Dame Helen Mirren prefers browsing the aisles of DIY stores to glitzy Hollywood events and rejected pleas to cash in on famous photographs of her wearing a bikini, according to her screenwriter nephew. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Simon Mirren said: “What Helen loves is going to Home Depot [an American DIY chain], … Continued

Susan Sarandon’s son has slammed people who criticised his mum’s revealing cleavage at an awards ceremony. Film director Jack Robbins blasted detractors, including TV presenter Piers Morgan, as “ageist and sexist”. He said his Oscar-winning mum was “right to be proud of her body” after she wore a bra top –and no shirt – at … Continued

Perched on a clifftop, Taormina dominates all around, valleys of almond, olive and cypress trees that sink into the dancing Ionian Sea. On clear days, the view is to Italy’s tip, the peninsula of Calabria, and behind, the looming smoky presence of the majestic volcano, Etna. There you stand with a truly momentous feeling between … Continued

Il Melograno is one of Italy’s hidden treasures in the sun-soaked province of Puglia. The solid white-washed masseria is set around a large square, with giant cacti, glazed urns and ancient olive trees. Furnished with antiques, richly coloured rugs, and valued paintings, it exudes a cool airy elegance. I loved the indoor and outdoor pools, … Continued

The cousin of a Jewish man killed in the Hyper Cacher terrorist attack in Paris one year ago revealed last week that the family was “dreading the anniversary”, after his brutal murder split them in two. Rachel Bourlier, whose first cousin Yohan Cohen, a part-time student, was shot dead by gunman Amedy Coulibaly in the … Continued

After walking the winding streets of Puglia’s exquisite Baroque town, Lecce, there’s only one restaurant to go to for authentic Leccese food. The casual, bustly Alle due Corti is so faithful to the cooking of the Salento, south eastern part of Puglia, that even the menu is in dialect. In fact Rosalba de Carlo, who … Continued

Israel is the one country in the world Islamic State fears, according to the only Western journalist allowed entry into territory controlled by the terror group. The claim from German reporter Jürgen Todenhöfer, a former member of the German Parliament, came after he spent 10 extraordinary days behind enemy lines in Iraq and Syria, accompanied … Continued

He is the hardman of British cinema, known for roles in Scum and Sexy Beast, but Ray Winstone is now so burly that his body double has to wear a fat suit under his armour. The news filtered out from the set of Winstone’s latest venture, the biblical drama Of Kings and Prophets, which is … Continued