Pizzas, aperitivos and a big sandy beach add to the offbeat charm of this Adriatic resort town More beach holidaysSpainFranceGreecePortugal I hadn’t heard of Pesaro before my ex-flatmate sent me there in summer 2018. I was writing a book at the time, and Giulia reckoned the best place for me to do such work was in her grandad’s old flat, a modest unit in a block put up in 1946, during the short reign of Umberto II. It had lain empty since her nonno – Dottor Spinicci – died of liver failure, having failed to take his own medicine. The flat’s balcony looked on to a hot and dusty courtyard shared ..read more

From the Turkish Riviera to the Île de Ré, we select quiet and unspoilt places to stay for sun, sand, snorkelling – or just snoozing There’s something quite particular about small but perfectly formed Assos – butterscotch and rose-pink houses line a horseshoe bay, with Venetian ruins scattered between the narrow alleys. There are two small beaches, but the real joy is to rent a motor boat and discover the small bays and coves that fringe this part of the Cephalonian coast. Walkers can follow the path out on to the headland to the ruins of Assos’s 16th-century castle; there’s not a huge amount ..read more

The Egadi isles are said to have inspired the mythical islands in the Odyssey. Today, the largest of the group is a quiet place of blissful beaches, fresh fish, neon seas and ice-cream breakfasts I cycled into birdsong, into colour, the light glimmering against the white of the low stone walls. There was a spaciousness as I cycled, a lateral stretching of soundscape, big skies, birds fluting. I didn’t meet anyone else on the narrow lanes and had a sense of being completely alone on an island of 2,000 people. Is there anything happier than being on a bicycle early in the morning, heading to the ..read more

Rather than bomb down motorways for marathon stretches, the idea was to see new things along the way, such as the great lakes of Germany and a Renaissance town in Italy How far would you go – and how long would you take – to avoid flying and thoroughly embrace the idea of slow travel? In my case, it was 3,167 miles over three weeks. For nearly a decade I had wanted to do a road trip to Croatia, and to get as much out of the journey as the destination itself. Rather than bomb down the motorway for marathon stretches, the idea was to slow down and see new things. It seemed we had barely rol ..read more

From London to Tirana, via Chambéry’s medieval streets, bustling Bari and Albania’s dynamic capital, this trip across Europe has treats at every turn My overriding memories of crossing countries by train, on a trip from London to Albania, are of half-empty carriages and countryside sweeping past windows bathed in the soft orange glow of sunset. I remember cypress trees, red-roofed villages with square churches, farmland in neat strips and row upon row of vineyards. On my London-Paris-Chambéry-Turin-Bari-Tirana journey over land and sea, there was, for long stretches, little to do. The wifi was ..read more

Its peaks are a big draw for adrenaline junkies, but this natural park’s newer attractions offer more inclusive family activities The pool was empty – perhaps because at about 22C, the water was too cold for Italians. It was also about to close. Whatever the reason, we had the glorious Biolago di Pinzolo, a spring-fed, plant-filtered swimming lake, to ourselves. As my son and I swam, we could just make out the tiny red-roofed hermitage of San Martino on the forested slope above, where, according to legend, a hermit survived on bread provided by a tame bear. We’d come to the mountains of northe ..read more

Far wilder and less populated than its more fashionable neighbours, Le Marche offers spectacular mountains and a stunning coastline with none of the super-charged prices We are lounging on the terrace of Lapis Turris, a medieval watchtower high in the Sibillini mountains, taking it in turns to name films that remind us of the extraordinary landscape that wraps itself around us. Game of Thrones? Skull Island in King Kong? Tolkien’s Rivendell? It’s difficult to pick; this stunning, empty wilderness is Italy’s answer to all three. Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini, in Le Marche’s mountainous so ..read more

A trip to Italy means delicious home comforts I am in Italy. Parma, where my dad was from and now resides permanently. I hadn’t realised how much I needed to be looked after by (slightly) older Italian female relatives and be fed homemade pasta. It’s been a few years. Early morning in the countryside brings fog over the hills and a surreal air to everything. As the sun climbs, I go for a walk with my cousin. As we trek uphill, and I try to hide how out of breath I am, I see strange tracks in the dried mud (we need rain here). I query them. Wolves, very probably, my cousin says. There are many ..read more

From fluffy focaccia to creamy pànera, local Michelin-starred chef Ivano Ricchebono introduces our writer to a taste of the Italian port city Genoa-born chef Ivano Ricchebono looks like a Hollywood actor playing a chef in a movie. His restaurant The Cook is in a 14th-century palazzo in the old town, and as I step into the dining room I stop and stare – the entire place is covered with frescoes. It’s wildly romantic. “People get engaged here all the time,” Ivano says with a smile. Awarded his first Michelin star in 2010, he has cooked for Stanley Tucci, and has an international reputation for e ..read more

With its extraordinary architecture, maze-like streets and ever-present sunshine, it’s no accident that so many film-makers have used the town as a location I was eating homemade crostata (jam tart) on a roof terrace in the Sicilian town of Cefalù and reading about Helius, the ancient Greek god of the sun. Sicily is supposedly the inspiration for the deity’s island in The Odyssey and this makes perfect sense – with more than 300 days of sunshine a year, Helius would like it here. The island is especially lovely in spring, when it’s quieter, cooler and more peaceful than in the s ..read more