OK, so the Grand Hotel Trento isn't really that grand at all. I mean, yes, it's grand as in big, but it's not grand as in posh or swanky. In fact, it's more than a little shabby around the edges, redolent even of a cheesy Seventies conference venue. The staff are extremely jolly though and - vitally - it's slap dab in the heart of Trento.

And since this glorious city of just 150,000 inhabitants is such a joy, with wonderful food, remarkable wines, thrilling architecture and absorbing culture, I quickly came to ignore the rock-hard beds, the erratic electrics, the cacophonous plumbing and the permanently AWOL barman (I resorted to clambering over the bar and mixing my own negroni).