At the heart of fascinating Palermo, splendid aristocratic hosts welcome you to their historic family mansion filled with heirlooms

Nestled next to the main house, this feels part cottage and part townhouse, making a cosy retreat just a couple of miles from the coast

A smart riverside inn with airy interiors that brim with character – old beams, open fires, well-kept ales and comfy bedrooms

Fringing Tuscany countryside and fun Montone, an authentic Umbrian mansion with Slow Food, lavender fields, apartments and pool. Pure Italy

Friendly hosts, good food and clever design in this house looking over Kilmartin Glen. Slow down, watch the sunrise and marvel at the peace

Jagged Dolomite peaks frame every view from this farmhouse with two neat apartments – come sun or snow, adventures in nature await

A beautiful old farmhouse, carefully renovated with great authenticity and charm, surrounded by other farm buildings and a walled garden

In the Welsh Marches, down winding lanes, a delightful refurbished hop pickers' house - romantic bolthole for 2. Friendly owners, too

A light, bright and peaceful 18th-century palazzo in a very quiet town, with a sea-view terrace, peaceful bedrooms and delicious breakfasts

Great for comfort, beauty, character and home baking. Borrow vintage bikes to explore Cambridge: Christine knows it inside out

A beautifully-restored old cow shed, light and airy, floating over a wildflower meadow in spring and summer. 20 mins from the Jurassic Coast

5 houses near Siena to make design-lovers happy; come for the rural solitude of ancient stone farm buildings with urban interiors

A 18th-century house with pool in a small town with friendly owners and a tropical garden of banana, fig and, of course, frangipani

A beguiling retreat for a couple or a family of four – feel cosy and secluded in a thatched cottage close to the coast

Two cottages which can be taken together, in wing of a warm yellow 1927 house. Charming owners, beautiful grounds and breathtaking views

A beautiful little collection of trulli near the Valle d’Itria – restored with flair and with gardens, woods and pool

Sit back and relax at this luxuriously elegant grand manor in the heart of the Dordogne with a concierge service to take care of everything