Here are hundreds of irresistible excuses for going to Italy. Be welcomed and utterly seduced by the vitality and sheer authenticity of Italy and its people. This collection of over 400 places provides ready-made friends and contacts, with beautiful and interesting houses to spend time in. Stay in a B&B at the foot of Mount Etna, a 16th-century monastery on the Italian Lakes, a medieval hamlet in Le Marche - there's even an entire village in Tuscany. Find plenty to do and learn too; there are yoga retreats and art & drama workshops, we have one farm that runs pottery and textile holidays another where you can go truffle hunting or honey collecting. Plus our Ethical Collection, marked on entry pages, highlights owners' commitment to the environment, the community or to serving local or organic food. * Over 17 years of experience have gone into Sawday's most exciting collection of special places to stay in Italy, with over 400 properties listed - many of which are new for this edition * Coverage is country-wide, including Sicily and Sardinia and emerging tourist regions like the Aeolian islands and Campania. You'll find self-catering places of all sizes - for two or for an entire wedding party * Places are chosen only after inspection, to suit all budgets and occasions and many of them have rooms for EURO100 or less for two people. Good value for money is important at whatever price * Clear symbols, excellent maps, over 750 colour photos, and honest and lively write-ups take the hard work out of finding the perfect place for your special stay

Britain's best B&B guide to France, aimed at independent travellers seeking a truly special place to stay. Travelling the length and breadth of the country, our French team has selected over 800 B&Bs, including our Award Winners. Fall in love with a place and stay longer, change your route and stop off somewhere new - there's great flexibility here. An intriguing range of bed and breakfasts is included: ski chalets, chateaux, farmhouses, treehouses, pieds-a-terre in lovely old cities and studio apartments in tiny mountain hamlets. We meet a wide variety of owners too, from those running authentic old-style `chambres d'hotes' to creative young couples opening eco-chic B&Bs. What they have in common is their devotion to making you feel special. They can also tell you about gastronomic breaks and wine tours, painting, cookery and language courses, and give you the low down on all the best places. * Be inspired by our biggest ever collection as we celebrate 20 years of discovering France's loveliest B&B's * Over 800 hand-picked places, more than 250 new for this edition, including our Award winners * Fresh pastries on sunny terraces at breakfast; a crackling fire for home-cooked dinners with your hosts * Seriously good value - plenty of places have double rooms for 80euros or less * From Boulogne to Biarritz, we've visited every cottage, chateau, chalet, townhouse and farm, and we love them - we know you will too!

Here are hundreds of irresistible excuses for going to Italy. Be welcomed and utterly seduced by the vitality and sheer authenticity of Italy and its people. This collection of over 400 places provides ready-made friends and contacts, with beautiful and interesting houses to spend time in. Stay in a B&B at the foot of Mount Etna, a 16th-century monastery on the Italian Lakes, a medieval hamlet in Le Marche - there's even an entire village in Tuscany. Find plenty to do and learn too; there are yoga retreats and art & drama workshops, we have one farm that runs pottery and textile holidays another where you can go truffle hunting or honey collecting. Plus our Ethical Collection, marked on entry pages, highlights owners' commitment to the environment, the community or to serving local or organic food. * Over 16 years of experience have gone into Sawday's most exciting collection of special places to stay in Italy, with over 400 properties listed * Coverage is country-wide, including Sicily and Sardinia and emerging tourist regions like the Aeolian islands and Campania. You'll find self-catering places of all sizes - for two or for an entire wedding party * Places are chosen only after inspection, to suit all budgets and occasions and more than 145 have rooms for 100 or less for two people. Good value for money is important at whatever price * Clear symbols, excellent maps, over 750 colour photos, and honest and lively write-ups take the hard work out of finding the perfect place for your special stay

Famous for its cobbled streets and honey-stone cottages, bustling market towns and breathtaking scenery, the Cotswolds are high on the list of places to visit for anyone serious about exploring Britain's countryside. In our new small format guide to this much-loved area we have bought together over 100 Special Places to Stay: B&Bs, self-catering cottages, hotels, inns and pubs with rooms - all inspected, all good value, and chosen because we like them.

There are hundreds of good reasons to visit Wales: the castles, cathedrals, and choirs, the walking and cycling, the festivals, fishing and food. From the stunning sweep of the Brecon Beacons to ruggedly windswept South Stack. From the beaches of the Gower to the gardens of Bodnant and Aberglasney - this handy little guide is invaluable for making any trip special. Choose from over 100 places to stay: B&Bs, self-catering cottages, hotels, inns and pubs with rooms. All have been inspected and all are good value. Wake up in your B&B to circling red kites and the breathtaking backdrop of the Black Mountains. Stay in a simple inn lost in the hills where king-sized breakfasts set you up for a day in Snowdonia. Dine on Tenby sea bass and fresh garden produce after stretching your legs on the Pembrokeshire coastal path, then settle into the warm contemporary luxury of a converted abbey. We choose places and people who do their own thing with passion and flair.

Italy, the birthplace of the Slow movement and the home of Slow Food, is a natural as the second destination in our new Slow series. Alastair Sawday has handpicked forty-six exceptional places to stay-places where attention is lavished on some of the most important things in life: convivial meals, community, a respect for the environment, and a celebration of regional distinctiveness. From the mountainous north, through cypressdotted Tuscany, and on down to the gutsy, colorful south, you'll discover innkeepers and cooks that have an unmatched passion for Slow Travel and Slow Food, and whose hospitality embody their commitment to the finest accommodations and food. "Go Slow Italy "celebrates fascinating people, fine architecture, history, landscape, and real food.

A charming and beautifully written account of the pleasures of slow travel - for readers of Patrick Leigh Fermor, Colin Thubron and Eric Newby. 'Lawrence Sterne once suggested that we travel for one of just three reasons: imbecility of mind, infirmity of body or inevitable necessity. One might add to Sterne's little list: envy, curiosity - or just too much bloody rain at home. Escape, in other words.' Campaigner, publisher and wanderer Alastair Sawday has spent his life travelling. En route he has unearthed a multitude of stories - stories of people ploughing their own furrows, of travellers' tales, stories from the 'front line' of his publishing , ruminations and reflections about places, people and ideas. In this deeply charming, erudite and spirited book, he shares his experiences and explores the value of travel. 'The richer our imaginations, the richer our travel experience. We British do things one way and the Spaniards another; there are unlimited ways of doing everything. Kindness is found in unexpected places, as is eccentricity. Eccentrics are an endangered species and need as much protection as does the house sparrow.' Travelling Light is a gradual awakening to the fragility of everything we love through contemplative, consciously slow journeying. Every visit uncovers difference - from France profonde to the darker side of Sicily, and to the woodland, flora, fauna, views and silence of rural Britain. Alastair Sawday gives voice to those of us who have climbed no mountains, discovered no rivers, created no great institutions, powered no legislation, changed very little - but who yearn to understand the world and make sense of its infinite variety.

A charming and beautifully written account of the pleasures of slow travel - for readers of Patrick Leigh Fermor, Colin Thubron and Eric Newby. 'Lawrence Sterne once suggested that we travel for one of just three reasons: imbecility of mind, infirmity of body or inevitable necessity. One might add to Sterne's little list: envy, curiosity - or just too much bloody rain at home. Escape, in other words.' Campaigner, publisher and wanderer Alastair Sawday has spent his life travelling. En route he has unearthed a multitude of stories - stories of people ploughing their own furrows, of travellers' tales, stories from the 'front line' of his publishing , ruminations and reflections about places, people and ideas. In this deeply charming, erudite and spirited book, he shares his experiences and explores the value of travel. 'The richer our imaginations, the richer our travel experience. We British do things one way and the Spaniards another; there are unlimited ways of doing everything. Kindness is found in unexpected places, as is eccentricity. Eccentrics are an endangered species and need as much protection as does the house sparrow.' Travelling Light is a gradual awakening to the fragility of everything we love through contemplative, consciously slow journeying. Every visit uncovers difference - from France profonde to the darker side of Sicily, and to the woodland, flora, fauna, views and silence of rural Britain. Alastair Sawday gives voice to those of us who have climbed no mountains, discovered no rivers, created no great institutions, powered no legislation, changed very little - but who yearn to understand the world and make sense of its infinite variety.