The Times Weekend - UK (2020-08-01)

Travel 45

‘A turtle the size of a coffee

table swam regally through

a school of blue-lined snapper’

Simon Rogerson goes diving in the Maldives

Travel

Page

52

1 Bella Rosa in Positano

25 spectacular Italian villas

Dreamy terraces

with sea views,

traditional trulli

and hilltop farms

— Jeremy Lazell

knows the loveliest

places to stay

1 Bella Rosa Campania

Positano postcodes don’t come cheap,

but this elegant villa is worth the

splurge. Clinging to the cliffs on a

private terraced estate above town, the

villa has two en-suite bedrooms, both

opening on to a long shaded terrace,

with sofas and a dining table

overlooking the rooftops and sea.

Cloud-white decor keeps things cool,

while modern art adds splashes of

colour. It is less than a five-minute

walk to the shops, and the villa’s stone

staircase leads through gardens and

citrus groves to a small private beach

and pool.

Details Seven nights’ self-catering for

four from £4,182 (cvvillas.com).

Fly to Naples

2 Lippi Tuscany

Take one medieval hilltop hamlet,

add an interior-designer owner

with oodles of artsy flair, and

what you get is this stylish

converted chapel three miles

south of Radda in Chianti.

Sharing a pool with the other

11 villas that make up the

hamlet of Galenda, Lippi has

high ceilings with wooden

beams and handmade terracotta

tiles, but also has funky lamps

and modern art. A contemporary

kitchen leads on to a balcony

dining area for two.

Details Seven nights’ self-catering

for two from £647 (to-tuscany.com).

Fly to Florence

3 Casa Fiorella Umbria

Casa Fiorella is all trad Umbrian

farmhouse on the outside, but inside

it’s like a House & Garden

photoshoot, with retro mustard

armchairs, upcycled lampshades,

handmade kitchen cabinets and

funky artworks. Three upstairs

bedrooms look out over the

forested slopes above Lake

Trasimeno and Perugia; a swing

chair, terrace dining area and

swimming pool cry out for

lazy afternoons. The villa is five

minutes’ drive from shops at

Castiglion Fosco and 25 minutes

from the baroque churches of Città

della Pieve, home to works by the local

Renaissance painter Perugino. W

Casa Fiorella in Umbria

3

CV VILLAS