Ryanair is starting four new routes from London Gatwick in October, these are: Bologna, Faro, Milan Bergamo and Portoand will also increase the frequency of its London Gatwick to Oslo Rygge route to 10 flights per week.

Bologna picture by Flickr User B a m s h a d

 Porto flights will operate five times a week, Faro and Bologna four, and Milan Bergamo daily.

Three weeks is the ideal length of a holiday, according to an online poll of 1,826 British holidaymakers.

The study by Sunshine found 67% said three weeks would be ideal.

“I was surprised three weeks was considered a perfect holiday for the majority, as I really thought it would be longer,” said Chris Brown, the company’s co-founder.

“When we looked more into it, however, we found that 41% thought they would miss home by the fourth week. It’s really interesting to break it down like this and see all the factors that make up a ‘perfect’ holiday for the majority.”

The survey also found that the dream choice of accommodation for most (78%) was a private villa.

The best constant temperature was found to be 28°c, so not too hot but not too cold either.

So, if you are part of the 78% whose ideal accommodation is a villa, check out the main website to start searching!

To get you started, how about a beautiful 3-bed villa on the jewel island of Elba, only 150m from the sea (the survey revealed 100m away from the sea would be perfect, but this is pretty close!). It has 2 bathrooms, living/dining room, verandas on the front and back of the property and a large swimming pool! Check out the Villaseek page for more info and pictures.

Italy has taken tourists and press by surprise by introducing over 150 ‘public security’ laws this month. Agents are being urged to warn clients of activities that could unwittingly land them in trouble on holiday.

The top ten most peculiar laws, not just in Italy, have been published in an article by Skyscanner. These include refraining from flushing toilets in Swiss apartments after 10pm and  a ban on sandcastles in Eraclea near Venice.

One law in Vigevano, near Milan, which bans people from sitting in the shade at the foot of a monument has already resulted in an arrest; and a couple have also been charged with wearing ‘excessively’ noisy flip flops in Italian resort of Capri!

These may seem absurd but the British Foreign Office is seriously concerned that more holidaymakers will fall foul of these laws. It is urging travellers to spend some time researching local laws before their holiday. Travel agents could also help by passing on any unusual customs they may know about.

Other unusual laws include a ban on chewing gum in Singapore, kissing in public in Dubai and smoking tobacco – but not cannabis – in cafes in Amsterdam.

Hi

We’re adding more regions to Villaseek.com, to make it easier and quicker to find a villa. Today we’ve overhauled the Italy section. We’ve added six regions – so now you can go straight to villas in Tuscany, Umbria, the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, plus the lakes and Northern Italy, Rome and Central Italy and Puglia and South Italy.

Let us know if you think we should be adding any other regions. And happy browsing!

Tom K