Alastair Sawday's

Here are hundreds of irresistible excuses for going to Italy. Be welcomed and utterly seduced by the vitality and sheer authenticity of Italy and its people. This collection of some 350 places provides ready-made friends and contacts, with beautiful and interesting houses to spend time in.

Stay in a B&B at the foot of Mount Etna, a 16th-century monastery on the Italian Lakes, a medieval hamlet in Le Marche - there’s even an entire village in Tuscany. Find plenty to do and learn too; there are yoga retreats and art & drama workshops, we have one farm that runs pottery and textile holidays and another where you can go truffle hunting or honey collecting.

And we highlight places where the owners’ commitment to the environment, the community or to serving local or organic food really stands out.