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

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.