he mystique and romance that follows the carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express across Europe is a very memorable way to begin a truly unforgettable holiday around Italy. This is the world’s finest train and its stately passage from Calais to Venice recalls the glory days of refined, luxury travel. Share the experience with like-minded travellers, dining in style in the beautifully renovated restaurant carriages before heading to the saloon for cocktails and perhaps a bit of musical entertainment. Retire to your private cabin, which will have been discretely converted into a sleeping compartment. Climb the upholstered ladder to your upper berth or snuggle down under luxury linen on the bottom bunk to be lulled by the movement of the train as you roll east, overnight, towards the Alps. Unless you’re travelling in a Grand Suite of course, and have the indulgent luxury of a double bed. Rise the next morning as the train delivers you to the perfect gateway to a grand tour of Italy, the floating city of Venice Owing to its fabulous climate, enviable gastronomy, fantastic wines, beautiful scenery, magnificent architecture and rich heritage, Italy has long been a favoured haunt for British travellers even stretching back several centuries when the privileged few embarked on expansive “Grand” tours lasting many months. These days the luxury grand tourer is more likely to be somewhat “time” poor, so will want to squeeze a lot into a small period of time. For those in search of the superlative Italian experience there can be no doubt that two or three weeks spent in the company of Belmond staying at their impressive collection of iconic hotels across the Italian mainland and Sicily offers a worthy 21st century reworking of the classic Grand Tour. T tHE gRAND tOUR of italy 47 VENICE FLORENCE Portofino Ravello Taormina ROME NAPLES Casole D’Elsa
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