Italy

Genuine hosts, fabulous food, a swimming pool and a private speedboat for exploring the coast; a sandy beach is a ten-minute walk away

A stylish Sicilian farmhouse that feels like a home with hotel luxuries. Come for a generous welcome, lovely beaches and gorgeous local food

A 200-year-old quintessential Umbrian farmhouse with pool, immersed in nature and with no immediate neighbours for lazy, peaceful days

Rooftop views of a Baroque town from heavenly flower-filled terraces and a truly scrumptious breakfast from Elisabetta make this one a must

Painting courses on request, gardens full of roses, a parasol’d terrace, a seductive pool… we love this welcoming, traditional hotel

Step into the valley region from this beautifully restored 17th-century house surrounded by saltwater and freshwater canals and lakes

A magical medieval castello, gloriously gothic with tower, moat and ghost, fit for a Shakespearian play.

Five tranquil apartments surrounded by Tuscan countryside just over half an hour's drive from Siena – hire them all for a group holiday

Gracious Florentine hospitality, elegance and comfort, gazebo breakfasts, a flower-filled garden with pool and views of olive groves

Gaze on Umbrian hills as the children play, watch the fireflies dance at night. Dine fabulously in Gubbio – or here. Sociable-family bliss

Beauty, charm and tranquillity an hour from Florence, on a bio-sensitive farm known for Chianina cattle and white truffles

An exquisite, serene B&B with sweeping views, tucked between hills, vineyards and meadows and the ancient remains of a Benedictine abbey

A truly authentic place to stay on a Sicilian working farm with roaming hens, wheat fields, wild flowers and a distant view of the sea

Two peaceful olive grove farmhouses, hours of hiking along CAI trails, each offering a shared pool with incredible views, Pisa and Lucca only 20 minutes away

High above the bay of Naples, this lovely B&B could be a Fellini film set. Romantic rooms are furnished with antiques, dinner is delicious

Family-run B&B in an authentic and informal home. Stay for delicious dinners, walk along the river, explore Umbria’s heritage

High in the Tuscan hills, at the end of an avenue of cypresses, surrounded by parkland and acres of olives... a 13th-century dream

Retreat to a classically styled, elegant apartment for four - private and peaceful - in a characterful, super-central area of Rome