The Amalfi Coast – colourful houses cascading down the cliffs – it has to be Positano Positano on the Amalfi Coast has a great reputation but does it live up to the hype? Tony and Helen Page discover colourful houses cascading down the cliffs, brown bodies lazing on the beach, unexpectedly cheap shopping and plenty […]
The Dolomites: Live from Rifugio Lagazuoi
At 2752m, the Dolomites look stunning from Rifugio Lagazuoi – especially with hot chocolate! Tony and Helen Page take the cable car to Rifugio Lagazuoi, built in 1965 by mountain tour guide Ugo Pompanin (and still managed by his family). From its terrace at 2,752m, you can get a stunning 360-degree panorama over the Dolomites, […]
The Dolomites: Live from Cortina d’Ampezzo
Winter sports, Apres-ski, James Bond film set – but even in Summer Cortina is not to be missed Cortina d’Ampezzo is the jewel of the Dolomites, the Italian mountain range that’s just a few hours away from Venice. More famous as a winter ski resort and setting for James Bond films, Tony and Helen Page […]
Florence: Live from Piazza Santa Croce
Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli’s tombs, Dante’s statue and Gold and Leather Shops Piazza Santa Croce in Florence has the largest Franciscan church in the world, the tombs of famous Italians from Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli to Rossini, Fermi and Marconi, and gold and leather shops with tourists streaming in and out all day. Tony Page […]
Florence: Live from the Piazza della Signoria
The Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi, a David, the Rape of the Sabine Women and great coffee The Piazza della Signoria is Florence’s most famous square, with legendary sculptures in the open Loggia, the Uffizi Gallery on the corner, and Cosimo de’Medici looking a bit askance at the upstart Gucci Museum behind him. Have a quick […]
Burano: Live from the Island of Technicolor Houses & Lace
Burano’s Brightly Coloured Houses are a Photographer’s – and Dulux’s – Dream Burano’s No.1 tourist attraction is the eye-dazzling, brightly coloured terraced houses lining its canals, but its mask and lace shops, not to mention its restaurants, also draw the visitors in; Tony and Helen Page braved the crowds to see whether it was all […]
Murano: Live from the Island of the Glass Makers
Murano Glass is world-famous, but does the island match up to the Chandeliers? Murano’s reputation as a centre for glassmaking dates from 1291, when the Venetian Doge, frightened that the foundries’ fires would destroy the city’s largely wooden buildings, ordered the glassmakers to move to the island. Murano glass is still synonymous with Venetian glass, […]
San Gimignano: Live from its Tallest Tower
Don’t miss this walled medieval hill town with its famous towers in beautiful Tuscany San Gimignano in Italy is famous for its tower houses, and here, 54 metres up on top of the tallest one, the Torre Grossa, built in 1311, Tony Page gives you a 360 degree panorama of this famous walled medieval hill […]
Assisi: Live from the Rocca Maggiore
See the Basilica of St. Francis from the Rocca Maggiore tower, high above Assisi The Basilica of St. Francis is not the only thing to see in Assisi: high above the town is the mighty castle of Rocca Maggiore, a medieval fortress that was built almost a thousand years ago, and from its Eastern Tower, […]
Castel Gandolfo: Live from the Pope’s Summer Residence
Overlooking beautiful Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo has both the Pope and Porchetta He missed seeing the Pope, or sampling the famous “porchetta“, and was nearly trampled underfoot by pilgrim hordes, but Tony Page enjoyed his visit to this friendly little town occupying high ground on the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Albano, site of the rowing […]