GETTING THERE

Florence is just north of the renowned wine region of Chianti, where scores of wine estates are laid out over fertile, undulating hills dotted with olives and cypresses. “Enoturismo” is well organised; most estates offer tastings plus cellar and vineyard tours; some require booking. Roughly following the SS222 road (aka the Chiantigiana), you can visit some of the most famed chianti classico producers. Look for Antinori and Fonterutoli (both have good restaurants), Castello di Ama, Castello di Volpaia and Felsina. If you don’t have wheels, join a bespoke tour with a company such as DiVine.

Most vineyards are within an hour’s drive.

Though Nice is the least stifling of cities, there comes a time when, having gazed at the mountains behind, you want to get in among them. That’s when you trot to Nice-Ville station and take the Train des Merveilles. It’s a regular SNCF service, which winds up into some smashing sub-Alpine scenery en route to the villages of Sospel, Saorge, La Brigue and finally – 3,300ft up in the Mercantour National Park – the little Hidden in De Hoge Veluwe National Park is a gallery of Dutch masters

Helene Müller loved art (she was one of the earliest collectors of Van Gogh); her husband Anton Kröller loved nature. Their legacy to the nation forms what is now the De Hoge Veluwe National Park: 13,000 acres of wild heathland and forest with one of town of Tende. The train runs year-round. On May and October weekends, and daily in June until the end of September, the 9.17am service has a full guide service. Explanations – in English and French – hugely enhance a spectacular trip.