Castello di Vicarello – Italy

This is the stuff of film sets and fairy tales: half a medieval castle (the other stone tower burnt to a cinder in the 13th century) atop a hill of vines and olive groves. Stone steps lead up to a cobbled courtyard, from which arched doorways open into a labyrinth of dark, mysterious rooms. Expect huge sooted fireplaces, stone-flagged floors, vaulted ceilings, arrow-slit windows and enchanting gardens with undulating lawns of cypress and mulberry, and beds of rose, lavender and rosemary. On a clear day, you can just see the sea, a line of blue or silver, glinting on the horizon beyond thick forest.