Very lively in Venice: Having a ball in the city of water VENICE Every Italian has their favourite region of their home country they believe to be aesthetically and culturally superior. Part of the reason is the dizzying variety of culture, cuisine and architecture, which differs dramatically from region to region, the result of foreign invasions that chopped up the boot-shaped country a dozen centuries ago. But even [...]
Visit Corfu in the glorious autumn to get closer to the island’s enchanting history AUTUMN IN CORFU The flight from Heathrow to Corfu soars above central Europe, then tracks the Adriatic coastline along the Balkans. Waiting to land at the airport beside Corfu Town, the plane circles the island, and looking out the window you’re well aware that you’re closer to Albania than to mainland Greece. The surrounding sea — a brilliant [...]
Tree hugging isn’t optional on this full moon retreat in countryside near the capital FULL MOON RETREAT THE WEEKEND: The historic market town of Cuckfield in West Sussex has changed little over the centuries – and residents plan to keep it that way. In a passionate effort to retain the area’s bucolic setting, they even clubbed together to buy (!) the New England Forest to stop developers building a holiday camp. In [...]
Moscato d’Asti: Why this sparkling wine is pure joy in a glass August 25, 2022 In my last column’s wine recommendations, I referred to Moscato d’Asti as the happiest wine. For me, it is as joyful a glass as you could hope to have, so it surprises me that more people do not indulge in it more often. Though from the same region, around the town of Asti, it should [...]
The Gardener’s Cottage and The Lookout are the perfect restaurants for the last weekend of the Fringe August 24, 2022 The Edinburgh Festival is coming to an end but thousands of Londoners are set to descend upon the city for its final weekend. And while you come for the comedy, cabaret, magic, theatre and various other barely definable acts, it’s always worth booking a decent restaurant or two before you arrive. Let me introduce you [...]
A-List Cotswolds hangout The Lakes by Yoo has new cabins – here’s what they’re like August 22, 2022 THE WEEKEND: The Lakes by Yoo offers the chance to get back to nature without sacrificing creature comforts, just 90-minutes from London. Spend days roaming woodlands, swimming in freshwater lakes and cycling for miles, but there’s no need to rough it by night. Think gourmet breakfast deliveries, spa treatments and alfresco cocktails. You’re on holiday [...]
Sail untouched Croatia for a late-summer escape August 22, 2022 Our tender skims into an empty and secluded turquoise bay, the only sign of civilisation being a 300-year-old fisherman’s cottage and a rowing boat on the shore. It’s the kind of place you might see at the end of a Jason Bourne movie; Matt Damon safe in an exotic hideaway as the camera pans out [...]
Andalucía, the Jewel of Spain August 18, 2022 Andalucía has one of the richest cultural histories of any part of Europe, and the varying ethnicities that have shaped and melded this vibrant area of southern Spain has created a mythical land usually found only in children’s fairy tales. Grand monuments, palaces, fortresses and castles can be found in every part of Andalucía and [...]
A summer break in Finland, counting thousands of tiny islands as they drift past August 15, 2022 Sitting down to dinner in what was once Finland’s most dangerous prison wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I embarked on a recent Scandinavian sojourn. But soon after touching down I learn that the city of Turku’s penchant for experimental dining is fast turning the place into Finland’s culinary capital. It’s all too [...]
Hedonistic thrills and cosmopolitan grandeur in Rhodes August 15, 2022 THE WEEKEND: Can’t decide between a culture break or a beach holiday? Rhodes offers both! This Greek island has historic sites reaching back to antiquity, and sundrenched beaches that slip into a dazzling, clear blue sea. From the cheap, hedonistic thrills of Faliraki nightclubs to the cosmopolitan grandeur of Rhodes’ medieval Old Town, there’s something [...]