Shakira has surprised many by giving her baby the same name as her partner Gerard Pique's top football rivals.

Check in at London's Dorset Square Hotel, a couple of minutes' walk from Marylebone station and five minutes from Baker Street Tube.

Justine Tyerman discovers Castelluccio, in Umbria, Italy.

The Boca Juniors home ground, La Bombonera, is designed to intimidate, finds Patrick McKendry.

For anyone considering a trip to a European city, Lisbon perhaps isn't a destination that springs immediately to mind. The Portuguese capital's singular charms, however, are drawing an increasing number of visitors.

When you’ve strolled around the City of Love visiting icons like the Lourve, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and eaten more than your share of fresh baguettes and gooey cheese, here are five off-the-beaten-track things to write home about.

Considering a shopping excursion to Paris? It's a good idea to plan ahead.

According to NASA, the Northern Lights are currently at their most powerful in 50 years, with activity peaking until March 2013.

The Spencer Family have lived in the same house for 500 years; I've been living in mine for 15, yet they don't seem to have accumulated nearly so much clutter, writes Jill Worrall.

Italy's most prominent anti-Mafia campaigner has appeared in court to sue the Mobsters who ordered his death.

In the rocky Croatian hills, Jim Eagles enjoys the comfort of fiery spirits and food.

This intriguing city with Slovakian and Hungarian heritage is next year’s European Capital of Culture.

The southern port of Marseilles is unlike other French cities. That becomes apparent as soon as the visitor steps from the train at Saint-Charles terminus, high above the city.