Women's collections coming off the runway for next year's warmer weather are all about the pastoral - relaxing looks in both silhouette and colour, with flowing styles and floral patterns that blend with the prevailing pastel palette.

This summer, life under the Tuscan sun lost some of its shine. There's nothing romantic for farmers watching the mercury rise up and over 40 degrees daily - for the sixth successive week.

Diana Balham cruises through a danger zone without a scratch.

Matthew Bell experiences some Old World glamour in the stately surrounds of Tuscany's Castello di Casole.

Phoebe Falconer visits a museum with a difference on the grimy side of Rome.

Adrian Mourby develops his yoga sea legs aboard a five-masted clipper sailing from Spain to Italy.

There is no city in the world that's easier to get lost in than Venice, as Doug Conway discovers.

Naples is not exactly one of Italy's model cities when compared with Venice, Milan or Rome, Andreas Heimann writes - but there's much to find in the shadow of Mt Vesuvius.

Discovery of bones in Florence convent believed to be those of silk merchant's wife who inspired Da Vinci

Italy's Egadi Islands are neither as cosmopolitan nor as postcard-pretty as their better-known offshore rivals, but they do offer remoteness, simplicity and authenticity.

A brutal 15th-century game is still played in Florence. Rob McFarland joins its fans.

The war of words between Madonna and house music DJ Deadmau5 continues with a new interview in Rolling Stone.

Christina Patterson escapes to a beautiful spot in northern Italy for a weekend of rest and relaxation.