There is only one Venice. A city where boats replace cars and you can cross hundreds of bridges walking from one side of town to the other. We walked the streets and squares of Venice, and of course checked out some of the tourist sights too. We spent a day on the outer islands of Murano and Burano, sipped Aperol spritz at canal side cafes and ate our way through the cicchetti bars of Venice...

We based ourselves in this part of Umbria because we found a wonderful place to stay. It was an old converted cowshed, originally built in the 13th Century and lovingly renovated and restored. From our house we explored the Umbrian countryside, the town of Perugia and the wine and food of the region...

Our farmhouse in Tuscany was on the edge of a tiny village. There were only about 10 houses clustered together, with pigs roaming the streets and deer in the forest. We visited the famous medieval towns of San Gimignano and climbed 14th Century towers, we drove past the rolling Tuscan hills full of Chianti grapes, swam in hot springs and visited an old abbey without a roof...

Even on a cloudy, rainy weekend, this city has something about it. The history, the stunning Duomo and ancient cathedrals, the piazzas and narrow streets. It is a wonderful place to walk around and soak up the atmosphere (just don't try to drive!)...

The 5 little Italian towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. Each one hugging the edge of a cliff and overlooking the spectacularly blue and glistening Mediterranean. There is only 1 real beach, but there are hundreds of boats, and even more tourists...