Italy

Chiara’s blissfully informal hillside home is a hard place to leave... Guests can get involved with cookery courses or the olive harvest

'Pinch me' views over Lake Como, a stony beach below, Varenna on your doorstep... these chic apartments are in an idyllic spot

Experience outstanding hospitality at this aristocratic palazzo with a Michelin-rated restaurant downstairs and seven unique bedrooms above

Breakfast on homemade ricotta, bask on a cool white lounger, swim in the cove below. We love this young, friendly, rustic B&B

What a setting! Gentle terraces, gardens, meadows and jaw-dropping views of Mont Blanc - just metres from Courmayeur

A detached 1960s house in a fabulous position with beautiful views over the mountains and plenty of space for walkers and skiers

Superb, all-organic agriturismo built of straw bales and offering wonderful home-grown natural food, a delightful family, great walking

Stay a while... lulled by lapping sea and fragrant hanging gardens - cool, light, balconied, classic, intimate, unpretentious

Splash under the Elephant Arch, take a boat to the caves, set off for Tunisia! Then it’s back to a super-private room by the sea

A light-filled B&B packed with family memories and heirlooms in a small hamlet tucked into the foothills of the Dolomites

A deeply Sicilian feel to this lovely house surrounded by olive trees and decorated with handmade tiles, wood panelling and chandeliers

Enjoy southern life in a charming palazzo in Trapani. Come for coastal drives and baroque basilica, hand-twirled pasta and fresh calamari

Vast house on an ancient Roman site with big terraced garden and pool. Grand yet homely, with air-con, spa and only 8 km to the city

An oh-so-special B&B in Palermo's ancient heart. This city at the edge of Europe, with its Arab-Norman-Byzantine heritage, is fascinating

You're beautifully looked after in this gorgeous Tuscan house. Come for Alpine walks, historic trails and wild nature all around

An elegant, super central bolthole for two (or three): stroll everywhere, hop on a vaporetto, sit in piazzas drinking cappuccino, live like a local

In the heel of Italy’s boot, a spacious converted village mill, surrounded by citrus groves. Culture abounds & you’re close to the coast

Charming trulli apartments promise rustic comfort and panoramic views (horses too). Perfectly placed for exploring the area