This guide covers the special places we have found all over Italy, including a solar panelled 18th-century home with organic vineyard, a romantic cottage for two in the Lakes and a smart B&B in Milan with splashes of modern colour. Explore stylish apartments in a Venetian villa, a Florentine hotel with Art Deco chic and a simple mountain-top retreat with adventure waiting at the door. Delve into rustic agriturism from Piedmont to Sicily serving divine home-grown dinners, a monastery turned quaint hotel on an island off the Amalfi coast and a 16th-century villa in manicured grounds. Over 340 places are listed and more than 160 have rooms for under Euro 100.

Author Biography

Alastair has built a team of talented editors who are as committed as he is to the search for authenticity and personality in places to stay. They are also driving the world's first carbon-neutral publishing company; the search for a reduced ecological footprint is a serious one. In 2005/2006, Alastair Sawday Publishing won an award from Business Commitment to the Environment, a Green Apple Award and The Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category. Emma Carey is one of Sawday's most versatile editors and has looked after French and Italian titles for us. This is her third edition of Special Places to Stay in Italy. Kate Shepherd is a fluent Italian speaker, has lived in both the North and South of Italy and has travelled throughout the peninsula.