almond-blossom honey drizzled overcrème fraIche ice cream.

The town of Deià on Majorca's rockywest coast is the dramatic setting for LoResidcncia, a hideaway resort that's pariof Virgin Group entrepreneur RichardBranson's empire. just the place forclients like the royal families of Spain and

Japan, Tom Hanks and Sting, or anyonewho likes to cat well.

The resort's top restaurant, EL OLIVO,

set in an old olive-oil mill, offers foodthat reflects the bounty of the island andthe skills of chef Guillermo Méndez. A

tasting menu might include bacon confitwith prawns on a puree of cauliflowerand mushrooms; lobster ravioli withcoconut and ginger; and rack of lambin an olive crust. The wine list offersBinissalem, a famous Majorcan red.

CORSICA FRANCE

As you negotiate curves on the road to

Palombaggia Beach, outside Porto \Tecchioin the south of Corsica, you may catch a

glimpse of the Hotel Bclvédère. With its

desert-island-inspired architecture, youmay think of Robinson Crusoe. But when

you settle down to dinner at the hotel'srestaurant, LE BELVEDERE, you won't eatlike a castaway.

In warm weather, the place to be ison the waterside terrace, with a lusciousview of the old stone walls of Porto Vec-chio across the gulf. The menu under-

standably Ilivors the sea, with specialtiesthat change daily, like lobster served with

orange-spiced onion jam and escabecheof iongc with coriander-scented olive oil.

In Calvi, on the rugged northwesterncoast, the HOtel La Villa and its restau-rant, L'ALIVU, overlook the imposing forti-fications of the Citadel. Chef Christophellacquier displays a creative touch and acommitment to Corsican ingredients.Dinner might begin with an amuse-bouchc of Corsican morel mushroomswith asparagus and paper-thin ribbons ofham in a light morel jus. Scorpion fish isbaked with olive oil, wild thyme, pota-toes and sea salt. Chestnuts, a Corsican

specialty, show up at dessert: Light chest-nut cream fills a chocolate tuite, which is

topped with candied chestnuts and

accompanied by clementine sorbet.

ELBA ITALY

Officially part ofTuscany Elba is barely sixmiles from the Italian mainland and an

easy one-hour ferry ride from Piombino, a

port south of Pisa. In ancient times, theisland's iron mines attracted the Etruscansand, later, the Medici. But the figure whocasts the longest shadow over the island is

Napoléon Bonaparte, who was exiledthere from 1814 to 1815 and kept himself

busy making laws, building roads and

designing the flag that is still used today.Most tourists head for Elba's capi-

tal, Portoferraio. In-the-know yachtsmen,however, drop anchor in the beautiful lit-tle harbor at Porto Azzurro, then worktheir way along the narrow alleyways ofthe old town to L'OSTERIA DEI QuATrRO

GArn. (Fortunately, the yachtless can getthere by car.) With its three small roomsand nautical-themed knickknacks, the

dining room's intimate scale makes it the

perfect place for dinner for two.The menu reflects the restaurant's

proximity to the sea: Dishes include gnoc-chi with shrimp and fish grilled or bakedand served with seasonal greens. Amongthe best menu offerings is the house-made

tagliolini lightly drizzled with olive oil and

topped with shaved bottarga, the pungent,complex-flavored dried fish roe that's anLlban specialty. The menu warns in two

languages that cacciucco-a classic fish

soup-must he ordered in advance. it's

worth the effort for the richly flavored toma-

to-and-garlic broth brimming with shellfish.

SARDINIA ITALY

Olbia, a port town on Sardinia's northeastcoast, is the entrance to the island's maintourist destination, the rugged and prettyCosta Smeralda (Emerald Coast). Uponlanding in town, most people whisk awayin rental cars, but smart travelers know to

fortify themselves in advance at theHOTEL-RISTORANTE GALLURA.

The first thing you see when youenter the country-chic dining room is athree-tiered table filled with dozens of

platters of antipasti, such as oysters andtruffles with lemon; goat cheese medal-lions rolled in toasted sesame seeds; fried

baby shrimp; and mussels in tomatosauce on 1)i-uschctta. Most people come tofeast on the creative starters and pastadishes for which the inventive chef RitaDenza is known. So when diners whohave had copious antipasti and a serious

helping of noodles are too sated to orderan entrée, Denza doesn't seem to mind.

CAPRI ITALY

Only four miles long and two miles wide,

Capri defines the notion of a high-styleisland. It has been hosting the rich and

privileged ever since the Roman emperorTiberius built several villas there andamused himself by having his enemies

tossed off a very picturesque cliff.The main town, also called Capri, is

a walkable fairyland of designer bou-

tiques and picture-perfect piazzas withfew cars or trucks. Its most beautiful resi-dential street is Via Tragara, which leads

up to the Faraglioni, giant rock sentinels

jutting from the sea. That's where you'llfind the hotel Villa Brunella, and itsrestaurant, TERRAZZA BRUNELLA, an un-beatable combination of elegant decor,

polished service and the warm welcome

only a family-owned restaurant can offer.

Sip a glass of Prosecco and nibble on

crisp-fried, cheese-stuffed ravioli as youstudy the menu-ifyou aren't too distract-ed by the view of Marina Piccola, Capri'spretty little port, and the cliffs beyond. Tochoose is tough: fresh local fish, grilled orbaked; pasta or risotto with shellfish; orthe house special, ravioli Brunella, stuflcdwith ham and Parmesan, Romano andcaciotta cheeses. End with wild strawber-ries in cream and a tiny glass of!imoncello,the sweet liqueur made from Capri'saromatic lemons.

SICILY ITALYEREMO DELLA GIUBILIANA, near Ragusa inthe southernmost corner of Sicily, hasseen a lot of travelers. Built as a mon-

astery in the fifteenth century, it firstserved as an inn during the sixteenth cen-

tury, sheltering Knights of Malta as theypassed through. The modem-day hoteland restaurant opened in 1997, when theNifosì family, local aristocrats, restoredthe property. The monks' cells, now trans-formed into guest rooms, demand not a

smidgen of monastic self-denial.The restaurant quickly developed a

reputation for its renditions of disappear-ing regional dishes, notably focacciarolled around a stuffing of eggplant,tomato and basil or broccoli rabe andricotta. The wheat for the dough comesfrom the Nifosi family's own fields; the

vegetables, from the restaurant's garden.

CORFU GREECE

Corfu, in a strategic position off the westcoast of Greece, has been occupied byjust about everybody over the past cou-

ple of thousand years, including, lately,hordes of northern Europeans looking for

sun. The Venetians reigned for more thanfour hundred years, and an Italian flavorstill lives on in delightful ways-amongthem, the restaurant ETRUSCO, tucked

away in an olive grove, near the town ofDassia. The place takes its name fromchef Etrusco Botrini, who presides overthe kitchen with his son, Ettore. TheBotrinis, natives ofTuscany, brought theirItalian sensibility with them: They maketheir own bread, pasta, prosciutto andbresaola (thinly sliced dried beef); presstheir own olive oil; and even serve localwines from old Corfiote grape varieties.

Etrusco seats only 60 diners a nightfor sophisticated dishes like a terrine oflobster, leeks and caviar; grilled filet ofbeef with a sauce of rosemary, garlic andBrunello; and red snapper stuffed withclams in a crayfish reduction. MonicaBotrini, Ettore's wife, is the pastry chef,

turning out a rainbow of soft-frozen semi-

freddi and desserts like melon-whitechocolate mousse with pineapple sauce.

SANTORINI GREECE

When it comes time to vote for MostDramatic Landscape on Earth, one topcandidate will certainly be the caldera of

Santorini, with its crescent of sheerblack-and-red cliffs embracing a semicir-cle ofblue Aegean.

At the northern tip of the crescent,the village of Oia frosts the land with acluster of white houses, many built bywealthy shipowncrs in the nineteenth

century. One of the most spectacularhomes had been abandoned for morethan three decades when architect loan-nis Zaggelidis began restoring it in 1986.He called it RESTAURANT 1800, and in thecollection of intimate rooms under vault-ed ceilings, you'll see ornate furniturethat belonged to the shipowner. His seachest stands in the entry, as if he were

ready to make one more voyage.The menu focuses on traditional

Greek dishes, including roasted fish and a

mezedes platter with local cheeses. Grilledlamb chops, a Greek classic, are servedwith an original touch: a sweet-and-sour

green apple sauce. All are enhanced bythe view from the rooftop garden, the

perfect spot for a certain wealthy ship-owner to be there in spirit. ..

Portland-based Heidi Yorkshire writes

frequently aboutfood and wine.