Italy

Exclusive guide to the best holiday destinations in Italy, independent reviews from award-winning travel writers

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Foligno. Still undiscovered in Umbria

Early evening and the ancient Palazzo Candiotti in Folingno has a big smile on her face. It’s just like old times. A proper baroque banquet. The Festa d’Oro e di Vento no less, with 250 guests commemorating the 70th anniversary of the modern Quintana joust. I can almost feel this grand old dame sighing in contentment in her Sunday best. If I didn’t know better, I would think I’d been teleported back to the 17th century.

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Rupert Parker goes walking the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites one of Europe's classic long distance treks.

Walking the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites. Discover a classic hike.

The immense cathedral-like spires of the Northern Dolomites are the perfect venue for tackling one of Europe’s classic long distance treks. Forget about luxury hotels, the only accommodation is in mountain huts, known as Rifugios and I’ll have to carry everything on my back. Walking the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites runs for around 140 km and my eight day walk will involve daily distances of between 9 and 16.5 km, with ascents of up to 900 m and descents of up to 1,300 m. Will I be tough enough?

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Andy Mossack explores Val Gardena in summer and discovers art, landscapes and gastronomy in the beautiful Dolomites.

Val Gardena. Experience Glorious Summer in The Dolomites.

Anna is teaching me the highly skilled art of Tyrolean cooking at the chalet Luech de Curijel in Selva and she’s not looking best pleased. It seems my Apfelstrudel and spinach crafuncins, two of the simplest of local dishes here in Val Gardena, are not up to standard. Now when your teacher possesses hands with the power to knead dough as if it were mash potato, generating hostility is not a healthy option.

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Terranima

Bari is so unrepresentative of Puglia – the formal, imposing and rather austere capital of a region which is all about charm, informality and joie de vivre – that it’s surprising to find a suitably charming and informal restaurant in its back streets.
Terranima is a microcosm of rural Puglia – its trompe l’oeil decor is designed to evoke the feeling of a street in one of the region’s hilltop towns – and the food is utterly authentic.

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Inspector Montalbano Sicily

Inspector Montalbano Sicily

“Il Commissario” has done for south-east Sicily what “Bergerac” did for Jersey, Steve McGarrett for Hawaii, “Wallender” for south Sweden and what “Shetland” is doing for Shetland.TV detectives have become ambassadors. And travel agents. And are bringing in the tourists to visit Inspector Montalbano’s Sicily locations. The New Year sees a new ten-part series of BBC4’s “Inspector Montalbano”, starring the Bruce Willis- headed Luca Zingaretti and based on Andrea Camilleri’s books which have sold 15m worldwide.

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