Sperlonga

We’d not previously heard of this place, but now we know about it, it’s very definitely somewhere we’d revisit next time we’re in the province of Latina. Halfway between Rome and Naples, the very pretty village, perched high on a hilltop overlooking the sea, is a welcome break from the monotonous road south from Rome. […]
Sunny Salford…

As beautiful as the iconic L.S.Lowry paintings of Salford are, thankfully it’s no longer quite this grim up north. Wonder what Lowry would make of the regeneration of Salford Quays? Planning a visit to Salford, Media City or Manchester? Check out The Lowry Hotel located on the banks of the River Irwell in the Chapel […]
Beach…

Over the years we’ve seen quite a few beaches – rocky ones, sandy ones, packed ones, empty ones, white ones, black ones (check out Perissa, Santorini). However beautiful and memorable these beaches are, there’s one that remains a favourite… It’s close enough to home in Didsbury to be there in an hour. It’s wild and […]
A Festival in Frascati

A one night stop over in Frascati turned out to be more of a spectacle than we imagined. Sitting in a little square on a Sunday evening, we became conscious of some very beautiful singing way, way off in the distance. This gradually got louder and louder and more and more recognisable. It was the […]
Tuscany in September

Tuscany is an area of Italy I’ve never really discovered -I’ve visited & stayed in Florence and Pisa, but have never before experienced the rolling hills and fields full of sunflowers, which seem to be so associated with this part of Italy. But, in the first week of September, that was put right, with a […]
Siorra Vittoria

UPDATE – SEPTEMBER 2014 Once again, we found ourselves pulled towards the magic of Paxos, after travelling around Sardinia, and so when we had a night’s stop-over in Corfu town, we couldn’t resist Hotel Siorra Vittoria again. Sometimes, when you don’t have long to spend somewhere, the familiar is a great option – and we […]
Ortigia Market

The early morning market in Ortigia, Siracusa (Siciliy), is a sight to behold. Whilst we do have some excellent fresh produce markets here in the UK – although a shame we don’t currently have one in Didsbury (UPDATE May 16 – we do now courtesy of the monthly Makers’ Market!) – this Sicilian one blew […]