Tuscany holidaysThis stretch of southern Tuscany is chic but discreet – disappear into the dunes, discover beguiling coves and stay on rambling estates amid stunning scenery
More hidden coasts: France | Portugal | Spain | Greece Italians were born for beaches. Summer means serried rows of sunbeds and regimented beach games. It’s all about bonding and strutting your stuff in matching tangerine mankinis.
But relax: it’s not all like that.
Japan's Kinki University changes its name due to awkward English meaning | Higher education
Higher educationJapan's Kinki University changes its name due to awkward English meaningInstitution's name will be changed to Kindai University to stifle giggles and encourage international exchangeLecturers at a university in western Japan could be forgiven for dreading the moment they have to introduce themselves at international conferences. Their institution's academic pedigree is not in doubt – but to the non-Japanese ear, the mere mention of its name is enough to prompt fits of giggles.
John Heilbron obituary | History of science
History of scienceObituaryJohn Heilbron obituaryHistorian of science whose books, including a biography of Galileo, helped to debunk several mythsJohn Heilbron, who has died aged 89, established the history of science as a professional discipline. By getting the history right, he sought to slay enduring myths created by his predecessors, some of which had become embedded in popular culture.
His book The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories (1999) helped dispel the falsehood that science and religion exist in a state of perpetual warfare.
Katie Mitchell, British theatres queen in exile
The long readKatie MitchellHer champions regard Katie Mitchell as Britain’s greatest living stage director – but her critics see a vandal smashing up the classics. After staging her most ambitious work in Europe, can she make a triumphant return home?
Katie Mitchell provokes strong reactions. Some think of her as a vandal, ripping apart classic texts and distorting them to her own dubious purpose. Others consider her to be the most important British director of theatre and opera at work today – indeed, among the greatest in the world.
Paper Towns by John Green - review | Children's books
Children's booksChildren's booksPaper Towns by John Green - review'One of the funniest books I have come across in ages'John Green, Paper TownsPaper Towns is a fantastic, interesting and unique novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I was very eager to read this following how much I loved An Abundance of Katherines, and I decided that I had to read it before I saw the film due to my golden rule: read the book before you watch the film.
The anxiety and distrust will never go away: how financial infidelity can hurt more than an af
MoneyWhether you lie about how much you owe, how much you earn, how much you spend or what you spend it on, sooner or later your partner will likely find out. And it won’t be pretty
When Kirsten was in her early 20s, she and her then boyfriend, later husband, were saving to buy a house. They had been together four years, and had enough that they were ready to see a mortgage adviser.
The best of rural Portugal: readers travel tips
Readers' travel tipsPortugal holidaysLush mountains, meandering rivers and hilltop villages await visitors to Portugal’s understated countryside. But where’s best place to stay, eat and enjoy a vinho verde? Our tipsters have the gen
Winning tip: A chilled white, above the plainsWe had our best glass of Portuguese wine on the whitewashed rooftop of a tiny shop in the medieval hilltop village of Monsaraz, on the Spanish border. Local family winemakers Ervideira has one of the best spots to relax after a morning walking the town’s winding passages, scrambling around its castle and visiting the flower-filled 16th-century church.
The day my husband strangled me
DivorceThree months after we got married, I called the police for help. When I finally asked him to leave, it was in an almost primal push for survival
My youngest daughter Coraline’s favorite book lately has been Shel Silverstein’s The Missing Piece. We read it in my bed at night, then she says, “Can I please have your arm?” So I stretch it out for her to use as a pillow.
10 of the coolest holiday rentals in Scotland
Scotland holidaysWith Scotland back on the holiday map, we pick exciting places to stay, from cabins and castles to treehouses and bothies
Alexander House, Auchterarder, PerthshireTwo converted horseboxes, Thistle and Juniper, have been added to the collection of self-catering and glamping accommodation at the Alexander House estate in Perthshire. The whole place, which sleeps 25, is often rented for weddings and events, but each component – including the wings of the main house and two yurts – is available individually too, plus there’s a heated indoor pool, play areas and a trampoline.
Black and white TVs are a lo-fi rebuke to a world gone wrong | Stuart Jeffries
OpinionTelevision This article is more than 5 years oldBlack and white TVs are a lo-fi rebuke to a world gone wrongThis article is more than 5 years oldStuart JeffriesThe UK has 7,000 households that shun colour television. They may be on to somethingWhen Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson released the first world war documentary They Shall Not Grow Old last month, viewers were entranced by the newly colourised 100-year-old black and white images of old soldiers.