Best Beach Destination - Salento, South Italy

Salento is the region in the'heel' of the foot of Italy. As it is one of the furthest points of Italy, the weather there is excellent and incredibly reliable in the summer months. Not the most well known region in Italy, but certainly one of the best holiday destinations if you want a good relaxing holiday at the beach away from the reems of English tourists that flock to other Italian holiday destinations.

The region is extremely popular with Italians themselves, with many heading down to Salento from the Northern cities like Rome and Milan for their own summer holidays. The region has a great variety of beaches, such as those at Torre del Orso and Laghi Alimini - all with good facilities and bars if you fancy a few Heinekens on the beach while you soak up the sun.

Torre del Orso Beach, Salento, Italy

Otranto is one of the main towns in Salento, a historical coastal town with abit more for tourists to do such as looking round the backstreets within the castle, brimming with little Italian stalls selling clothes, crafts and food. There are some excellent restaurants and bars in Otranto too although prices are slightly higher than other areas. Panorama bar is a cool bar right down on the rocks in the harbour - a soundtrack of pumping house beats the background to a few relaxing cocktails looking out into the sea.

At night, Salento comes alive with parties popping up everywhere along the coast. The Italians love their raggae and house music with many big artists and DJ's coming to play there, such as Shaggy, Erick Rorillo and Erol Alkan. A large amount of the action takes place in beach bars and clubs scattered around the coast which helps create an electric atmosphere for many of the nights.

Salento provides a good mix of activities in both day and night. The beaches in the region are of top quality, and are an excellent way to spend the day relaxing after a late night at a beach party. Overall it is one of the best holiday destinations if you want a great holiday a little different from your usual package holiday to Benidorm.

Venice - Most Romantic Holiday Destinations

Venice is without doubt one of the most romantic holiday destinations on the planet. Located in Northern Italy, it is a truly unique and historic town, brimming with culture. It has been described as the most beautiful city in the world by many and it is easy to see why.

Venice is famous for being situated right out in the Adriatic sea, with a network of rivers weaving through the city itself. It is made up of 118 small islands - this characteristic has earned Venice the title of the "City of Water". The traditional image of tourists snuggled together in a gondola being transported down the narrow, winding waterways between beautiful riverside buildings is a famous one - and rightly so. Nowhere else on the planet is quite like Venice and for this reason alone it is a holiday destination that everyone should visit at some point in their life.

Venice is definitely a good city for couples - gently drifting down the rivers in a goldola, the traditional Venetian rowing boats, is an experience to savour, and very romantic. The city is so beautiful as well, it is easy to spend hours just wandering the streets in your partners arms, soaking up the sun (if you're lucky). The Italian lifestyle and culture is itself is very suave and chic, so combined with the city you get an very sexy holiday destination. The restaurants in Venice are typically very good, serving up your traditional Italian fare like pizza and pasta as well as more up market speciality dishes such as freshly caught fish and local meat dishes. If you fancy exploring areas outside of Venice itself, we would recommend renting a car to drive down the coast or wherever the wind takes you. If you want car hire Italy has many companies to choose from all offering various deals and cars, at various locations.


Traditional Venice gondolas

Overall, Venice is a really special town, full of history. Whether you're in a relationship, with frinds, on your own or with your family, there's plenty of things to keep you occupied. However there's something about Venice that makes it one of the most romantic holiday destinations in the world - I'd definitely recommend it as somewhere to go with your partner.