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

Coffee served in silver cups & cakes are homemade in this duke’s palace, a throwback to the Moorish kingdom - a Sawday's Community Champion

A trulli hamlet immersed in nature, on the wilder side of Puglia with visits to white-washed hilltop towns and cooking with Nonna Maria

Good old-fashioned hospitality in a quiet Highlands cottage ringed by roses and roe deer. Forest and coastal walks, shortbread and tea

Old meets new in Benoit’s charming villa with courtyard pool, breakfasts to linger over and all the fun of La Baule on the doorstep

A hop from the coast and charming Alnwick, a gorgeous and supremely comfortable country escape for friends and families. Dogs welcome too

Rest, restore, and explore... from this smart, successful Cotswolds’ gastropub with ancient beams, roaring fires and truly pretty bedrooms

Airy villa for four overlooking Lake Como. Stunning views, private sunny terrace - a peaceful communal garden to wander too

Spacious house with a big garden, a swimming pool and all home comforts; the beach and good restaurants are less than 10 minutes away

This secluded New Forest inn is a magnet for families in summer: a good pint and the log fire make it a superb winter hideaway too

A gentle, calm, immaculate place for an all-season family stay, near wine tastings, castles, caves and canoeing. Everyone loves the Dordogne

A stylish, refined 17th-century house off a quiet street with its own garden and lots of generous surprises, a short hop to everything

An ancient manor from the middle ages, built against a stone cliff with extensive terraced grounds, pool and parkland filled with wildlife

A sprint from London: a Cotswolds pub modernised with sympathy and care. Happy staff, organic ales and food, gorgeous rooms

A peaceful, very stylish bolthole for 2 on the doorstep of glorious Holyrood Park, with Edinburgh’s sights a stroll away

View-filled apartments in Ortigia, the heart of Siracusa. Immerse yourself in the blue of the Ionian Sea; walk to culture, shops and restaurants

Comfortable redbrick cottage with views on the Heydon Hall estate. It’s delightfully rural, yet close to Reepham for pubs and shops

A sweet cottage on the estate of celebrated artist Sir Sidney Nolan's former home with 250 acres to explore - a Sawday's Community Champion