A CHANGE OF SCENERY | Get away this autumn
Sometimes, a few days somewhere else are all you need.
Explore a city once the summer heat has passed. Visit an island when the beaches have become quieter. Wake up among the hills in the middle of harvest season. Or enjoy a few more meals outside while the days back home are already getting shorter.
An apartment in the heart of the city, a farmhouse on an island, an agriturismo among the hills or a house surrounded by nature keeps you close to your surroundings, with a little more comfort.
Autumn doesn’t have to mean the end of the travel season. In many places, it marks the beginning of a different time to travel.
Autumn gives a destination a different rhythm, different colours and a different atmosphere.
DISCOVER A CITY AT A DIFFERENT TIME OF YEAR
Some cities might be even better after summer. The intense heat and biggest crowds disappear, while life continues to be lived outdoors.
Seville — when the summer heat has passed
Seville can be hot in the middle of summer. There is a reason autumn is sometimes referred to as the city’s second spring. Temperatures become more comfortable, terraces remain lively and its squares and parks once again invite you to spend hours outside.
Walk through Santa Cruz, along the Guadalquivir and through Parque de María Luisa. Choose an apartment or small-scale stay in a neighbourhood where you can step straight out into the streets in the morning and let the city itself set the pace.
Bologna — city and autumn landscape
Bologna also settles into a different rhythm after the heat of summer. Its kilometres of porticoes make it a city made for exploring on foot: from an espresso at the bar to a market, museum or long lunch.
Just outside the city, the hills begin, with the Apennines beyond. In autumn, these two worlds come together beautifully: the cultural season is in full swing, the landscape changes colour and local food festivals celebrate truffles and other seasonal produce.
Ljubljana — for those who want to embrace autumn
Ljubljana is smaller and perhaps a less obvious choice, which is exactly what makes it so appealing for a few days away. Almost everything can be explored on foot, while nature is never far from the city centre.
The markets change with the season too. Pumpkins, mushrooms, apples, pears and chestnuts fill the stalls, while the open-air food market Open Kitchen continues on Fridays until the end of October.
Walk around, taste something, step inside somewhere that catches your eye and see where the day takes you.
VISIT AN ISLAND AS IT CHANGES PACE
Islands aren’t just for summer. Once the high season is over, there is space to experience them differently.
Gozo — Malta
Gozo is only a short journey from Malta, yet it quickly feels like another world. The island is small, its villages sit close together and beyond the limestone houses you’ll find bays, cliffs and a landscape that is easy to explore on foot or by bike.
After the hot, dry summer, the first autumn rains slowly turn the landscape green again. The summer crowds begin to disappear, while temperatures remain mild and the sea stays warm for a long time.
Walk along the coast, cycle between villages or linger in a village square over something local to eat. It’s a lovely way to experience the island at a slower pace.
Where you stay can become part of that experience too. Alongside apartments and small B&Bs, Gozo has many restored traditional farmhouses, often tucked into its villages and with their own outdoor space.
IN THE MIDDLE OF HARVEST SEASON
Sometimes you don’t want to escape autumn at all. You want to be right in the middle of it. An agriturismo or apartment among the hills might then offer just the right amount of outdoor living.
Langhe — Italy
The hills around Alba, Barolo and Dogliani are world-famous for their wine. But there is another side to the Langhe too.
At CasaMatilda, Anna and Fabio live and work on their farm above Dogliani. The orchard, vegetable garden and kitchen follow the seasons. Anna turns part of the harvest into products for La Dispensa, building on knowledge passed down by her mother and grandmother.
Fabio’s background with Slow Food — the movement centred around good, local and fair food, with respect for origin and season — is reflected in the way CasaMatilda works. Their small farm shop sells produce from their own land alongside products made by local friends and makers.
It’s the kind of place where you don’t need to plan too much. Walk, find somewhere good to eat, visit a village and experience what the land is producing at that moment.
EXTEND THE OUTDOOR SEASON
And sometimes you’re not looking for falling leaves at all. Autumn can still feel a little like summer.
Alentejo — Portugal
Around Porto Covo, the Atlantic coast, open landscapes and small villages come together. It’s a place to close the door behind you in the morning and spend most of the day outside: walking along the coast, having lunch outdoors, visiting a village and perhaps dipping your feet into the Atlantic.
Monte do Cerro is a small-scale place to stay a few kilometres from Porto Covo. Its self-contained houses sit within the landscape and the property is run by Maria José da Costa Estevão da Cruz. Surrounded by hills, walking routes and the sea, it’s the kind of place that naturally invites you to slow down.
The season is changing here too. Autumn coincides with important harvest periods: first grapes and later olives. Wine and olive oil aren’t simply things that appear on the table; they are part of the landscape and local food culture.
WHAT WILL AUTUMN LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
Perhaps you want to hold on to some warmth in Seville. Combine Bologna with the hills. Eat chestnuts in Ljubljana. Discover a quieter side of Gozo. Stay in the Langhe during harvest season. Or extend the outdoor season in the Alentejo.
From an apartment or farmhouse to an agriturismo or a house surrounded by nature, choose somewhere that makes it easy to step outside and experience the season.
Autumn gives a destination a different rhythm, different colours and a different atmosphere. Maybe that’s exactly why it’s worth getting away for a few days.