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
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
Arriving in Rome is surreal, gliding past the ancient world in a taxi, the great spectacle of the Colosseum looming down with echoes of sacrificial screams and lion roars. On this day, Morgan Freeman is here for a remake of Ben Hur, with Daniel Craig down the road in Bond car chases. Rome is back … Continued
Arriving in Rome is surreal, gliding past the ancient world in a taxi, the great spectacle of the Colosseum looming down with echoes of sacrificial screams and lion roars. Today, Morgan Freeman is here for a remake of Ben Hur, with Daniel Craig down the road in Bond car chases. Ancient and modern, Rome is … Continued
I feel like Virginia Woolf on the Grand Tour, arriving in Rome with Venice and Milan to come. The Eternal City is where Woolf said she would come to die. But nothing really dies in this glorious city of ghosts, where centuries are laid bare across the seven hills. There is the huge Colosseum where … Continued
The summer sun stays late in southern Tuscany, and there’s nowhere more beautiful to stay there than Il Falconiere, outside the medieval hilltop town of Cortona. The hotel, made up of exquisitvely furnished 16th century villas, sits on a hillside with superb views over the countryside, two glorious pools, and the new stylish Thesan Etruscan … Continued
Finds herself seduced by an Italian lifestyle that is as rich as it is simple it’s the secret lake which gives this part of Tuscany something special. Until now I had thought Italian lakes consisted of only the splendid Como or Maggiore in the north. But Italy’s oldest lake and its most ethereal is on … Continued
