A gentle tour of the wonders of Tuscany and Umbria in Frazer Nashes.     It is ploughing time in Lombardia. The flat landscape of the Po valley is scattered with the giant machines that are the today’s tractors, with names like Landini, Kubota and Deutz, groaning with the effort needed to turn the heavy clay. I am surprised, as I thought we had given up ploughing and this grey sod looks dull and lifeless. We are on small agricultural roads on the outskirts of Piacenza, empty

The race up, and then down, the high passes into Piedmont is a delight. Once again it is a misty start and the air has a chilly bite, but even at departure I can see the sun gilding the peaks of the Jungfrau across the valley; the day is set fair. As we approach the summit blazing silver slants slice the swirling mist over the lake to produce a drama John Martin couldn’t have imagined let alone painted. Once the other side, we drop below the cloud and now the Nash is in its e

The early morning air is cold, and low mist blankets the landscape as I set out from Langres in France’s oddly labelled Grande Est. Shadowy features of hills and trees loom out of the murk along the roadside. Despite the cold, there is no wind, the fog almost cloying in its immobility. Blades of wind turbines, static and statuesque slice through the veiled stillness. This one, its vertical blade a Heatherwick spire, the next, all askance, a huge pair of scissors, then three o

Extraordinary temples and monasteries carved into rocky cliffs Chiselled from solid basalt, temple 16 at Ellora We are driving on an...

A chance lunch stop delivers a memorable meal ‘Ker means coconut, la is land,’ says the ever-pedagogic Ajosh, our driver, ‘so Kerala;...

A letter from Cochin The landmark Chinese fishing nets Dear David,   I was fascinated to be reminded – because you and JP have mentioned...

It is our last night in Greece. Our table on the terrace of the hotel has been specially chosen for us by our host Vasiliki to ensure we...

It is 5.30 and although Kent is in my book east, there is not a hint of light in the cool night sky. We ease onto the horrible motorway...

How total is the sleep of a child? Lost to our world but cast adrift in an exclusive dreamland of magic and sometimes terror. The off...

We continue our tour of Cuba, trying to get our heads around how the country works. It is 4½ hours from Havana to the fine old town of...

Castro's Cuba crumbles We arrived last night and only now get to see our Casa Particular in daylight. These are private houses which in...

How about this? A rural population of 40,000 that farms its land in an organic sustainable way without recourse to machinery, chemicals...

We finally make it to Nagaland. After so much time thinking, talking and planning, the home of the Nagas has assumed almost mythic...

I have visited several War Graves Commission Cemeteries and on each occasion have left feeling crushed by the burden of the past. Two...

Extraordinary mansions in the middle of nowhere. No one has ever heard of Karaikudi or the Chettinar tribes. Even less the Nagarathar as...

Rummaging through a trunk of papers inherited from my Dad, I found a map of India from his time in the 45thCavalry during WW2. Looks like...

Tranquility and wonder on a coffee plantation in the Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu. Click the button above to hear the Rajakkad soundscape...

Is it just my generation that puts Pondicherry in the pantheon of romantic Indian cities like Calcutta, Chittagong, Rawlpindi and Madras?...

A dance to the music of Vangelis We are in Athens on a warm August night. Carolyn and I are sitting in the Odeon of Herodes Atticus on...

When I was a medical student, I was taught pathology by a lovely considerate man called Pembakian. He was heavy-set and always wore the...