It’s best to get a table looking out on Ottoman Istanbul but better still are the panoramas

It’s best to get a table looking out on Ottoman Istanbul, but better still are the panoramas from the bar at the top of the tower.THE BILLThanks to the Turkish love of zeros, a meal for two (including wine and romantic journey across the Bosphorus) costs around 130 million lire That may sound like a lot of money but it works out as £50. For mains the garlic prawns with winter vegetables are excellent, and the Turkish desserts are suitably sticky.THE VIEWWith Asia on one side and Europe on the other, the views are hard to beat. With its gondolas, canals, hidden alleys and opulent palazzi, it’s no wonder that “La Serenissima” is high on most itineraries. Several airlines fly direct, including BA from Gatwick and Manchester; easyJet from Gatwick, Bristol and East Midlands; BMI from Heathrow; Jet2 (0871 226 1737, ) from Leeds and Manchester; and Thomsonfly from Coventry.

Ryanair also flies from Stansted, Liverpool and Luton to nearby Treviso.MORE INFO?Italian State Tourist Board at 1 Princes Street, London, W1B 2AY (020-7408 1254; ).. Single fares start at €7.40 (£5.30).AND THE ULTIMATE…The grandest of all Italy’s islands is undoubtedly Venice, although it’s actually a collection of 118 islands. Siremar operates ferries to Pantelleria from Trapani and Mazara del Vallo (from €19/£13.60 each way).ANYTHING ON THE EAST COAST?Perfect for anyone with escapist fantasies, the sleepy Tremiti islands are scattered 20km off the coast of Puglia’s Gargano peninsula. Bari is the nearest international airport, to which Ryanair flies from Stansted.

To get across to the islands, Adriatica (00 39 041 781611; ) operates regular services from several ports, with the closest to Bari being Manfredonia. The island is also known for its celebrities; Giorgio Armani has a house here, while Madonna, Martin Scorsese and Julia Roberts have all visited. An intrinsic part of the experience is a stay in a dammuso – the ancient domed stone houses that are peculiar to the island. Among the most glamorous is Il Monastero (00 39 0258 1861; ), owned by the photographer Farbrizio Ferri, where weekly rates start from €1,450 (£1,035) for two. Companies to try include Sail Italy (01728 747340; ), Toscana Charter (00 39 335 801 8954; ) and Ocean Blue (020-8360 9191; ).AN EXOTIC TOUCH?A dry, stony island, 110km from Sicily but only 70km from Africa, Pantelleria is dotted with sesi, Neolithic structures that are thought to be funeral mounds. Prices start from around £659 per person for seven nights, including flights, transfers and half-board accommodation.AYE AYE CAPTAINVarious companies offer boat charters around Italy’s islands.

For a week in a skippered boat sleeping four to six, excluding flights and food, expect to pay around €2,000 (£1,400) – without a captain you’ll pay around €1,000 (£714). Siremar runs ferries (which take an hour) and hydrofoils (around 20 minutes), from €2.50 (£1.80) each way.Finally, to the south west of Sicily, the sun-soaked Pelagie islands, Lampedusa and Linosa, can be reached via Siremar’s regular services from Porto Empedocle (from €22.15/£15.80 single).Long Travel (01694 722 193; ) can organise packages to the Aeolians. It is perhaps better known as the place where Napoleon was exiled – you can visit his home, the Villa dei Mulini, in the capital, Portoferraio (open 9am to 7pm daily; entrance €2/£1.40; 00 39 0565 915846).Getting to Elba is trickier than to some of Italy’s other islands First you need to fly to Pisa. Ryanair flies from Glasgow, Prestwick and Stansted; BA from Gatwick and Manchester; and Thomsonfly from Coventry. From here, take a train to Piombino ( ). Finally, ferries and hydrofoils run regularly to Elba from around €10 (£7) each way (00 39 565 918 080; ). If you’d rather an organised package, Magic of Italy (0800 980 3378; ) offers seven-night trips to Elba from £705 per person, including flights, transfers and accommodation.CAN I GO ISLAND HOPPING?Most Italian islands are linked by boat, but don’t expect a Greek-style network.