This summer, life under the Tuscan sun lost some of its shine. There's nothing romantic for farmers watching the mercury rise up and over 40 degrees daily - for the sixth successive week.

In our second debate on the Electoral Commission's recommendations for MMP, Graeme Edgeler and Muriel Newman put the arguments for and against reducing the threshold. Join the debate and leave your comments at the end.

Diana Balham cruises through a danger zone without a scratch.

Anne D'Innocenzio discovers a love for river cruising on an eight-day trip on the Rhine, starting in Basel, Switzerland and ending in Amsterdam.

An ancient tapestry reveals a distant family connection, writes Jim Eagles.

Kate Simon is introduced to the South Devon coastline by marine biologist and colourful local personality, Monty Halls.

Liz Light visits Vienna and learns about the man behind the famous Kawakawa toilets, and the soon-to-be-built Whangarei Arts Centre.

Matthew Bell experiences some Old World glamour in the stately surrounds of Tuscany's Castello di Casole.

Doug Conway discovers Scotland has a rich cinema history as a location for films like BraveheartThe 39 Steps and even a classic Connery James Bond flick.

Kate Simon and her family use peddle-power to travel Catalonia's Via Verde, a converted railway line that passes through a landscape that feels Alpine and Mediterranean in turns.

Kate Simon discovers that the active trail that weaves its way through Newcastle exercises the mind as well as the body.

Internet giant's map showed Kiwi boy lying on road, car advancing during school drill.

The medal ceremony for Valerie Adams is to be held in front of a select audience of competition winners and VIPs, despite calls for a public celebration of her gold victory.

Phoebe Falconer visits a museum with a difference on the grimy side of Rome.

Kayaking, mountain-biking, bridge-jumping, paragliding - as Simon Calder discovers, Slovenia is a mecca for extreme adventures on land and water.

Adrian Mourby develops his yoga sea legs aboard a five-masted clipper sailing from Spain to Italy.

There is no city in the world that's easier to get lost in than Venice, as Doug Conway discovers.

To mark the Herald relaunch we're taking an in-depth, week-long look at what it means to be Kiwi. Today - why we choose NZ over anywhere else on the globe.

Dingle Peninsula, because of its isolation and less intensive forms of modern farming, has one of the richest concentrations of archaeological sites in Ireland.

If you're into the macabre, the Scottish capital is the place to be, writes Colin Hogg.

This windswept peninsula on Ireland's west coast has one of the richest concentrations of archaeological sites in the country.