, too (doubles from £190, B&B, filario.it)
Filario Hotel is a new design flagship on the waterfront at Lezzeno. In a Como neighbourhood that’s big on grandes dames, but short on style, it’s a welcome addition. Fin de siècle bling is replaced by understated luxe: pale textiles and lime-washed woods. The bistro is excellent, too (doubles from £190, B&B, filario.it)
OK, nobody said these lakes were going to be cheap, but for a top-notch, bust-the-budget option, try Villa La Quiete, overlooking Bellagio. This 18th-century baroque beauty, which belongs to the Serbelloni clan, has six suites, butler, chef and maid service, formal gardens, a pool and space to park your boat It sleeps 12, and Bellini Travel has a week from £19,000, including all meals (020 7602 7602,bellinitravel.com).
Getting there
Fly to Milan Linate with BA or Bergamo with Ryanair.
Fly to Milan Linate with BA or Bergamo with Ryanair.
Amalfi Coast
Who goes?
Glamourpusses, star-spotters, road trippers, honeymooners and history buffs. Along with pretty much every tourist ever, at some point in their life. The trick is to avoid them.
Glamourpusses, star-spotters, road trippers, honeymooners and history buffs. Along with pretty much every tourist ever, at some point in their life. The trick is to avoid them.
What do you get?
The thing with the coast south of Naples is that it’s beautiful: all the way from Sorrento to Amalfi, it’s eye-poppingly, heart-stoppingly, gobsmackingly gorgeous. So everyone wants a piece of it. You can hardly blame them — you want it, too. You just need a few tips to lose the crowds.
The thing with the coast south of Naples is that it’s beautiful: all the way from Sorrento to Amalfi, it’s eye-poppingly, heart-stoppingly, gobsmackingly gorgeous. So everyone wants a piece of it. You can hardly blame them — you want it, too. You just need a few tips to lose the crowds.
Go for a road trip, but make it out of season (mid-June to mid-September is heaving here). And drive yourself — cabs cost a fortune and buses are terribly slow. Do it in one of Spider Life Style’s Alfa Giulias for that extra touch of early 1960s chic (from £265 a day; spiderlifestyle.com), but a new Fiat 500 will work just as well.
Sorrento is your starting point: it’s the lively gateway to this coast and offers shelter from the lunchtime sun under the elegant arches of Il Buco, which draws a well-heeled local foodie crowd (mains from £20; ilbucoristorante.it). Don’t miss the lovely cloisters of San Francesco: you won’t see another soul amid the riot of bougainvillea.
From Sorrento, it’s a brilliant blue drive along the SS163 to Positano — 10 miles of hair-raising bends, sheer drops and steep green hillsides, with that bay always in your sights, till you reach the starriest tumble of brightly painted buildings Italy has to offer. It’s hard to do Positano quietly, so go for the full Bel-Air glam with an aperitivo on the terrace at the Poseidon, a 1960s hotspot for holiday Hollywood types (cocktails from £15; hotelposeidonpositano.it).
Amalfi, with its 9th-century jigsaw of a cathedral and buzzy shopping streets, is your evening destination. By now, the tourist hordes will have cleared and you can enjoy the passeggiata with the locals, ending up at Marina Grande for a fish supper topped with pretty floral twiddles (mains from £10; ristorantemarinagrande.com).
This coast is the perfect base for exploring Pompeii, which was devastated by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79. But if you’re keen to keep it low-key, opt for Herculaneum instead — smaller, often deserted, and with heart-wrenchingly evocative remains. The mosaics in House 22 are the stars here (£15 for both; pompeiisites.org).
Capri is famous for its old-school glam, but this lovely lemon-scented island in the bay is now more a magnet for big-bucks shoppers and Roman paparazzi. Great walks, though: head out along the rocky heights, past the curve of the Arco Naturale and the spiky Faraglioni out at sea, to Punta Tragara and its awesome viewing platform (return ferry to Sorrento from £35; capri.net).
Where to stay
Le Sirenuse, in Positano, is a five-star 1950s siren with a great spa, family antiques and an innate sense of good manners. The views are wonderful, too. Abercrombie & Kent has a week from £1,175pp, B&B, including flights and transfers. (01242 547703,abercrombiekent.co.uk).
Le Sirenuse, in Positano, is a five-star 1950s siren with a great spa, family antiques and an innate sense of good manners. The views are wonderful, too. Abercrombie & Kent has a week from £1,175pp, B&B, including flights and transfers. (01242 547703,abercrombiekent.co.uk).
Amateur archaeologists will dig Villa Leucosia, slap bang on the beach in the Cilento National Park, now a Unesco World Heritage Site: the ruins of a submerged Roman village are on the doorstep. It has a private harbour, sea deck and a pool, while the old stone house is appropriately nautical, with mini sailboats dotted about its cool white interiors. It sleeps 14, and a week starts at £4,655 (020 7351 6384, sjvillas.co.uk).
Getting there
Fly to Naples with BA or easyJet.
Fly to Naples with BA or easyJet.
Tuscany
Who goes?
Oenophiles, art lovers, roadies, Renaissance men, 1970s-style Italophiles and fans of A Place in the Sun: there’s still time for you to find that perfect hilltop villa and do it up.
Oenophiles, art lovers, roadies, Renaissance men, 1970s-style Italophiles and fans of A Place in the Sun: there’s still time for you to find that perfect hilltop villa and do it up.
What do you get?
Don’t write off Tuscany as a middle-class cliché. Its reputation these days is as much about the cool stuff as the raffia-clad chianti flasks and rock stars charging guests £200 to harvest their olives. (Sting, we’re talking to you.)
Don’t write off Tuscany as a middle-class cliché. Its reputation these days is as much about the cool stuff as the raffia-clad chianti flasks and rock stars charging guests £200 to harvest their olives. (Sting, we’re talking to you.)
Who wouldn’t fall in love with these wooded valleys, gentle hills, terraced vines and spiky rows of cypress trees? With Florence, cradle of the Renaissance and home to the nation’s greatest art? With Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Arezzo? And with lazy afternoons by a farmhouse pool?
For the unspoilt, typically Tuscan landscapes that drew so many Brits in the 1970s, make for the Val d’Orcia, south of Siena. It’s got it all — crumbling castles, rolling vineyards, medieval watchtowers, hilltop villages, farmers’ markets, hot springs for bathing at Bagni San Filippo — and it’s all protected from development in the Parco Artistico Naturale Culturale (parcodellavaldorcia.com).
Wine lovers must check out the new Antinori winery in Bargino, deep in Chianti Classico country, south of Florence. Chianti has shed its fusty image and is hot news again, and the Antinori girls produce some of the best. The architecture here is jolly good, too: it was designed by the homegrown starchitect Marco Casamonti, with cellars that look like a marvellous terracotta spaceship (tours from £18pp;antinorichianticlassico.it).
Chianti’s undulating roads provide the perfect scenic run for cyclists — so make sure you’re here to catch the pro Giro di Toscana race (dates hop about all over the place), and get in some training of your own. Hire a Bianchi Via Nirone 7 C2C from Tuscany Bicycle rental (from £25 a day; www.tuscanybicycle.com) and cycle the circular route from Gaiole, taking in pretty Radda, Castellina and Greve. Stop off in Panzano for an in-shop lunch of the classic bistecca alla Fiorentina with eccentric showman butcher Dario Cecchini (set menu £36; dariocecchini.com).
Call yourself a Renaissance man? Then head straight to Florence. Evening is the best time for a quick tour: there are no crowds, the passeggiata is in full swing and you can absorb the flavour of the city from Piazza della Signoria, aperitivo in hand, with a view of the Palazzo Vecchio, Michelangelo’s David and the flamboyant sculptures in the Loggia dei Lanzi’s open-air gallery. The terrace of the Gucci Museum’s cafe offers the coolest vantage point — and you get to take away a sugar lump in the shape of the iconic double G (aperitivo from £10; guccimuseo.com).
Where to stay
Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco started life as the Ferragamo family’s retreat in the lovely Val d’Orcia. Now it’s 5,000 acres of luxury country estate, with 23 suites and 10 villas converted from 18th-century farm buildings to a fashionably rustic standard. It has two fine Tuscan restaurants, a spa and an incredible Brunello di Montalcino winery on site. Sublime Travel has a week from £1,600pp, B&B, including flights (01753 653646, sublimetravel.co.uk).
Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco started life as the Ferragamo family’s retreat in the lovely Val d’Orcia. Now it’s 5,000 acres of luxury country estate, with 23 suites and 10 villas converted from 18th-century farm buildings to a fashionably rustic standard. It has two fine Tuscan restaurants, a spa and an incredible Brunello di Montalcino winery on site. Sublime Travel has a week from £1,600pp, B&B, including flights (01753 653646, sublimetravel.co.uk).
On a hilltop looking out to Siena, you’ll find Santa Dieci, a medieval watchtower that has been turned into a stylish holiday rental sleeping six, with the all-important loggia, pool and olive grove. Inside, you get exposed beams, terracotta tiles, a brand-new pro kitchen and some rather nice art. A week starts at £2,569 (020 7684 8888,tuscanynowandmore.com).
Getting there
Fly to Florence with BA and CityJet, or Pisa with easyJet and Ryanair.
Fly to Florence with BA and CityJet, or Pisa with easyJet and Ryanair.
Puglia
Who goes? Foodies, beach babes and families with kids. Puglia is the perfect place for the little beggars to run wild. And be spoilt rotten by the locals. This is Italy, after all.
What do you get? Puglia is the skinny bit from the ankle to the heel of the national boot, and its 500 miles of coastline, most of it super-accessible, with clear water, gently sloping sands and generous rocky slabs, just cries out for small children ready to play, parents with fully loaded hampers and teens keen to slouch in the shade of the bar.
Finding an unspoilt stretch of sand round these parts is easy. Locals all have their favourite places to flop, and they have a lifetime’s experience, so take their advice. Their must-dos? The wild Torre Guaceto Nature Reserve, near Ostuni; La Grotta della Poesia, at Madonna di Roca Vecchia, a natural rock pool north of Otranto; the Baia dei Turchi, a blue arc a few miles south; Punta del Pizzo, on the Golfo di Gallipoli, with its fragrant pine forest; and Pescoluse, known locally as the Maldives of Salento, near Torre Pali.
The contrast between all that wildness and the ornate baroque splendour of the region’s loveliest towns is intense. Grown-ups should head to Lecce for its gorgeous centro storico, an architectural masterclass in 17th-century style. The Santa Croce basilica is the best of the bunch, but check out the Duomo, as well as the Chiesa del Rosario — all given a sparkle of fairy dust by the master craftsman Giuseppe Zimbalo.
While you’re here, make a date for supper at Le Zie, run by Anna Carmela Perrone. It might look like your nonna’s dining room, and mostly you’ll eat what you’re given — one of my favourite things about Italy — but the food is great, a sterling example of traditional cucina povera, neither showy nor pricy, but packed with flavour and cooked with love. Highlights include orecchiette pasta, broad bean purée with chicory, sun-dried tomatoes from Anna’s mamma, olive oil from her aunt, and almond milk pud with toasted nuts (mains from £15; lezietrattoria.com).
After that, kick back outside Natale with a pasticciotto (the city’s signature pastry), buy your kids a gelato (the pistachio is divine) and let them run around with the local brood — who don’t do bedtime quite like we do (from £1.50; natalepasticceria.it).
It’s worth a detour to check out the culinary hotspots in the “white city” of Ostuni (Osteria Piazzetta Cattedrale), in the charming medieval heart of Trani (a Slow Food centre), on the waterfront at Polignano a Mare (Hotel Ristorante Grotta Palazzese) and in the laid-back seaside lanes of Otranto (LaltroBaffo).
In every one, you’ll find great seafood, fabulous burrata cheese, the freshest pasta and the finest olive oils in Italy. (Puglia is responsible for 40% of the country’s output, from 66m trees.) One of our favourite producers is Il Frantolio, in Cisternino, run by Pietro D’Amico, who offers tasting sessions in 18th-century trulli. While you’re at it, don’t miss trullo central itself: Alberobello is the capital city of these funny little hobbit houses. Your children will love it.
Where to stay Just outside Lecce, Masseria Trapana is a new nine-suite, 16th-century converted farmstead that can be booked room by room or rented in its entirety. Interiors are super-cool luxe, with limestone walls, vaulted ceilings and stripped-back four-posters. Doubles start at£180, B&B, or you can rent the whole place, which sleeps 18, for £20,000 a week (www.trapana.com).
Your kids will go nuts for Trullo Mandorla, a hobbit home sleeping four, with a pool, near Cisternino. It’s funky open-plan living in the principal “cone”, and there’s plenty of outside space to play in. A week starts at £1,300 a week, including car hire (01694 722193, long-travel.co.uk).
Getting there
Fly to Bari or Brindisi with Ryanair.
Fly to Bari or Brindisi with Ryanair.
Emilia Romagna
Who goes?
Cooks, hikers, speed merchants, art buffs, nose-to-tail eaters and educated theme-park lovers. They’re plugging the opening of Italy’s latest archaeological extravaganza, but the port of Classe is more than 2,000 years old — it’s just been kept under wraps for a while (£3; www.parcoarcheologicodiclasse.it).
Cooks, hikers, speed merchants, art buffs, nose-to-tail eaters and educated theme-park lovers. They’re plugging the opening of Italy’s latest archaeological extravaganza, but the port of Classe is more than 2,000 years old — it’s just been kept under wraps for a while (£3; www.parcoarcheologicodiclasse.it).
What do you get?
From Piacenza, in the northwest to Rimini, on the eastern coast, Emilia Romagna runs the length of a Roman superhighway that could fairly be called the greediest road in Italy — it takes in 165 miles of produce, 28 DOP and IGP foodstuffs, and 50 DOC wines. Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pancetta Piacentina, Grana Padano, Aceto Balsamico di Modena, Lambrusco and Malvasia are all on the list. Embark on a tasting road trip with Food Valley Travel that ends in the region’s capital, Bologna “the Fat” (from £100pp for a day, self-drive; foodvalleytravel.com).
From Piacenza, in the northwest to Rimini, on the eastern coast, Emilia Romagna runs the length of a Roman superhighway that could fairly be called the greediest road in Italy — it takes in 165 miles of produce, 28 DOP and IGP foodstuffs, and 50 DOC wines. Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pancetta Piacentina, Grana Padano, Aceto Balsamico di Modena, Lambrusco and Malvasia are all on the list. Embark on a tasting road trip with Food Valley Travel that ends in the region’s capital, Bologna “the Fat” (from £100pp for a day, self-drive; foodvalleytravel.com).
Bologna is chubby for a reason. You’ll see why when you try one of its 20-plus cooking schools: Il Salotto di Penelope is among the best. Barbara Zaccagni and Valeria Hensemberger are cordon bleu chefs who will teach you, in English (with added jokes), how to make perfect pasta from scratch. Then you sit down and eat it together (£65pp;ilsalottodipenelope.it).
Petrolheads can get all revved up at the Museo Enzo Ferrari, in Modena,which traces the history of the racing and road models of this most stylish of marques, from 1940’s Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 to the SF15-T Formula One model and the LaFerrari V12 coupé. Try the F1 simulator or sign up for a 15-minute track session at the Autodromo di Modena (from £11; museomodena.ferrari.com). Bike buffs should opt for a couple of hours at the Ducati museum and factory, in Bologna (£7; ducati.com).
You know that line “All roads lead to Rome”? It was probably coined by an ancient hiker in Emilia Romagna. The region has some of the oldest pilgrim paths in Europe, from the Via Francigena (which you can start in Canterbury, but the loveliest bits are here; viefrancigene.org) to the Via degli Dei, or Way of the Gods, an Etruscan track through the glorious Emilian Apennines (www.viadeglidei.it). Stay in agriturismi along the way for great-value rustic bed and board (agriturismo.it).
Last but not least, hit on some of the sexiest cities in Italy. Parma, Modena, Bologna, Ferrara and Ravenna all have damn good-looking medieval and Renaissiance architecture, art, churches and wonderful centri storici. My top five spots? The astounding wooden Teatro Farnese in Parma; Santo Stefano, a soulful complex of seven mini churches in Bologna; Modena’s Piazza Grande, lit up at night; the bling of Ferrara’s basilica; and the astounding Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna.
Where to stay
Massimo Spigaroli has a Michelin star for his restaurant at Antica Corte Pallavicina, an ancient Polesine Parmense farmstead with 11 awesome rooms attached. Ask for the Galeazzo suite, under the eaves, with a roaring fire and dark-wood antiques. And be sure to visit his cellarful of hams (doubles from £116, B&B, www.antica cortepallavicinarelais. com).
Massimo Spigaroli has a Michelin star for his restaurant at Antica Corte Pallavicina, an ancient Polesine Parmense farmstead with 11 awesome rooms attached. Ask for the Galeazzo suite, under the eaves, with a roaring fire and dark-wood antiques. And be sure to visit his cellarful of hams (doubles from £116, B&B, www.antica cortepallavicinarelais. com).
Village life really is all it’s cracked up to be in medieval Verucchio, in the hills behind Rimini, and it’s here that Silvia Santolini has restored four stone houses to form a delightful albergo diffuso, Le Case Antiche. The sweetest of them is La Casa della Peggiola, a one-bedroom cottage with sea views, where breakfast is delivered to your doorstep. A week starts at £510 (lecaseantiche.it).
Getting there Fly to Bologna with BA, or to Parma with Ryanair.
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