Access to Greek icon restricted as temperatures soar
The closure, from 1.00 pm to 5.00 pm, aims to protect visitors and workers from temperatures expected to reach 42C across the country.
The Labour Ministry has mandated work breaks for outdoor manual labour and food delivery services in areas where temperatures exceed 40C.
Employers have also been advised to offer remote work options where possible.
The heatwave is forecast to continue until Thursday.
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Times
28 minutes ago
- Times
16 of the best vineyard hotels in Tuscany
With its rolling vineyards, ochre hills and medieval towns, Tuscany embodies that picture-perfect vision of Italy that keeps on seducing the world. In recent years, the region has seen a rise in wine resorts: elegant estates that combine immersive hospitality, bold architecture and sustainable viticulture. Think biodynamic vineyards at your doorstep, cypress trees framing infinity pools, and cellar-to-table dinners under vaulted stone ceilings, paired with Super Tuscans or Chianti Classico. From historic castles to sleek eco-retreats, these estates offer a full-bodied experience of the Tuscan dolce vita — with a generous pour of terroir, tradition and taste. Cin cin. • Best for value Castello di Fonterutoli• Best for luxury Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco• Best for green stays Borgo Pignano • Best for couples Castello di Vicarello • Best for foodies L'Andana• Best for families Castello di Meleto This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue £££ | POOL | Best for organic luxe When Sarah di San Bonifacio left Goldman Sachs in London to plant seven hectares of organic vines in the Tuscan Maremma, her intention was not to create a wine resort with her husband, Manfredo, but rather a place she and her family could 'spiritually detox'. Twenty-odd years later, they have a couple of award-winning Super Tuscans — Docet and Sustinet IGT — to their name, a seven-suite hilltop retreat of impeccable chic (vintage leather chairs, four-poster beds and Asian antiques predominate), and an array of activities to calm even frazzled City types. Private yoga, meditation, ayurvedic massage, mountain biking and truffle hunting are all on the (ethical, sustainable) menu.££ | POOL | Best for local flavour This 16th-century patrician villa — the rural residence of a Florentine merchant — deep in Chianti country has lately become not just a culinary destination, but also the progenitor of an excellent cooking school. David Gardner and Catherine Storrar were restaurateurs before deciding to restore the derelict Villa Bordoni and create a boutique hotel (the vineyard, Tenuta di Monte-Ficali, came later). Rustic in style, the cosy bedrooms are big on texture — Baldacchino bed canopies, velvet drapes — as well as charm: ask for the sweet Cappella, in the former chapel. The restaurant, in the original villa kitchens, is gourmet without the fuss: seasonal standouts include an epic bistecca alla Fiorentina and a fine chitarra with a Tuscan ragù. • Read our full guide to Italy ££ | POOL | Best for the light touch Dievole has been making wine since the year 1090, on and off; today, it has 16 working vineyards across 80 hectares north of Siena. Its latest project, the transformation of an 18th-century hamlet into a luxe wine estate, is, in design terms, an unqualified success. Architect Carlos Hartmann has reimagined Dievole as a creamy dreamscape: ceilings are whitewashed, floors are stone, bathrooms marble, and furnishings and linens the lightest shades of pale. Pops of colour come from the Medici-style still-lifes on the wall. Ristorante Novecento is already making waves, with a menu that majors on seasonal fruit and veg, local cheeses and meats — and, of course, Dievole's award-winning olive oil. £££ | SPA | POOL | Best for all-out luxury In the heart of the Unesco world heritage site of Val d'Orcia, Castiglion del Bosco might be a 5,000-acre working estate producing Tuscan wines of note but, more importantly, it's also a drop-dead-gorgeous luxury resort. This 900-year-old borgo has been tweaked to World of Interiors standards while retaining a deep sense of place: the 42 suites and 11 villas in restored farm buildings are a model of rustic opulence. Its executive chef creates delicious menus with a focus on terroir, the spa has a luxe line in treatments — and the vines yield 250,000 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino each year.£ | POOL | Best for living like a local There's a lovely, low-key feel to this medieval village at the heart of the Mazzeis' chianti classico estate, with 16 simple rooms and suites, plus four traditional apartments, renovated for guests, with vaulted ceilings, terracotta floors, family antiques and spectacular views. They've been making wine here for 24 generations — now they're turning their attention to hospitality, allowing you to live like a local with the added perks of tours and tastings, cooking classes and horse riding on offer. The Osteria offers heritage dishes made with seasonal local produce, focusing on wild game from the estate.££ | SPA | POOL | Best for a summer residence The Tuscan Maremma is still one of the best-kept seaside secrets outside Italy. Just a ten-minute drive to the coast, rural L'Andana is perfectly placed to enjoy the yacht-club glamour — but run for the hills when the heat is on. La Villa, a former Medici residence where Grand Duke Leopold II summered with his court, has 33 rooms in the main villa, 14 in La Casa, ten at Il Granaio, which can be converted into five two-bedroom apartments, and a four-bedroom private villa with its own swimming pool. They have been reimagined by starchitect Ettore Mocchetti, former editor of AD Italy, to create the kind of refined boho style loved by the cool international crowd. Acquagiusta wines, an Espa spa and the Michelin-starred Trattoria Enrico Bartolini all add up to a super Tuscan experience. • Read our full review of L'Andana £ | POOL | Best for blessed peace This ancient Benedictine abbey has a long history of viticulture: a recent archaeological dig unearthed Romano-Etruscan grape seeds more than 2,000 years old. Today Badia a Coltibuono has four simple apartments and a handful of rooms (formerly the monks' quarters) in perfect isolation in the Chianti hills. Up here, time stands still — and you can, too. Rest in the shady cloisters, picnic among the vines, and explore the ancient cantinas. Tasting highlights in the wine library include a mellow vin santo; and don't miss the excellent organic olive oil. • Best hotels in Tuscany• Best things to do in Tuscany££ | SPA | POOL | Best for total immersion When Ferruccio Ferragamo, one-time chairman of the Ferragamo fashion house, took over Il Borro, he described it as a 'timeless act of faith'. There's a sense of total immersion when you pass through the gates of this restored medieval village, a 12th-century stronghold in the upper Valdarno that maintains a strong sense of historical authenticity — albeit sprinkled with Ferragamo fairydust. The style is country chic — natural materials, neutral tones and solid antiques — throughout the 58 suites and three villas. Along with wine tasting, Il Borro offers courses in shoe-making and jewellery-making; the Vino & Arte gallery has a collection that includes Picasso, Rembrandt and Warhol.£ | POOL | Best for boutique bacchanalia With just five rooms, this has to be one of Tuscany's tiniest wine resorts, but three metres beneath the 16th-century villa is a vast nerve centre: a labyrinth of cantinas, tasting rooms and wine libraries carved into the rock. Since 1975, when the estate produced its first label, Capannelle's ascent has been stratospheric. Above ground, all is peaceful in the elegant gardens, sprawling vineyards and patchwork olive groves. The four bedrooms and one suite are solidly trad — oak-beamed ceilings, tile floors, chintzy furnishings and wrought-iron chandeliers — while the farmhouse breakfasts of home-cured prosciutto, salami, cheese and pastries are epic.££ | SPA | POOL | Best for soaking up nature Borgo Scopeto is a world unto itself. There's pretty much nothing this wine relais in a pristine 14th-century village north of Siena does not do. Its own line of cosmetics? Check. Beekeeping? Check. Organic vegetables? Check. And of course a range that includes chianti classico, vin santo, grappa and olive oil. Fifty or so rooms are scattered between neatly restored buildings, surrounded by manicured lawns, tennis courts, swimming pools and a spa. Staff can organise not just the usual biking, hiking and riding but go-karting, Nordic walking and vintage car hire too.£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for Tuscany and beyond Lost in the Maremma, Castello di Vicarello is an extraordinary place: a 12th-century stronghold that might look like it has leapt from the pages of a fairytale, but inside is a contemporary tastemaker's dream. Carlo and Aurora Baccheschi Berti worked in fashion, textiles and furniture before bringing their style to bear on what was a crumbling wreck. The ten gorgeous suites are a mix of Indonesian day beds, 1920s Florentine club chairs, eastern art and Persian carpets. Suite Chiesina, with its shaded pergola, is our favourite. The wines of Carlo and his son Brando are gently making waves, while spa treatments showcase the garden's herbs and flowers.££ | POOL | Best for female forces Though the Folonari wine estates bear the name of father and son Ambrogio and Giovanni, it's the women who are the driving force behind this Greve relais de charme. Mamma Giovanna, with the help of daughters Francesca and Angelica, has transformed the borgo's golden-stone farm buildings into a contemporary 11-room retreat with a rustic edge. Rooms are large and light: whitewashed beams and ivory linens add a sense of refinement, while furniture and artworks are sourced from Tuscan brocantes. This is an oenophile's dream: spend lazy days tasting eight generations of winemaking experience across the family's six estates.££ | POOL | Best for style surprises It might look like a typical Tuscan farmhouse from the outside, but step through the door of the splendidly named Poggio Piglia, midway between Siena and Assisi, for sophisticated surprises. Traditional wooden beams and exposed stone are offset by Philippe Starck furniture, funky lights and contemporary art installations, with whirlpool tubs and four-poster beds in the best of the nine rooms — the result of seven years of work by the Marzeglia family and architect Barbara Spanò. Sample the estate sangiovese and olive oil in the onsite restaurant.£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for super-sustainability An organic oasis 45 minutes from Siena, the Borgo Pignano estate was brought back to life over 20 careful years by Welsh philanthropist Michael Moritz and his wife, Harriet Heyman. It has flourished, becoming a boutique hotel with a collection of simply furnished rooms and apartments — family antiques, faded frescoes, traditional textiles and canopy beds prevail — a pair of restaurants (including the Michelin green-starred Villa Pignano), and two swimming pools. But it is the 750 acres of sustainably farmed land of which they are perhaps proudest — and the vines that are now bearing fruit, producing new wines including an excellent Rosso del Guardia red. Read our full review of Borgo Pignano£ | POOL | Best for family fun Choose from family-sized apartments in the borgo or one of the romantic rooms in this fairytale castle with its roots in the 13th century. It's a laid-back kind of place with a storybook feel. Child-friendly activities on offer include visits to the bee park and guided cycle rides around Gaiole. Adults can tour the estate in a 4×4 with the resident agronomist, learn to blend their own wine or take yoga classes in the open air. Life feels very simple here: enjoy it.£££ | Best for world-class art Art can be an afterthought even in Italy's finest hotels. At Lorenza Sebasti's Castello di Ama, a hilltop hamlet outside Gaiole, installations by some of the greatest contemporary practitioners — Anish Kapoor, Louise Bourgeois, Daniel Buren — are front and centre, along with a world-class chianti classico by winemaker Marco Pallanti. Stay in one of five antique-filled suites in the 18th-century Villa Ricucci, eat on the balcony of the neighbouring Villa Pianigiani and follow the extraordinary art trail, masterminded by San Gimignano's Galleria Continua, winding in and out of the estate's 200-acre vineyard, down to the wine cellars and into the ancient • Best vineyard hotels to visit in France• Best Napa Valley vineyards Have we missed any? Let us know in the comments
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Kourtney Kardashian, 46, hilariously slams follower who accuses her of looking pregnant in a bikini
Kourtney Kardashian has clapped back at a follower for talking about her body. A fan suggested that the reality TV star might be pregnant again after seeing a photo of her Instagram taken while she was on vacation in Portofino, Italy. The selfie photo was of a reflection of the POOSH founder. It was hard to make out, but it definitely showed Kourtney in a black bikini. The 46-year-old star's midsection looked small so it was difficult to understand why the follower felt Kourtney was pregnant again. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians veteran read the comment and reacted strongly. 'Or breastfeeding, eating gelato, foccia, pasta, not working out and living my best damn life baby!' said the daughter of Kris Jenner. Just last week, The Kardashians star was pictured enjoying a sweet treat with her kids in Portofino, and several days ago, she took to social media to share photos of the lavish birthday celebration she threw for her daughter Penelope's 13th birthday in Italy. For their daytime outing, she put on a casual-chic display as she paired a black, long-sleeved shirt with taupe-colored leggings, knee-high socks and dark sneakers. The musician wore his signature, all-black outfit as he paired a graphic T-shirt with cut-off sweat shorts and low-top sneakers. She and the drummer sported nearly-identical, rectangular-shaped sunglasses as they strolled out of the cafe. On the same day as her and her husband's Calabasas lunch outing, the Lemme founder also shared a series of snapshots from their trip abroad alongside the caption: 'When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie.' She shared a number of photos of the moonlight shining over the waters in front of their beachfront hotel mixed in between snapshots of her and her kids as well as special details from their getaway. She included a fun photo of Barker wearing a pair of oversize, flower-shaped sunglasses and a picture of the decadent, gluten-free fruit tarts they enjoyed during their time in Portofino. Sharing a peek of their other activities and excursions, she also posted snapshots of stunning views of the idyllic town Sharing a peek of their other activities and excursions, she also posted snapshots of stunning views of the idyllic town. Kardashian and her family recently spent about a week in Portofino and celebrated her daughter's 13th birthday as she marked her second child becoming a teenager. A little over a week ago, she was pictured sampling the local cuisine with Barker, their 18-month-old son Rocky, and her daughter Penelope, whom she shares with ex Scott Disick, 42. In addition to Penelope, she also shares Mason, 15, and Reign, 10, with her ex-boyfriend. The Poosh founder and the musician were seen having dinner in the picturesque village, located on the Italian Riviera. Shortly afterwards, she took to Instagram this week to highlight the special occasion of her daughter Penelope becoming a teenager and express her gratitude for motherhood. 'My daughter is 13 today,' she wrote over a photo of a floor covered in balloons. 'My heart is exploding with gratitude and love for her. Kourtney is already back in Los Angeles. She was seen on Thursday in Southern California with her husband Travis Barker stepped out for lunch with their son Rocky. After landing back in sunny SoCal, the reality TV personality, 46, grabbed a bite together at La La Land Kind Cafe before enjoying a stroll through The Commons in Calabasas. Putting on a sweet display of affection, she had her hands intertwined with her husband's as the Blink-182 drummer, 49, carried their one-year-old son. The pair were supporting Barker's stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya's matcha lemonade drink collaboration with the cafe. 'I am so indescribably grateful for my sweet girl,' Kardashian wrote over a photo of a balcony view. 'She inspires me every day to be a better person.' The mother-of-four, who also shares toddler Rocky with husband Travis Barker, also noted the trip was extra special for a sentimental reason. 'My parents spent their honeymoon here 47 years ago, so special to get to bring my daughter here,' she typed over another image featuring a riviera. It comes one month after Kourtney used social media to share that she was 'crying bc my baby girl is done with 6th grade.'
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Why has there been a surge in water pollution?
Why you can trust Sky News After years of protest, promised action, and bill increases, it would be reasonable to expect the sewage scandal to have improved. In fact, it's done the complete opposite: A 60% increase in pollution incidents between 2023 and 2024. Water firms admit they're not doing well enough, but point out, correctly, that 2024 was a wet year. Wet weather means a greater likelihood of sewage spills from pipes that carry both rainfall and sewage. Environment Agency data reveals that the excuse doesn't wash. 1:56 Serious pollution incidents are up 30% since 2016. And this is the third consecutive year in which they've increased. Their latest report reaffirms what we already know: Persistent underinvestment and poor asset maintenance are why the sewage system can't cope. The share of the problem varies widely from company to company, with United Utilities and Northumbrian Water having the fewest pollution incidents. Then it's Southern, Anglian, and Thames Water, England's largest water firm, topping the pollution pop charts. There was some good-ish news. Transparency seems to be improving almost across the board, with more companies "self-reporting" pollution incidents than ever before. It's notable, however, that for the 11 most serious - Category 1 - pollution incidents in 2024, only four were reported by water companies themselves, the other seven by third parties. It's easy, of course, to blame the water companies. But the Independent Water Commission, due to report next week, is expected to call for a radical shake-up of the sector, including the possible dismantling of water regulator Ofwat. The buck, ultimately, rises higher than that before stopping. Successive governments pressured Ofwat to keep bills low, yet denied it the power to limit water company financial engineering. The resulting lack of real engineering - of our sewers and water supplies - has left a problem for which there can now be no quick or cheap fix.
