hour from Florence, the hotel offers an array of activities for families and children, including a miniclub, bicycle hire, horse riding, hot-air balloon trips, three swimming pools and tennis courts. From €2,065 for a family of four for a three

in December to drive a reindeer sleigh and skim across the frozen tundra by snowmobile in search of Santa. Departures from regional airports with Canterbury Travel, tel: 01923 823470; www.laplandexperience.comFlying HighBalloon week takes place at the sleepy

– golf, fishing, hot-air balloon rides… Prices start from £250 per person, per night.Find more beautiful holidays in our UK and Travel section.

& West ShowJune 1–4See prize-winning porkers and champion sheep at The Royal Bath & West Show, Somerset. There will also be a miniature railway, funfair rides and falconry displays.Salisbury International Arts FestivalMay 20–June 4The city of Salisbury

The Return Of The Flying ScotsmanJuly 23–September 4Celebrate this famous engine with summer fun at the National Railway Museum in York. There will be steam rides, explosive science shows, interactive storytelling and live theatre.Wild, Wild West

of their liking. She also transformed a bland church hall with a fantasy mural and an arch of balloons before having her audience captivated by her tales of lost super powers, and having to keep an eye on her sidekick who was prone to fits of naughty giggles