Back in late 2018 when I took a plane to Italy’s fashion capital, Milan, little did I realise that an event I attended among a host of top listed on the Borsa Italiana and some unquoted companies would prove key to a story I penned on an advertising debacle that one major Italian fashion house had unwittingly caused in China.
As a little girl, with an imagination larger than my wildly untamed hair (my hairbrush refusal was my mother’s morning battle), I often wondered what it would be like to skip right into a kaleidoscope. An imagined sugar-rush, spinning-tea-cup-ride surge of delight as every kind of colour and shape danced their flamboyant, unrehearsed, flamenco routine.
I’ve been to enough weddings to know that rain on your wedding day doesn’t necessarily a happy bride make. But ask a superstitious Italian, and instead of cursing the rain clouds, you’ll embrace the special day downpour – your soaking instead believed to be a symbol of fertility and cleansing, luck and love drenching you from the skies.
It’s true that other regions in Italy are lusher, have taller mountains, more fertile valleys and a more temperate climate. But in Tuscany and Umbria the serenity and joy of their rolling landscapes, their winding lanes and their cypresses pointing in silhouette to the heavens are harder to challenge.
The paradise of providence. That’s how I felt about Puglia in Spring. So fertile for its dry, hot climate. So uplifting with its masseria, the whitewashed farmhouses with their singular but solid shapes and spacious courtyards.
Few places offer as much to do and see, all year round, as the largest and most charming of Italy's lakes: Lake Garda.
And the place to see it at its very best is its east coast, in the Veneto region. Whether in search of family fun, activity breaks, romantic evenings, culture, relaxation or simply the peace and tranquillity of nature, this area covers it all. And, of course, there's always Italy's world-renowned wine and food to savour.
Lake Garda is the most prestigious of the Italian lakes where discerning Italians holiday or own holiday homes. Wealthy Italians pick their holiday destination with great care and Lake Garda is the most renowned for good reason. It is home to some of the most beautiful historic houses in Italy, many overlooking the lake. Indeed there is one stunning Palazzo, still entirely family owned, on a little island in the middle, on the southern side of the lake which really is a must see.
As summer gives way to autumn many people put holiday plans on hold. Christmas feels like a long way off, but given the modern world’s ant hill-like busyness we all know it will be upon us before we know it. Nevertheless, this is a great time of year to get away and catch some last rays of sun before the darkness of winter takes hold of Britain.
If Italy ranks amongst the most beautiful holiday destinations in Europe (and the world for that matter), then Sardinia is the offshore jewel in the country’s crown. An island of unparalleled natural serenity- a place where dolphins guide lazy boats into harbour and life moves at a snail’s pace- it’s understandable it has long been seen as one of the ultimate vacation hotspots. Not least at the luxury end of the market.
Until now I have never really considered myself a petrolhead, however I must admit that since purchasing my 'new' car, I am as they say 'in love'. The car in question? An Alfa Romeo GTV.
One must always ask the question when buying one of these fine automobiles, should I spend my money on something which is deemed so unreliable?
