There’s something primal about sleeping in a cave – being inside the earth cuts off the man-made world. Due to its volcanic past southern Italy is a veritable Swiss cheese of caves, and Cave Central is Matera in Basilicata. Up until the 1980s it was a disease-ridden town of troglodytes, now an astonishing Unesco site where we visited ancient churches in caves, ate in restaurants in caves, and stayed in a cave - albeit nowadays with marble floors, room service and a Jacuzzi bath.

www.hotelsassi.it
Via San Giovanni Vecchio 89, 75100, Matera
+39(0)835331009
Google map: bit.ly/ohGwG6

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Standing proud on the hills outside Turin we found the chicest of contemporary art, beautifully presented in a restored 17th century palazzo originally built for the Savoiardi family. The exhibitions are very, very cool, and the building is a wonder of old and new architecture, fused together with lashings of Italian ‘eleganza’. Go in the evening to combine your visit with the breathtakingly expensive Combal. Zero, voted one of the top ten life changing restaurants in the world, apparently, presenting a feast as experimental as the art next door.

www.castellodirivoli.org
Piazza Mafalda di Savoia, 10098, Rivoli, Torino +390119565222
Google map: bit.ly/fGgIkl
www.combal.org

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The best road trips are where the drive is as exhilarating as the destination, and Mallorca offers one of the finest drives in Europe. Simply hire a car from Palma airport (relatively cheap) and drive due North to Soller where the arid plain of Es Pla (fertile ground for figs, almonds and melons) erupts into the rugged Serra de Tramuntana. Spend a night or two exploring the orange-growing capital of Mallorca and feast on spiny lobster stew before heading west along the spectacular coastal road, where the mountains tower above you and fall off into the glittering azure sea.

Take the first day easy and stop a few miles along the road in the beautiful village of Deia – the spiritual home of Robert Graves and home to some of the best restaurants in the Balearics. Go wild and blow the budget at Es Raco des Teix for some of the best food you’ll ever eat – seriously! There are also lovely walks through the pine-scented forests with spectacular views of the sea, or down to Cala de Deia for a swim and huge plate of frito misto with a beer. Leave Deia and continue West along the coastline for the most dramatic views of land and sea, stopping off at spectacular natural beauties such as the Mirador de Ricardo Roca, which will test your nerve and driving skills on the route towards Port de Andratx.

After a night in the Andratx marina at the Hotel Brisnar you can dash back to Palma along the fast central motorway and rediscover fifth gear (if you’re really enjoying the open road keep going to the Camper shoes sale warehouse in Inca). Palma itself is beautiful and miles away from the Brits Abroad reputation it gained in the 80s. Make sure you visit the cathedral and walk the cobbled streets before a final feast of beans and clams at the historic tapas bar La Boveda - the jamon is so good only one man on the staff is allowed to carve it!

www.esracodesteix.es
C/SA Vinya Vell 6, Deia
971 63 95 01
Closed Tuesdays

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