If you want to come to Venice as an open-hearted traveller rather than a tourist then this is the place for you - just walk to everything

Gorgeous small hotel perfectly placed for the magical Dales - stylish bedrooms, open fires, lovely staff and pretty gardens all wait

A wonderful country house, a unique wine story, very luxurious rooms and suites, a spa, infinity pool and restaurant

Fire up the BBQ, watch the sunsets, stroll to one of the best stretches of coastline in the world. Bliss for walkers, birders and escapees

Farmhouse B&B with thoughtful hosts and superb breakfasts; Michelin-star dining is in the village and thermal baths are near

A welcoming inn with rooms on the edge of a small village. Stay in a converted barn in the pretty garden, eat delicious country fare

Everything you need is here: a wood-burner for winter, a pool and spacious terraces for summer, and peace and beauty all year round

Small and elegant family-run hotel with airy bedrooms, plenty of private spaces and a bus to take you to the centre of bustling Avignon

A charming B&B in south Sardinia, near Cagliari: circled by palms and cypresses, overlooking sweet-smelling lemon & orange groves. Bliss

Sleek, smart apartments on the first floor of a 19th-century building in Verona's most fashionable residential/commercial neighbourhood

Rooms in the house overlook the vineyard, the lodges are surrounded by it - check out the vines, then drink their wine with a good dinner

A perfectly romantic and gorgeously restored bothy in a garden on a hillside by the sea, with grand views over the mountains of Skye

Two cottages for couples: one more traditional, the other fresh and modern, both comfortable and romantic and there's a good pub next door

A rustic-chic bolthole with bird's eye views to gaze at from your bedroom and the beautiful garden, tucked in a quaint hamlet in Maremma

On a sleepy hillside near Noto, the peace is profound at this country estate set in a modern property with a spa, gym and generous suites

Deep in vineyards near Liguria's coast, find attractive apartments, manicured lawns, infinity pool, space to relax and child-free serenity

In peaceful walled gardens, this former convent is a quiet retreat just a stone’s throw from the Riviera coast and the best of Tuscany

An elegant solution to a hotel - no rooms, but 13 charming villas in the heart of the maquis, nearly all with a private pool