Good Things From Italy - Le Cose Buone d'Italia

Tradition reigns in Rome, especially when it comes to eating habits – hardly a surprise given how magnificent Roman cuisine is.

Thursday in Rome is gnocchi day.  No one can say why – the origins of the tradition are obscure – but on Thursdays, when they appear on menus all over town with tomato and basil sauce, it is difficult to resist their call.

After a 45-minute drive past ugly bungalows and industrial areas, we’re ready to turn around and go home — to give up our annual family holiday. Puglia is not your traditional tourist destination, and we can see why.

But then, suddenly, we reach a spot between the foothills of the Appenines and the Adriatic. The air is filled with the scent of figs and there are monumental olive trees, more beautiful than any I’ve ever seen. Their trunks are knotted and gnarled, and they stand in the fields like giant soldiers.

Gardens and gardening without utilitarian purpose seem to be defining characteristics of civilised life. From the end of the 19 C well into the early 20 C, the gardens of the Tuscan villas were among the most important attractions for visitors to Tuscany. Although apparently less fashionable now, perhaps because visits to Tuscany are much shorter and more frenetic than formerly, at least one formal garden should be on your itinerary.

A time machine. Florence can feel like that at times. But sometimes, it’s a welcome feeling. A history lesson inside every doorway. Where time stands still and things are the way they were meant to be.

Massimiliano, one of the co-owners, welcomes me. A history lesson follows.  Sostanza’s origin goes back to 1869; a starring role for Guido ‘Il Troiaio’ [‘a dirty man’], his unfortunate death in a post WWII bomb attack [while on his bike to get groceries]; a name change from Troia to Sostanza in 1977 [note that today most Florentines still only know Troia].  On the walls, the history is for us to see, from the family to the legendary to the regulars.

Celebrating in the Italian village of Savelletri de Fasano, Puglia, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel exchanged vows in what can only be described as a spot of paradise – and the most idyllic location to embark on newly married life – the beautiful Borgo Egnazia Resort.

Boasting crystal clear waters, picture-postcard views and an architectural landscape only the Italians could have mastered, Puglia is the dream setting for a wedding of A-list celebrity credential.

Soak up fashion and food with a stay in a Milan boutique hotel. You won’t be disappointed with the accommodation options.

A city of beautiful people wearing snappy clothes, wandering around in bewitching surroundings, Milano is a travel destination with a polished twist in everything it offers. The headquarters of some of the world’s most famous fashion designers are based in Milan, and you can’t fail to notice the influence of fashion in the city – from the shops to real life fashion shows on the sidewalks