Crossing the famous Porto Vecchio bridge in Florence, and driving through the twists and turns of the tiny cobblestoned streets, we arrive at the headquarters of one of the most revered names in Italian fashion: Gucci. The brand is synonymous

tracksuits, which would look vibrant on any beach or summer disco.The new boyswear was intoduced under its own label this season, aptly known as ' Hitch-Hiker'. Designed for boys from newborn  to 12 years, the collection mixes classic Italian styling - white

starts from £125 per person in a four-bedroom villa, based on eight people sharing, excluding flights.Children will love staying at the five-star Rosa Alpina in the Italian Dolomites. There are lots of children’s activities, while you can relax in the spa

woodland adventure park, paint the mountain scenery and go walking, swimming, and horse riding. Accommodation is at Italian farms or villas. These adventures cost from €720 per person during May half-term.For personalised packages, tel: 07768 474610

with scatterings of black sequins or worn with glittery box shaped bags and dress shoes. A standout shearling coat was a hit with all the fashion editors sitting in the front row. The show finale saw three celebrity Italian mothers take to the catwalk

them as the presenter asked questions for Italian television. Each girl had a rail with her clothes and accessories bagged together with her name and a picture of how it all looks; her dresser waits by the rail for her. They are dressed with 10

The second show on Pitti's busy catwalk schedule is homegrown Italian girlswear label Elsy, better known in Italy than the UK, but a big driving force in Italy's thriving childrenswear industry.Elsy Girl introduced their SS13 collection, inspired

... we have discovered an emporium of all kinds of 'yummy mummy' delights at the Harrods Fourth Floor Baby Shop. Perhaps most excitingly, Italian fashion power house, Missoni, has collaborated with Bugaboo on two new bespoke pushchairs and an accessory

rather than shopping. Most of us, if in need of a new coffee table, will hotfoot it down to the high street, but not Nicole. “Paul won’t let me near Ikea!” she says. Besides, Nicole’s mother is Italian and her father is German, and she grew up in Münster

In the book Zilli Light (Simon & Schuster, £20) Italian chef Aldo Zilli offers the delicious tastes of his homeland but in lighter bites, working on the premise that we eat five lighter meals per day instead of three. Highlights include roast duck