Art, beauty and a really good cup of coffee… Bettany Hughes goes in search of the good life around Europe

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Roaring around the Arc de Triomphe in a vintage Citroen DS as the sun beats down must surely be the most perfect way to take in Paris.

And it’s the way historian Bettany Hughes chooses to see the city as she sets off on a cultural adventure through Europe, as part of an inspirational new Channel 5 travel series.

'As Audrey Hepburn once said, "Paris is always a good idea’", she explains. 'I’ve always just loved this place; its devotion to elegance and glamour is so inspiring.

'You can’t help noticing the Parisiennes look so super-stylish and full of joie de vivre.'

Oh, la la! Historian Bettany Hughes travels from Paris to Rome for Channel 5's inspirational new travel show

The French capital provides the main backdrop for the first episode of her new four-part series, Paris to Rome with Bettany Hughes.

In the show, the history professor goes in search of what the French would call ‘la belle vie’ or the good life. 

Stopping off at some of the finest cities in Europe she immerses herself – and the viewers - in the art and the culture, the music, the scenery and the food that feed our minds and fuel our senses.

And it’s her day job that makes this journey extra special as fascinating facts effortlessly trip off her tongue, putting everything into an historical context and adding a richness not usually seen in travel documentaries.

A LOVE AFFAIR WITH PARIS

Something's in the air... Bettany tells us the city gained its romantic reputation during the Enlightenment period

Bettany first visited the City of Light in her teens, drawn both by a love affair and a love of adventure.

We never find out if the romance worked out, but her relationship with Paris has continued to this day. How could it not when even the cafes are so special?

Bettany visits Les Deux Magots, a coffee hotspot where some of the greatest thinkers put forward new theories and dared to challenge the status quo.

'For decades their ideas were cultivated right here,' she says. 'They dreamt up all kinds of new and exciting ideas and discussed how the world should be.'

These brains included feminist Simone de Beauvoir and her partner, writer Jean-Paul Sartre.

'They were basically the "it" couple of the day who dreamt up these incredible, radical ideas,' says Bettany. 'That’s one of the things about the café culture in Paris – it’s not just about your first coffee of the day, it’s about having time to discuss new exciting ideas and dream up new ways of being.'

PEACE IN THE VENICE OF THE ALPS

AND breathe... Annecy, known as the Venice of the Alps, is a picture of tranquillity and the ultimate travel destination

But there’s more to the good life than vintage cars, stunning architecture and world-class art - natural beauty can take your breath away too.

Bettany motors down (in a gorgeous 2CV, of course) to the charming town of Annecy whose position, surrounded by rivers and nestling in the foothills of the Alps, means it’s also known as 'the Venice of the Alps’.

The 12th century town itself is a delight but it’s the peace and tranquillity of its huge lake that really draws people to its shoreline. Even Queen Victoria visited on a sketching holiday once a year, taking a steamer boat into the middle of the water to capture the scenery with her watercolours.

'She writes about it, you can tell she was having such a lovely time,' says Bettany. 'She talks about how it was difficult to sketch because the landscape and the weather kept on changing.'

The monarch would also slip off to a neighbouring town under a pseudonym to take the waters, enjoying a rare moment of anonymity.

Queen Victoria, despite all the pressures of state, had found out what truly made life good for her – art, relaxation and being surrounded by beauty.

It’s the same for Bettany – and for us – as she continues her travels over the border into Italy.

COFFEE AND LOVERS

Coffee time! Bettany explores the beautiful St Mark's Square in Venice

First stop is Venice and the beautiful St Mark’s Square – ‘the drawing room of Europe’ according to Napoleon.

And it’s time to learn the country’s strict rules for coffee – milky brews are only allowed for breakfast so you never order a latte after 11am.

It’s lucky Bettany can even get a cup, as coffee was banned for years in Italy by the Catholic Church until a Pope actually tasted some and changed his mind.

She also explores the other great icons of Venice – the gondolas, the Grand Canal and glass of Murano – and even the legendary Casanova, who lived and loved in the city in the 18th century.

'He took the good life very seriously,' says Bettany. 'And, wandering these streets – his playground - late at night, I can’t help but think of him.

'He’s addictively exciting to learn about. He was obsessed with immersing himself in the pleasures of body and soul. He said the whole point of life is to pursue the pleasures of the senses.

Bettany takes us on a tour of Venice with its famous canals, gondolas and Murano glass

'He declared, "I’ve loved women to a frenzy" and he brought his driving passion to everything he did from romance to his writing.

'He was also a really smart man. He translated poems, he composed music and poetry so he sums up the kind of dark passions of this city.'

But the rest of Italy is calling so it’s time to move on with Bettany making stops in the ancient streets of Bologna, the beautiful Amalfi coast and the Bay of Poets.

Travelling, says Bettany, 'can seem very self-indulgent and that you’re just having a good time, but also you come to places to live and to love and to learn and end up a better version of yourself.'

Even if you’re watching someone else’s journey on a television screen…

Paris to Rome with Bettany Hughes starts on Channel 5 and My5 on Friday at 9pm