Für diesen Moment lebt er – Paolo ist jederzeit bereit, seine Chance zu ergreifen, sollte sie zur Hoteltür hereinkommen. A 20-minute drive into the hills above Positano brings you to the small village of Montepertuso which offers cooler air, beautiful views and this rather elegant, family-run restaurant. But who cares when you can kick back with fennel pie and raki at Stou Stratou, pick up Natassa Kalogeropoulou’s minimalist ceramics at Kerameio, and listen to Greek folk in the open-air amphitheatre? Go any time of day or night for ice-cream sundaes, excellent cocktails, and a soundtrack to make your heart sing.

I’ve never touched a mandolin in my life (though i’ve always loved the sound) so I’m a blank page - any advice will be most welcome! Classicists come to explore the portside antiquities of Kolona, the hilltop temple of Aphaia (allegedly the template for the Parthenon) and the ghostly Byzantine chapels at Paleochora. Flaunt your moves at Singapore’s largest nightclub, where internationally renowned DJs helm the decks, spinning high-energy sets to keep the party raving till the sun rises. When I started playing I was very tentative - in company at least - and played initially with my thumb (!Tables are laid on a gorgeous terrace overlooking Ravello and filled with punters from around the world (locals too) who flock here for the regional, unfussy cooking that showcases hopping fresh local fish and seafood; standouts include melanzane alla parmigiana, paccheri pasta with red prawns, grilled breaded calamari and hazelnut semifreddo with chocolate sauce. Envisioned by renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the striking aesthetic defiantly blurs the line between art and architecture. With all due respect to Nutsmuggler, the mandolin is an instrument in its own right and not just a “learning tool”. A volcanic explosion blew out Santorini's heart 3,500 years ago, leaving black-sand beaches, vertiginous cliffs in psychedelic hues, and swirling rumors about Atlantis in its wake. A handful of bright and breezy rooms (recently smartened up) overlooking the beach are available for rent.

Gaze down on the glittering expanse of the city from the world-famous Infinity Pool and immerse yourself in a world of infinite possibilities — all in one extraordinary destination.It is also quite good for travelling, it’s the one instrument I take with me to all summer or winter destinations. You're singing nothing but [Woody] Guthrie songs,'" he said, jabbing his finger into my chest like he was talking to a poor fool. There’s still a strong Italian flavour in Ermoupoli’s marble piazzas, princely mansions, and miniature replica of La Scala, the showpiece of a year-round cultural scene. Helming the kitchen, chef Michele De Blasio stays close to his Campanian roots, adding large doses of creativity and technical wizardry in palate-teasing fish and meat dishes that are both familiar and surprising. Evenings kick off with cocktails on the Liston (a colonnade modelled on Paris's Rue de Rivoli), followed by dinner at Salto, an unpretentious wine bar and bistro on the edge of the Old Town.

Follow this with a simply-grilled local pezzogna (blue-spotted bream) and homemade ricotta and pear flan; there won’t be room for much more. Only about an hour’s ferry ride from Piraeus, the unpretentious port (briefly the first capital of modern Greece) has a lived-in charm.Zakynthos, or Zante, has shrugged off its reputation as a destination for lads on tour (as long as you avoid Lagana and the built-up south coast) by rebranding itself as one of Greece's greenest islands. The dramatic scenery still lives up to the hype: milky-white Myrtos beach, the island's pin-up; pine-fringed Horgota beach; and the giddying heights of Mount Ainos, a national park where wild horses roam.

At dusk, all roads predictably lead to Sunset bar for a spritz; after hours, everyone stumbles to cult disco La Luna, where both the décor and music are stuck in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The northern stretch of the Amalfi peninsula is well worth exploring, not least for its plethora of excellent restaurants, and this little family-run place, high up in the hills above Massa Lubrense, is one of our favourites. Our esteemed members enjoy priority access to highly sought-after events and restaurants, and exclusive invites to uniquely curated lifestyle experiences. Those in the north of the island, which can only be accessed by a steep, winding drive through pine groves, are more rugged and windswept but no less idyllic–emerging onto Elia beach on the west coast, with its crystal-clear sea and rickety wooden taverna, is like stepping into a little slice of paradise.The menu, unchanged in decades, is chalked up on a blackboard; grilled mozzarella on lemon leaves is a classic, as is zuppa di cozze (mussels) and grilled whole catch of the day. Hire a boat from Positano to reach this famous beachside restaurant where the emphasis is on fresh, local vegetables (from the De Simone family’s garden) and freshly-caught fish and seafood; the summer dining room, an expansive wooden deck built over the sea, is a perfect place to sample the famous spaghetti alle zucchini. Canny ex-pats have snapped up properties in Pachia Rachi, a stone village with sensational views across the straits to the Peloponnese. Cooing American and Chinese honeymooners line up to take selfies as the sun sinks behind Santorini's caldera, the flooded volcanic crater.