IF YOU LOVE CORSICA

BEST FOR LOCAL WINE

Wine-making goes back two millennia on this French island, and today vines grow in nine designated regions, with the Île de Beauté IGP its most popular. Corsica’s mountainous spine offers great walking, and its secluded sandy beaches will delight everyone.

Set amid the vineyards of the Balagne region, Casa Santa Maria sleeps six and is available from £3,792 for seven nights in September (simpsontravel.com). eateries serve dishes prepared from home produce – goat’s cheeses, marinated aubergines and pasticada. On the coast, in the walled Old Town, expect fresh Adriatic seafood. Korcula produces its own whites, posip and grk. Croatia’s top red, dingac, comes from nearby Peljesac.

Stay at the Lesic Dimitri Palace (read the review: telegraph.co.uk/ tt-lesic-dimitri) with residences from €395 (£357). Fly to Dubrovnik or Split, then catch a Krilo (krilo.hr) catamaran to Korcula.

BEST FOR LOCAL FLAVOURS

Sicily’s culinary tradition is influenced by everyone from the ancient Greeks, Arabs and Normans, to the Spanish and north Africans. This grand melting pot of cultures is enhanced by the fruits of a fertile land and teeming sea, creating a recurring sweet-and-sour theme.

Casa dei Gabbiani, a short walk from Port of Pozzallo, sleeps four and comes with an in-house chef. From £3,895 per week (thethinking traveller.com).