Tuscany’s treasured islands: five to explore

30 August 2026 at 09:00

Want to avoid the crowds in Florence and Siena? Escape to these islands, from lively Elba to tiny, car-free Giannutri

Scattered between the Tuscan coast and Corsica, the seven islands of the Tuscan archipelago offer a striking contrast to mainland Tuscany. All are part of a protected national park, but each has its own character – some are lively, others tiny and sparsely inhabited. Montecristo and Gorgona are only accessible via strictly limited guided tours, but here’s a brief guide to the highlights of the other five.

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A love letter to the A380, the retiring behemoth that takes Qantas travellers back in time | Nick Visser

The Guardian

By: Nick Visser

29 August 2026 at 23:00

Quiet cabins, spacious configurations and those hallowed stairs: the Airbus superjumbo has become a favourite of many travellers – and will be missed

I was late to the A380 party.

It took a move to Australia from the US, a passport itching for some stamps and a steady stream of family Christmases back home before I boarded one of Airbus’s double-decker behemoths a decade ago.

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The Guardian

By: Ailsa Sheldon

29 August 2026 at 09:00

Tourism is only just taking hold in Vipava, but the locals are determined to do it right, by putting community first and preserving what makes it special

The drive to Pedrovo is vertiginous, and each hairpin bend has me sending a silent prayer that we won’t meet a tractor coming the other way. When we near it, we abandon the car and continue on foot to the hamlet, a scattering of red-roofed, whitewashed houses high on the steep karst hillside. The air is warm and dry, scented with wild sage.

We follow a hand-painted sign to Čilčevi Farmstead. Descending stone steps to a lush garden, we find a shaded table set with fresh cheeses produced at the farm’s own dairy. Below, the valley stretches in both directions, a wide flat plain hemmed in by steep mountain slopes, with the Vipava River winding lazily through fields and vineyards.

I’ve lived in Norfolk for more than 30 years. Here’s how to explore England’s windswept east

www.telegraph.co.uk for the latest news from the UK and around the world.

By: Sophie Butler

28 August 2026 at 18:00

An insider guide to exploring the county, from golden sands and salt marsh to charming flint-built villages

‘Lapped by the turquoise, crystal seas’: readers’ favourite unsung European islands

The Guardian

By: Guardian readers

28 August 2026 at 12:27

From secluded coves in Ireland to an evening passeggiata on Italy’s Aeolian islands, readers share their discoveries
• Tell us about your most memorable food and drink discoveries in Europe

Giant griffon vultures glided parallel with my bus as it reached the highest point of Cres, the least populated of the four main islands in the Kvarner Gulf at the very north of the Croatian Adriatic. Covered in scrubby heath, olive groves and lavender, with small towns and villages on its coastline, its wildness is its appeal. Some, like Cres town, are unobtrusively set up for holidaymakers; in others local people just quietly get on with the life they’ve lived since the Venetians ruled here. All are lapped by the turquoise, crystal seas Croatia is known for.
Rhiannon