Trento is the jewel of the Italian Dolomites, a city I’d never heard of until recently when a travel conference brought me to town for a weekend. It’s only an hour by train out of Verona and as soon as the journey begins the landscape transforms from flat plains to the green foothills of the…
Category: Italy
Summer days in Sardinia
Sardinia is a great place to slow down. We often pack our holidays full of things to do every day, but sometimes it’s just nice to relax. So a four-night break in June was perfect to unwind a bit. We stayed on the east coast of Sardinia at Arbatax for three nights, filling our time…
Why you should visit Herculaneum instead of Pompeii
Staying in the Naples or Sorrento area during a trip to Italy? The region is home to two fascinating archaeological sites in Herculaneum and Pompeii. But if you only have one day to spare, which should you visit? We visited both last year and although it’s amazing to see such a famous site as Pompeii,…
Don’t let the crowds put you off Amalfi
The Amalfi coast is gorgeous and a drive/bus ride along its full length an excellent way to spend a day. But man, is it crowded. We visited back in April, just after Easter and the tourist season was already in full swing. Amalfi is blessed with a balmy climate from March right through to the…
10 best views of Sorrento, Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast
Italy is one of my favourite places and yet, until last week, I’d only been there twice. So another visit, this time to Sorrento on the Bay of Naples, was long overdue. Somehow being surrounded by orange and lemon groves, walking around in sandals in April, surrounded by the bluest of seas really gave…
World Cycling Championships in Tuscany
Sometimes luck and good timing combine to offer you unexpected opportunities. When we planned a few days in Tuscany, we knew the World Cycling Championship road race would be in Florence the following weekend. As a cycling fan I was a little bit disappointed to be missing it by only a couple of days. As…
Last days of summer in Lucca
When summer had already disappeared from the southern shores of the UK, in Tuscany it held on well into September. It’s no secret that I love the parts of Europe that touch the Mediterranean sea: terracotta roofs, the constant chirp of cicadas and most of all the warmth that allows you to sit out well…