This is certainly a question I am asking myself a lot at the moment in terms of travel. Hopefully the road map out of lockdown has given us all a glimmer of hope and that come 17th May, we may be able to start travelling overseas again. But at this stage, we don’t know where will open up and indeed what requirements we will need to satisfy, before we can get off this island.
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Pootling around in Puglia
Located in the heel of Italy’s boot, Puglia (with its silent “g”) is a wonderful place. It’s bordered by miles and miles of coastline with stunning beaches, whilst inland you can find picturesque hilltop towns, Baroque churches and rambling Roman ruins.
The landscape is wild and rugged unlike the soft undulating terrain of Tuscany, but it’s got charm. Fields of knarly ancient olive trees are interspersed with vineyards, the ground beneath a mass of scarlet poppies or grey, green cabbages depending on the season.
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Pizza, Pompeii and Piaggios - A Short Break to Naples
Mention you are heading to Naples for the weekend and people look at you with fear on their faces and come out with comments like: "Isn’t it dangerous?" or "I had some friends who went once and they felt very uneasy the whole time".
Poor Naples, it really does have a bit of a bad reputation. Yes, it’s chaotic, noisy and a little edgy in places, but it’s also captivating and in its own way quite beautiful. Let’s face it, the Italians definitely know how to do a good city and Naples, sitting in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, is no exception.
Read MoreHow to "do" Tuscany - the authentic way
I’m not sure about you, but I have this dream that one day I’ll be able to swap my life here in Manchester for somewhere on the continent – somewhere warm where I know the sun will shine most days in the summer; a place where the locals say hello to you as you trot down to the bakery for your morning baguette; where you buy your food from the local market instead of running the gauntlet of shopping trolleys in the supermarket; and where I can spend warm evenings sipping wine in a lavender scented garden – come on admit it, you quite fancy that idea too?!
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