Sitting pretty in the heart of old Florence, opposite Palazzo Strozzi and just a few minutes’ stroll from the Duomo, Hotel Helvetia & Bristol is that rare beast: one of the very best five-star Florentine hotels that makes a point of remembering the important things, like maintaining its originality and roots with the past while […]

Venice is Europe’s most romantic city, and Hotel Splendid Venice is that rare find: a central yet secluded sanctuary where the magic of La Serenissima unfolds at your doorstep, yet you can slip away into quiet Venetian alleys the moment you step outside. Just steps from St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge, this elegant […]

There are places that simply slow the pulse. Masseria San Domenico is one of them. A beautifully restored 15th-century fortified farmhouse set deep within a sea of gnarled olive trees — some centuries older than the building itself — this Puglian gem sits in quiet splendour just 500 metres from the Adriatic coast near Savelletri […]

The Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice would rank at the top of any list of Great Hotels of the World. Not only because of its famous position, with Venice a shimmering vision across the water, giving 270-degree views of the Venice Lagoon and the Doge’s Palace. Not only because, set amid flower gardens on a […]