Travel Guides: All Countries / Europe / Italy / Sardinia
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| | | | La dolce vita is getting cheaper
For some time I'd been fantasising about Sardinia - white sandy beaches, cliffs as sheer as footballer Paolo Maldini's cheekbones and warm relaxation to take the chill off the British autumn blues.
This is where Naomi Campbell, Julia Roberts and Sting come to unwind.
It's one of the most expensive destinations in the Mediterranean and when, in September, I looked into the possibility of a fortnight's package for two adults and a toddler, the price of the one we wanted was more than £3,000.
But packages aren't the only way to go. Ryanair offer flights to Alghero, on Sardinia's north-west coast. Amazingly, we could all fly there for less than £135.
So I set myself a challenge - to get our off-season break for no more than half the cost of the package holiday.
There's an art to bagging Ryanair's cheapest fares. The best bargains are on the website, which is up-to-date and easy to use.
You can book up to 11 months ahead on the internet and the further in advance the booking, the cheaper the flights. Avoiding school holidays, being flexible about times and travelling midweek also helps.
We couldn't do a fortnight, and a week wasn't long enough. With Ryanair we could tailor the length of our stay, and after patiently tweaking dates back and forth we booked flights in October which would give us 12 nights and 13 full days.
The next hurdle is finding accommodation, which can be pricey in Italy. However, the internet will save you a small fortune.
When contacted direct many hotels offer rooms for less than two-thirds of the price quoted by travel companies on the same dates.
Travel guide: Sardinia
Just what the (house) doctor ordered
From the Mail on Sunday
For a Californian like myself, the six months spent living in England while filming the House Doctor series seemed like an eternity. I was definitely suffering from a severe case of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I craved familiar blue skies and sunshine.
By the time my companion Tim and I landed in Alghero, we had done enough research to learn that Sardinia is the Mediterranean island furthest from any mainland, which may explain why so much has remained unsullied.
It also boasts a varied and rich cultural heritage that has left its mark on every aspect of Sardinian life. Our curiosities were definitely piqued. Warm weather, the sea, ancient sites, architecture, combined with Mediterranean food and wine and shopping; this promised to be the holiday that would satisfy my every requirement.
Our villa was in the middle of a tiny orchard, our very own miniature garden of Eden. We couldn't resist sampling the grapes, figs, ripe plums and apricots. Pausing to inhale the fleshy perfume of the Mediterranean summer, I felt the frenetic grey shroud of London beginning to lift.
Our sybaritic reverie was interrupted by the arrival of our landlord who gave us the keys along with a platter of Sardinian sweets and a bottle of local wine.
As we sampled the sweets and slowly sipped the wine, my eyes began wandering through the villa. I could imagine the place totally transformed. All it really needed was a bit of tweaking: a little spot of colour here and there on the walls, some new slipcovers and a few cushions for the furniture.
Of course everything would have to be rearranged. (Apparently feng shui has not yet hit Sardinia.) What about that unpleasant damp odour: what no potpourri? And really, who wants to sit staring at someone else's family photos while on holiday? Those would have to go. 'Ann',
Tim's voice jolted me back to reality, 'you're on holiday.' It was the first and last time that I needed to be reminded. Although Sardinia is notorious for being a playground for Italy's jet set, we agreed to avoid the tourist beaches with the high profiles as well as high prices.
Travel guide: Sardinia
Where the sands of time slip away
From the Daily Mail
At Mandas one does nothing. At Mandas one goes to bed when it is dark, like a chicken. At Mandas one walks down the road like a pig that is going nowhere. Or so one desperately disgruntled resident told the writer D. H. Lawrence back in the Twenties. Little has changed.
Like Lawrence, I was in Mandas to catch a train, the Trenino Verde (Little Green Train) - a narrow-gauge midget that puffs (it really does puff, pulled by an ageing steam engine) through Sardinia's wild, mountainous interior to Arbatax on the coast.
Mandas was very, very quiet. Not so much sleepy as completely comatose. Granted it was Sunday and edging towards siesta time, but I had been hoping to pick up a picnic for the journey. Not even the chance of a packet of crisps, it seemed.
Under a tree in the town centre sat the row of old men that seem standard issue in Sardinian villages. Tweedledum, Tweedledee and Tweedleditto, sucking on their moustaches and staring at me glumly. Beside them were an English couple tucking in to a packed lunch from the Hotel La Bitta in Arbatax. They'd caught the morning train to Mandas, and were returning that afternoon. A far more sensible arrangement, I thought hungrily.
We met up again on the station platform. The only other passengers were an old Italian couple, a local farmer, and a Dutchman whose partner was driving on to meet him a couple of miles up the track. Disappointingly, the steam engine was out of service, so we were to be pulled by a chugging little diesel, just like the one I whizzed around a toy train track as a child.
Only four or five trains a day pass through Mandas. The station staff bustled about, happy at last to have something to do. They almost outnumbered the passengers. One engineer carefully used a different pair of gloves for each of his tasks. Thick greasy ones to couple the train to its single carriage and to test the brakes, bright orange rubber ones to fill the water tank, and a pristine white pair worn underneath the others.
The train gave a Toytown toot-toot and, with an equally storybook tik-ah-ca-tick, trundled out of Mandas into the surrounding farmland. 'Sit on the right hand side,' the old Italian man advised. 'Much better views.'
We passed vineyards and vegetable fields, and went over level crossings with bells ringing wildly. Often the conductor would shout out a greeting to a crossing attendant, or ask after family. A succession of tiny stations went by. At Sadali the driver dropped off a parcel for a friend of his wife's. Near Villanova we had to slow down and toot to get goats off the track.
Travel guide: Sardinia
Five of the best
Sunshine, beautiful scenery, splendid art treasures and a rich historical past - Italy is a charmed land, which seems to have been stuffed full of good things like some giant Christmas stocking.
All the great things in life - beauty, food, wine, opera, football, art, religion, ice cream and the pursuit of happiness - matter more in Italy.
It is no wonder that the British have been going there for more than 1,000 years, as pilgrims, adventurers, poets, on the Grand Tour and as package tourists.
But it is important to remember that Italy is a modern invention. The nation came into being only in the 1860s, and it retains strong regional differences.
This diversity - of cuisine, art, outlook, landscape - is one of the great joys of the country, making it a pleasure to visit and re-visit.
There are lots of different Italys to discover. Here are five of them.
Travel guide: Sardinia
Striking it rich on the Costa Fortune
From the Mail on Sunday
It didn't take me long to discover that Sardinia's Costa Smeralda is no ordinary holiday destination.
I queued behind Richard Branson at the airport check-in and sat behind Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason on the plane.
And, as soon as I arrived, I went exploring the lanes near my hotel and stumbled on Peter Gabriel's wedding. Phil Collins was playing piano in the garden.
When I told everyone at my hotel they shrugged with polite indifference. A taxi driver was a little more blunt: 'So what?' he asked.
While I thought it was turning into a star-spangled weekend, to them it was just a normal couple of days at the Mediterranean's poshest seaside.
For billionaires and beautiful people are commonplace on this exclusive strip of Sardinian coastline.
The pretty, sandy coves surrounded by smooth, pink granite boulders are dotted with luxury villas owned by international figures like the Aga Khan, Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi and Gianni Agnelli, billionaire president of Fiat.
Hotel staff reel off lists of names such as Michael Douglas, Denzel Washington and Hugh Grant as recent guests.
In the waterfront bars of Porto Cervo you can find a huge range of celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Gianluca Vialli or Jon Bon Jovi.
Princess Margaret once celebrated her birthday at a villa there and Spain's King Juan Carlos pops into town regularly.
Travel guide: Sardinia
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| | | | Closed by October
The Sardinian holiday season is short - from late July to the end of August - and most restaurants and shops in the beach resorts are closed by October. But Alghero itself is a bustling fishing port and historic town that remains lively after the Italian holiday-makers have gone.
Locating an apartment in the old town required little more than keying Alghero accommodation into internet search engine Google.
Holiday Rentals (http://www.holidayrentals.com) and Sardinia Delights (http://www.sardinia-delights.com) both offered apartments and villas in and around Alghero.
But then we came across http://www.oxford.freeexchange.co.uk, a small ads website, and found http://www.algherorelax.info.
Within minutes, we were swopping e-mails with the proud owner of a stylish apartment with roof terrace on the Piazza del Teatro. She e-mailed photos for us to peruse and we settled on 63 euros a day (£39.50), which came to £475 for our 12-day stay.
Our landlady-to-be proved a handy source of information in planning ahead.
Anxious that venturing out so late in the year might mean grim weather, she assured me that out-of-season can be ideal for toddlers - hot enough to paddle and play, not so scorching that you get neurotic about sunscreen.
Her own young children were often still happily playing naked on the beach as late as November and as early as February, and there was usually plenty of warm sunshine and crisp, clear skies in the weeks in between.
We really needed a car, she said, so back to the internet. Shopping around is essential to get a good deal. The prices and service offered vary hugely.
The cheapest company wouldn't guarantee us an infant's car seat because they hand them out on a 'first-come, first-served' basis, while others had hidden costs.
We chose Holiday Autos (http://www.holiday-autos.com tel: 0870 400 4423) because although their original quote wasn't the lowest, they promised to match their competitors - which brought the price down to £257.
Distinctly Catalan flavour
We began in Alghero, strolling along ancient walls anchored by medieval towers, towards the small harbour, where coral and lobster boats were docked along with a bevy of fancy yachts. Once nicknamed 'Little Barcelona', Alghero still has a distinctly Catalan flavour and many of its inhabitants proudly consider themselves to be more Spanish than Italian.
We meandered through the narrow cobbled streets of the Gothic Centro Storico feasting our eyes on the rows of shops selling designer clothing, coral jewellery and local handcrafts such as rugs, lace, ceramics and baskets.
Tim and I share a passion for archaeology and were astonished to discover that Sardinia had a plethora of sites to explore.
The ancient Phoenician port of Tharros, surrounded by the sea on three sides, is a truly impressive site containing a Roman city with baths, homes and sanctuaries. We visited ancient tombs, or 'fairy houses', as they were called by the early Sards, that were built as long ago as 5000 BC.
The most impressive site was a 40ft-high truncated pyramid-like structure, oriented to the four compass points, which closely resembled the feast our hosts shared anecdotes of life in Sardinia. And the wine kept flowing. Then the main courses: stewed lamb with potatoes and the piece de resistance, the roast suckling pig, which definitely lived up to its reputation as a Sardinian delicacy.
An assortment of Sardinia's pastries was followed by coffee and several bottles of local digestive liqueurs including the famed Filu 'e Feru, Sardinia's classic fire water.
I usually save something special to look forward to for the last day of the holiday. So it was disappointing when, because of high winds, our anticipated boat trip to the Neptune Caves was cancelled.
To ease our pain we decided to engage in some retail therapy in one of Alghero's finer boutiques. By the time we'd finished it was lunchtime. We dined for the last time at our favourite seaside restaurant and savoured our last sip of the local Cannonau grape.
On our return flight to London I was coyly approached by an English woman. 'Aren't you the House Doctor?' she asked. She smiled slyly, knowing my aversion to domestic clutter. 'Surely all these bags can't be yours?'
TRAVEL FACTS:
Details from Voyages Ilena on 020 7924 4440.
A elegant escape amongst the dunes
At Seui we said goodbye to our Dutch passenger. The road wound off into a valley, but the little train headed through tunnels into the mountains. It was a good, old-fashioned carriage with windows that opened wide, so I could hang out for a prime view of tough, red-rock ravines and shining lakes before we disappeared into thick forest, and finally even thicker mist, high up on the range.
By the time we reached the mountainside village of Arzana, we were getting glimpses of the sea. But the sun was already setting, and we rattled down towards the coast in darkness. Next morning I was quite happy to make the four-and-a-half-hour journey all over again. Going back in the opposite direction offered such a different set of vistas that it seemed like another trip entirely.
But I sped out of Mandas as quickly as I could, and headed off to the west coast. There, I had been told, was a dream hotel in the dunes. Through the small town of Guspini, around hair-raising hairpin bends of a mountain pass, and along five miles of lonely dirt track I reached the Hotel Le Dune.
There wasn't another building in sight. The dunes beside the hotel rose so high that people were snowboarding down the slopes. A white-sanded beach stretched for miles and, on it, nothing but a cluster of the hotel's blue canvas chairs and bright umbrellas. Hotel Le Dune is converted from a 19th-century mining storehouse - I'd passed the ruins of abandoned mineral-mining villages along the way, built out of the same pretty pink stone.
I decided on full-board. Not that there was much option, with no shops or restaurants anywhere near. That didn't mean low standards. Lunch was alfresco - a sumptuous buffet of fresh fish, pasta, salads and vegetables grilled Italian style, with light olive oil.
All the guests sat at two long tables under a roof of reeds. One of the tables seemed occupied by a single party, half of them casually dressed, the rest in suits. At the head, an elderly patriarch was holding forth. 'He's a former president of Italy,' the woman next to me whispered. 'The men in suits are Security.'
Despite such grand clientele, the hotel was extremely relaxed and unpretentious. My room was simple, with bamboo furniture and colourful fabrics - and a small balcony that was just right for sipping Campari on at sunset. Long meals, cooling swims, and hours spent lying lazily in the sun seemed a perfectly acceptable way of filling a day - though from time to time I went on an energetic hike through the dunes to help dampen any niggling feelings of guilt over the indolence.
To talk of slipping into the rhythm of life at Hotel Le Dune would be misleading. There doesn't appear to be any rhythm. Just a charming stillness that becomes increasingly difficult to leave. Soon I was so adept at going nowhere and doing nothing that I thought I'd be a good candidate for Mayor of Mandas.
Tuscany - heart of Italy
TUSCANY
WHY GO? Tuscany is the heart of Italy - or, at least, the heart of the British idea of Italy.
It is the birthplace of Dante, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the whole Italian Renaissance. Throughout the 15th century, its various city states vied with each other to produce ever more wonderful works of art and architecture - and many of them are still there.
The region has achieved such a pitch of civilisation that even the landscape seems civilised, with its low, rolling hills of well-tended vines and olive trees, plumed with dark cypresses and crowned by the occasional medieval walled hill-town.
There are excellent wines from Chianti and Montalcino and food to rival London's River Cafe in even the humblest trattoria.
MUST-SEES: Florence is the ultimate city of art, home to - among other masterpieces - Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Birth of Venus. The town centre is like a glorious open-air museum.
Siena is an almost unspoilt medieval city; its famous medieval horse race, the Palio, is run round the main square twice a year on July 2 and August 16.
Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the not-so-leaning-towers of San Gimignano. When 'cathedralled out', head for the hills or to stylish coastal resorts such as Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano.
DRAWBACKS: The danger of bumping into Tony Blair and family. Long queues to get into the churches and art galleries in Florence. The possibility of finding key sites shut due to restoration.
TOP HOTEL: Hotel Villa San Michele, Fiesole, the height of luxury, on the hill outside Florence. The building used to be a monastery in the 14th century, but there is nothing austere about it now.
The elegant loggia is supposed to have been designed by Michelangelo. See http://www.orient-expresshotels.com or tel 0207 805 5100.
RESTAURANT: Dorando, Vicolo del Oro 2, San Gimignano (0577 941 862). Its expensive dishes include historical re-creations such as Catherine de Medici's favourite, chicken-liver pate and pici - a type of handmade spaghetti that comes with mint pesto.
GETTING THERE: Fly to Florence or Pisa. Ryanair flies from Stansted airport, near London, to Pisa from about £100 return. See http://www.ryanair.com or tel: 0870 156 9569.
TOUR OPERATORS: Italian Chapters, specialists in Tuscan villa rentals. See http://www.villa-rentals.com or tel: 0207 722 0722.
The rich and famous
There are so many stars that visits by Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand and George Bush Snr hardly rate a mention.
Twenty years ago all these international jet-setters would have been found around the crowded harbours of the French Riviera, but today the rich and famous head for this northeastern corner of Sardinia.
That's because, unlike the Riviera, which has an unfortunate proportion of, well, ordinary people living there, the whole of Costa Smeralda has been designed just for the very rich.
Local legend tells that back in the Fifties the Aga Khan was cruising around the Med in his yacht and, as he passed Sardinia, he spotted a pretty and undeveloped stretch of coastline.
The jet-setting tycoon and religious leader liked it so much he decided to buy it - all 8,500 acres and 35 miles of waterfront.
The brilliant colour of the sea gave him the idea for the name - the Costa Smeralda, 'the emerald coast'. The reality is less romantic - it all started at a bankers' business lunch in London in 1958.
But it is true that the the Aga Khan did join the investors, who also included brewery magnate Patrick Guinness, Giuseppe Mentasti of the San Pellegrino mineral water empire and international banker John Duncan Miller.
In 1962 this consortium set about formally creating an exclusive holiday area for people like them.
Thankfully they did a tasteful job. They employed some of the world's finest architects and insisted on using local materials and building styles.
There were no tower blocks or bare concrete, no pylons or aerials. With their limitless budget they were able to build some of the world's most beautiful and luxurious small hotels, plus scores of stunning seaside villas, around the little sandy beaches, islands and rocky inlets.
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| | | | Freshly-baked focaccia
This was inclusive of insurance and there was a helpline for any problems that couldn't be sorted out locally. The car seat was guaranteed and so was someone to help us fit it safely.
With all the major expenses taken care of, my only worries were visions of a journey reminiscent of Aeroflot circa 1979 followed by 13 days of heavy rain.
The flight turned out to be fine: no frills but on time and no worse than the service offered by most charters. But doubts crept in as we filed off the plane towards the terminal under grey skies and past the ominously pasty faces of Brits waiting to board their flight home.
As we drove towards the old town in the rain I quietly contemplated whether it would have been wiser to stick with a sunny package in the Canaries, while Rosa slept soundly in the back.
The apartment lifted our spirits. Timbered ceilings and a mix of antique and modern furniture were a pleasant change from bland, characterless package accommodation, but as I handed over our deposit I was praying Rosa wouldn't decide to gouge some holes in the 18th-century table legs.
We then headed off through the puzzle of cobbled backstreets to find somewhere for lunch overlooking the sea, and several courses and £22 later, Alghero in October seemed an inspired idea after all.
There are lively piazzas, busy shops and a pretty harbour full of yachts. The town has a heavy Catalan influence, with a 16th-century Catalan-Gothic cathedral, and so many good gelaterias you have to ration your ice cream intake - the best is Pink on Via Carlo Alberto 125.
A 15-minute drive to the north or south of Alghero takes you to some of Italy's finest beaches. The restaurants and beach cafes may be mostly closed, but you can picnic in the sun on freshly-baked focaccia, local cheeses and fruit.
Arca di Noe Nature Reserve was a favourite day trip. With Rosa happily in the backpack we set off through the pine forests towards the clifftops in search of miniature horses, Tibetan goats, deer and falcons.
The Italian Lakes - sublime grandeur
THE ITALIAN LAKES
WHY GO? Magnificent scenery, mountain air, sheltered climate and lush vegetation.
Lakes Garda, Como, Maggiore and Orta all offer a taste of that sublime grandeur which has been an enduring inspiration to Romantic poets, Italian opera composers, German philosophers and British holidaymakers for nigh on 200 years.
You can still conjure up the sense of a more leisured age, zig-zagging across the lakes in a little steamer from one charming village to another, visiting historic villas and wandering around their ornate gardens.
Or you can set off on a more active round of sailing, water-skiing, hiking and even golf (the long British association has ensured that there are several golf clubs in the area).
MUST-SEES: The Isole Borromee - the collection of little islands on Lake Maggiore, including Isola Bella with its sumptuous baroque gardens, Isola Madre and the unspoilt Isola dei Pescatori.
Orta San Giulio, the charming main village on Lake Orta - the so-called 'Cinderella' of the Italian lakes. The beautifully-sited little town of Bellagio on Lake Como and the terraced gardens of the 18th-century Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo.
Il Vittoriale, poet Gabriele D'Annunzio's splendidly extravagant villa on the shores of Lake Garda, and the old Roman spa town of Sirmione.
DRAWBACKS: Thronged with people at the height of the season. Summer hazes can obliterate the spectacular views.
TOP HOTEL: The Grand Hotel Villa d'Este on Lake Como. The pinnacle of luxury and style; built in 1557 as a country residence for a wealthy cardinal, it has been a hotel since 1873, becoming the favoured resort of crowned heads, Hollywood film stars and the hard-working rich.
RESTAURANT: Olina, the restaurant attached to the Hotel Olina, via Olina 40 near the centre of Orta San Giulio, offers excellent local dishes, home-made pasta and fish from the lake, at moderate prices.
GETTING THERE: Fly to Milan or Verona with numerous airlines. BMI flies from London Heathrow to Milan Linate airport from about £135 return. Tel 0870 607 0555.
TOUR OPERATORS: The Individual Travellers Company, Vacanze in Italia brochure. See http://www.indiv-travellers.com or tel: 01798 869014.
Most expensive yachts
They built their roads wide and smooth with well-tended verges and everywhere there are immaculate lawns and magnificent gardens.
Top designers were used to create a fabulous golf course and the cove at the north-eastern tip was transformed into one of the Med's biggest marinas where some of the world's most expensive yachts are moored.
Around that they constructed a small, pastel-painted harbourside village, Porto Cervo, and filled it with luxury bars, restaurants and clubs, plus the sort of shops that rich people need - Gucci, Prada and Versace.
If you want to see how the other half lives, then Porto Cervo is definitely the place to do your research.
This year is the Costa's 40th birthday. It's time to celebrate the fact that the Aga Khan and his pals' plans have worked out perfectly. Their little patch of wild and unloved coastline is now established as the resort for the world's wealthiest holidaymakers.
And the best news is that today the not-so-rich can afford the Costa Smeralda, too. Admittedly you need a few more pounds than if you were heading for Majorca, but then you wouldn't find Phil Collins playing at many weddings in Palma Nova or Magaluf.
And you wouldn't find many hotels like the five-star Romazzino in the heart of the costa where I stayed. The rustic, whitewashed walls, sturdy arches and terracotta tiles made this small, but wonderfully formed, hotel seem like a cross between a small Greek village and a historic Italian palace.
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| | | | Cost-cutting coup
Eating well is easy in Italy. Alghero has plenty of affordable trattorias and good restaurants, though most places don't open until 8pm.
Or, if you're in an apartment, you can shop in the local daily market and cook at home. Three of the freshest sea bass cost little more than £6, while a bag of shrimps was £3.
Our final cost-cutting coup was discovering that the local opticians sold the smartest designer frames and prescription lenses for half the price back home.
Perfect English was spoken at Ottico Gavino Pisanu on Via Carlo Alberto 81 where we each bought Dolce & Gabbana specs and two pairs of prescription Gucci sunglasses for £475.
Take your prescription along and the saving could cover your flights. We returned home to rain-pelted Stansted feeling relaxed, tanned and smug in the knowledge that we had saved enough to afford more cheap flights south in February.
Malaga, Naples, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome are all on offer with the low-cost airlines. The more you fly, the more you save - I've had to explain the arithmetic to my husband.
TRAVEL DETAILS:Car hire: £257. Holiday Autos, http://www.holiday-autos.com tel: 0870 400 4423.
Flights: From £132. Ryanair http://www.ryanair.com tel: 0871 246 0000.
Accommodation: £475. Alghero Relax, http://www.algherorelax.info tel: 0039 328 885 7367.
Spending money: £300.
Total: £1,164.24 (or £1,639.24 including four pairs of glasses, £475, Ottico Gavino Pisanu, Via Carlo Alberto 81).
Sorrento and the Amalfi coast
SORRENTO AND THE AMALFI COAST
WHY GO? One of the most beautiful and dramatic stretches of coastline in the Mediterranean; a bristling fringe of craggy headlands swooping down to a sparkling blue sea.
The winding road that follows the coastline presents a succession of staggering views. The area was included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1997.
Small beaches and fishing villages cluster at the water's edge. Lemon groves soften the slopes of the hills.
The pizzas are made with fresh local mozzarella, and the fish is straight from the sea.
MUST-SEES: The historic town of Amalfi, with its beautiful Romanesque cloister and on the cliff above, the historic town of Ravello, with its palatial villas and gardens.
The bustling resort town of Sorrento. Positano, the little fishing village that has become a haven for the dolce vita crowd.
The beaches at Maiori and Minori, the clear blue-green light shimmering in the Grotta dello Smeraldo and, of course, the everchanging views. It is also possible to make day trips to Capri or to Pompeii.
DRAWBACKS: The winding roads, though great for views, are perilous for driving (take travel sickness remedies). Some of the smaller beaches can get very crowded at the height of the season.
TOP HOTEL: Palazzo Sasso, Ravello, Via San Giovanni del Toro 28, 84010 Ravello: all that modern luxury can offer in a 12th century setting, with stunning views of the sea. Tel 089 81 81 81.
RESTAURANT: Trattoria da Gemma, Via Genova, Amalfi, excellent and unpretentious, with a pleasant terrace, and good local fish dishes. Tel 089 8713 45.
GETTING THERE: Go flies to Naples from Stansted from £75 return including taxes. Tel 0870 607 6543.
TOUR OPERATORS: Long Travel, specialists in Southern Italy. Tel: 01694 722193.
A priceless sensation
It overlooks its own perfect sandy beach and stands amid lush gardens with a wonderful view of sea, mountains and islands. The room prices - from £220 per person per night half board - are not as ridiculous as I'd feared.
Beware, however, that wherever celebrities tread there are likely to be hidden extras. The fabulously wealthy won't notice but these could severely upset the rest of us.
For example, the cheapest bottle of wine in Romazzino's restaurant is more than £30, a bottle of lager from the minibar costs £8.50 and a cup of tea on room service is £5.
Because of this I found it a good time to start drinking mineral water but even that was £6 for a half-bottle.
Oh well, I thought, reaching for my credit card, if you can't beat them, join them.
As I sat on the terrace watching the deep pink sunset over the crystal clear sea, a smartly uniformed waiter handed me another extortionately priced glass of water with great ceremony.
While I sipped at it slowly, watching the beautiful flat-topped mountain island of Tavolara turn purple in the sunset I suddenly felt just like a celebrity.
And I reckon £6 is a bargain for such a priceless sensation.
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| | | | Venice - surprise and delight
VENICE
WHY GO? Because Venice is the most beautiful and romantic city in the world. No matter how familiar it might seem from postcards and brochures, it always manages to surprise and delight. Whether watching the sun set over the lagoon or discovering an architectural gem, the city offers a constant source of wonder.
It is a place where you can forget cars exist for a few days and ride in a gondola, lose yourself in the maze of winding alleys; drink Bellini cocktails (made from peach juice and Prosecco) at Harry's Bar, or look at the Giovanni Bellini triptychs in the Accademia.
And when it all gets too much, you can take a boat over to the Lido for a taste of beach life.
MUST-SEES: Everything. Everywhere you look there are sights of extraordinary beauty - from distinctive Venetian Gothic church facades, to lines of washing hung across narrow alleyways.
Top priority is a ride down the Grand Canal, which reveals an unbroken parade of glorious palaces. Also crucial is the steeply-arched Rialto Bridge lined with its quaint little boutiques.
And at the centre of it all is the magnificent St Mark's Square, once called 'the finest drawing room in Europe'. Its elegant arcades and cafes have both a grand and intimate feeling. At one end stands the Basilica di San Marco, a sumptuous Byzantine church. Next to that is Doge's Palace, a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic architecture, connected to its dungeon wing by the famous Bridge of Sighs.
The Lagoon has three unmissable treasures: Murano, with its glass factories; Burano, with its lace shops, and Torcello, with its Romanesque cathedral.
DRAWBACKS: Can get overcrowded. Easy to get lost. Hard to find accommodation. Constant temptation to buy a hideous papier-mache carnival mask. Streets full of water.
TOP HOTEL: Cipriani, Isola della Giudecca 10, a haven of luxury and quiet across from the main part of Venice on the Giudecca island. Tel: 041 52 07 744.
RESTAURANT: Antica Locanda Montin, Fondamenta di Borgo 1147, Dorsoduro. The artist's trattoria, hung with the works of past visitors, has a large, vine-shaded garden. Cheerful but not cheap. Tel 041 522 7151.
GETTING THERE: Fly to Venice or Treviso. Go flies from Stansted to Venice Marco Polo, from £75 return including taxes. Tel 0870 607 6543.
TOUR OPERATORS: Time Off, Venetian short-break specialist. Tel: 0870 584 6363.
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| | | | Sardinia - perfect seaside
SARDINIA
WHY GO? The perfect seaside experience: some of the finest white sandy beaches and clearest seas in the Mediterranean. It has become a favoured holiday destination for discerning sun-worshippers but, though many excellent small resorts have sprung up in recent years, the island is still relatively unspoilt.
It has a rugged, primeval landscape of wind-sculpted rocks, and wild aromatic scrub. Fascinating traces of early civilisations - including standing stones, tombs and thousands of circular, fortified stone houses called nuraghi dating back thousands of years.
An interesting local cuisine featuring delicacies such as spaghetti made with dried mullet roe, and a liqueur made from myrtle leaves.
MUST-SEES: Neptune's Grotto with its stalagmite colonnade near the ancient town of Alghero, Cagliari with its black and white cathedral and archaeological museum. The nuraghic settlement at Su Nuraxi near Barumini.
The great views from the road between Arbatox and Dorgali. The sparkling sand dunes of Chia on the south-west coastline, and the sparkling holidaymakers of the Costa Smeralda (the resort area developed by the Aga Khan since the Sixties) on the north-east of the island.
DRAWBACKS: Many of the interesting archaeological sites are in remote places, and public transport is poor.
TOP HOTEL: Cala di Volpe, Costa Smeralda, seems like a rambling Italian castle, but is new. Luxurious rooms, first-class restaurant, and private beach.
RESTAURANT: La Lepanto, via Carlo Alberto 135, Alghero, for sumptuous fish feasts and other earthy Sardinian specialities. Tel: 079 979 116.
GETTING THERE: Fly to Cagliari, Olbia or Alghero. Ryanair flies from Stansted to Alghero from £80 return. Tel: 0870 156 9569.
TOUR OPERATORS: Voyages Ilena, specialists in self-catering holidays in Sardinia. See http://www.voyagesilena.co.uk or tel: 020 7924 4440.
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| | Available rental properties in Sardinia |
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| |  | | Villetta Mariarte/Sardinia
The villa has large lounge with TV and sofabed leading to the garden with spectacular views of sea.Kitchen area leading to patio barbeque.Is fully fur
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The holiday park Baia Blu La Tortuga lies on the norht coast of Sardine, approx. 18 km. west of Santa Teresa di Gallura and on the road towards Porto
|  | | S. Teresa di Gallura Due
Residence La Contessa is located in Santa Teresa di Gallura, where you will find various apartments. The apartments are cosy and furnished in differen
|  | | S. Teresa di Gallura Quattro
Residence La Contessa is located in Santa Teresa di Gallura, where you will find various apartments. The apartments are cosy and furnished in differen
|  | | S. Teresa di Gallura Sei
Residence La Contessa is located in Santa Teresa di Gallura, where you will find various apartments. The apartments are cosy and furnished in differen
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