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hosts at the Borgo Storico Seghetti Panichi in Castel di Lama. I was greeted by Stefania Pignatelli and her mother Giulia, the owner, who actually founded The Marche Segrete association. Both mother and daughter are the most approachable people – who just happen to be princesses. Here I was accommodated in one of five self-catering flats as the main house is under restoration but guests still have access to the swimming pool and the extensive garden, which is a haven of tranquillity. It is also a bioenegetic garden, one of the first in Europe, in which specific trees and plants which emit electromagnetic fields beneficial to health and wellbeing have been mapped.

There is a restaurant on site but within walking distance is a very good non-touristy little place, L’Ago nel Pagliaio (The Needle in the Haystack), where I enjoyed an excellent lunch. Also in Castel di Lama is The Bar Sport Gelateria, which both Giulia and Stefania assured me makes the best gelati in Italy (and therefore the world). Having sampled their delectable offerings, I have to agree.

Ascoli Piceno is a delightful town. The Piazza del Popolo, paved with travertine marble, is one of the finest in Italy. We had lunch in the old Art Deco Cafe Meletti, which has not changed much since Giulia visited with her parents. Nearby is the Picture Gallery full of splendid works, in which I found another quattrocento artist to admire, Cola del’Amatriche.

To the west Le Marche are dominated by the Sibillini Mountains which get their name from a legend that one of the sibyls retreated to a cave there. I had expected dramatic scenery with windswept crags, wild tarns and shepherds tending their flocks in the age-old way, but knowing I loved plants, my guide Dino Gazzani – a geologist who leads hikes and knows every inch of this territory – had a surprise for me. Just below the village of Casteluccio, famed for the production of lentils, we suddenly came to a wide treeless plateau, Le Piano Grande, covered with wildflowers. I was in my element and so, armed with a book Dino kindly gave me, I set about identifying as many as possible: cerulean blue cornflowers, deeper blue viper’s bugloss, scarlet poppies, yellow verbascum, pink lupinella, mauve thyme. I could have stayed there for a week. Later we visited a lavender farm and an old mill but I had left my heart on that flowery plain.

No, in fact it was to the whole of Le Marche I had given my heart. Everything I could have dreamed of in an Italian holiday had been more than realised. I had lived well, met warm and generous people and seen some of the region’s many magnificent natural and artistic treasures. I have travelled to many places in the world but I have rarely come home feeling so enriched.

During summer, thousands of British holidaymakers flock to Greece. Elena Kountoura, the Greek Minister of Tourism, explains how Greece is shaping up to be a suitable proposition for an off-season break too.

ARE MORE BRITISH PEOPLE TRAVELLING TO GREECE IN WINTER?

We have seen a double-digit growth in demand during winter overall, and especially from the UK market. UK air arrivals have increased by 13 per cent in the first three months of 2018 to Athens and our regional airports. The potential is great for the years ahead.

SO WHY SHOULD WE VISIT DURING THE COOLER MONTHS?

Our strongest asset is the authentic experiences in each one of our 13 highly diverse regions that can attract visitors yearround. Greece is highly respected for its enormous culture and history, as the birth land of democracy, of the Olympic Games and the authentic marathon, of arts and sciences, of the great philosophers that have shaped western thought.

SO WHERE SHOULD PEOPLE GO?

We promote all destinations in Macedonia and Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece, Peloponnese, Western Greece, and of course our well-known islands in the Aegean, the Ionian, and Crete. They are easily accessible by air, and have a very authentic atmosphere in the wintertime.

Athens and Thessaloniki are increasingly popular city break and short break destinations in the winter for cultural tours, festivals, entertainment, nightlife, great shopping, excellent food and daily cruises to nearby islands. Santorini is a worldrenowned island, a destination of international fame and for many global travellers it’s the dream place to visit. In recent years, Santorini has expanded its tourism offering year-round, becoming an island than never rests. Hotels, shops and businesses now stay open from January to December to accommodate visitors throughout the year.