Articles by Dorothy Edgar

Salento occupies the southeasternmost tip of Italy, a stretch of coastline and countryside distinct from the rest of Puglia. Fortified seafront towns, baroque Lecce, and villages tucked away from well-trodden tourist routes sit alongside beaches that range from soft golden sand to rocky inlets carved into limestone cliffs. This Salento itinerary spends seven days moving between the two coasts and the towns that connect them.

Little Paxos and its even smaller sister, Antipaxos, sit south of Corfu, as Italian in feel as they are Greek. Paxos combines a laid-back atmosphere with a gentle cosmopolitan charm, while Antipaxos, with no shops and only a couple of tavernas, is built for switching off entirely. This Paxos and Antipaxos itinerary spends seven days moving between the two, with a detour north to Corfu along the way.

The Mediterranean is wonderfully diverse, offering everything from vibrant coastal hubs to peaceful corners where life moves to a hypnotic tempo. Among its many treasures are a smattering of quiet Mediterranean islands, shaped by small populations, limited ferry links and terrain that never quite suited large-scale development.

With its inspiring coastline, full of secluded coves, grottos, sandy bays and towering cliffs, this 7-day Zakynthos itinerary is a dream for those who love cruising in luxury, diving into limpid waters, and exploring marine wonders.

This one's for the devoted riders who see the magic in every winding road. A well-planned cycling holiday in Italy will lead you through towns and tracks that don't always make it onto a typical itinerary, leaving room for many meaningful cultural encounters and memories that linger long after the ride is over.

Set on a high, fertile plain in the centre of Puglia, the Valle d'Itria runs from Putignano in the north to Ostuni in the south, its wooded slopes, vineyards and olive groves punctuated by the coned roofs of trulli, cylindrical stone buildings found nowhere else. This Valle d'Itria itinerary spends four days moving through the valley's hilltop towns before finishing on the Adriatic coast.

With its Norman cathedral, honey-coloured old town and sweeping bay, Cefalù is easy to fall for. Yet some of the region's greatest rewards lie just beyond its medieval streets. Spend a few days here, and you'll discover a stretch of coastline shaped by mountain villages, archaeological treasures, contemporary art, age-old craftsmanship and landscapes that seem to shift character around every curve in the roads.

Western Sicily has a way of drawing you in gradually. Ancient temples stand alone among wheat-coloured hills, salt pans glow pink in the evening light, and vineyards run almost to the sea. Between them lie fishing harbours, hilltop towns, nature reserves and stretches of coastline that feel remarkably untouched by modern tourism.

The southernmost part of Tuscany is known as the Maremma. It’s not on most visitors’ radars, but it brims with authenticity, inspiring landscapes, and historic towns. This South Tuscany itinerary spends a week working through that lower half of the region: its coastline, its islands, and the inland hills that many skip past entirely.

Northern Tuscany distils so much of what makes the region irresistible. Renaissance masterpieces and medieval hill towns sit within easy reach of a coastline that stretches for more than 100 miles, where elegant beach resorts, dune-backed sands and hidden corners of the Tyrrhenian Sea offer a different rhythm altogether.

Deciding where to stay in Paros will set the rhythm of your trip. This is an island of genuine contrasts: a whitewashed harbour town built for long, wine-soaked dinners and lantern-lit late walks; sheltered family beaches with barely a ripple, and a sun-bleached south coast that windsurfers cross oceans for.

Corfu moves at several different tempos at once: a fortified old town built for wandering, an interior of olive groves and forgotten villages, and a northeastern coast made up of quiet bays. This 7-day Corfu itinerary threads all three together, based from the island's north, with day trips out to the south and west along the way.