Oh Italy, what can one really say?!

Well, I know what I’d say and that is that Italy really is the middle-aged dream!

Quite simply, I realised once I clocked the ripe old age of 38, that you just couldn’t go wrong on a trip to this country.

While the more developed and slightly more expensive north offers plenty of bucket list classics – from Lake Como to Florence, Venice to Cinque Terre – the more off the beaten south holds a wealth of treasures that lure me back time and time again.

Sensational Sicily – kicked off the boot of the country – is worth at least a month in its own right, with the west and east of this island offering an array of beach, Baroque, ancient and arancini-themed delights.

Puglia with its beautiful towns and unique villages is a triumph and little visited Calabria is the spot to go to really get away from the crowds.

In between there’s romantic Rome, naughty Naples and amazing Amalfi, not to mention the hundreds of terrific towns neither you or I have ever heard of!

From the incredible food and ambience to the lilting language and dolce vita delight, with Italy, you simply can’t go wrong!