What to expect as the Winter Games begin in Italy...

Outside dirty, slushy streets, a melancholy drizzle and a muggy, uncomfortable atmosphere suggestive of nothing more remote than the crisp, keen, invigorating air that is associated in everyone’s mind

RW heads to the French Pyrénées to discover Pau, the tiny mountain city in love with its rugby team

The French capital is known as the City of Love for good reason, but even with kids in tow, Paris never fails to charm

Simon Kuper World Cup Fever A footballing journey in nine tournaments 352pp. Profile. £20. Jonathan Wilson The Power and the Glory A new history of the World Cup 608pp. Abacus. £25. In 1994, a column

Bill and Kate Morris spend the summer cruising through Liguria, Corsica and Sardinia ahead of work at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games