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.

Flip Byrnes mixes a guided tour of Italy's highlights with free-range sightseeing.

News reports of the wreck of Costa Concordia revealed a tale of fatal misadventure but also showed the quiet loveliness of the island of Giglio, writes Simon Calder.

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.

One of the worst quakes to hit northeast Italy in hundreds of years rattled the region around Bologna early today, killing at least four people, collapsing factories and sending residents running out into the streets.

Neither contour lines nor 'panoramic' representations do justice to the sheer exuberant topography of South Tyrol, writes Ben Ross.

This golf and spa resort near the Italian fishing village of Savelletri is the brainchild of Aldo Melpignano, a former investment banker who owns it with his family. It looks as if it has been there for centuries, but it opened fully only in 2011, offering accommodation within a village environment in either townhouses or luxurious private villas.

For further information see borgoegnazia.com.

Caroline Phillips visits Puglia's newest village resort and marvels at the region's food.

Kristina Rapley tastes the good life in Tuscany.