However, long gone are the days where we baste ourselves with oil, park under the sun and cook our skin until it turns a golden brown. Its been a well known and received fact for a while now over exposure to sun can lead to extreme skin damage consequently accelerating the aging process and increasing our risk to melanoma or skin-cancer (I think we will stick to the fake tan).

The strength of the UV rays go beyond penetrating the outer surface level layers of the skin or the squamous cells, and pass through to the deep layers: hitting the basal cells and the melanocytes where they can be severely damaged or destroyed and inhibit the production of new skin cells and pigment.

Going beyond sunscreen as a front-line battle weapon, we need a little extra help when staying in these sorts of sun-drench destinations.

Mayella’s Vitamin C Lift Serum boasts a light formula that is extremely efficient in the production and stimulation of the proteins collagen and elastin which can be lost in the process of skin damage. It is also particularly effective in wound healing including acne and scar reduction as well as mitigating the occurrence of pigmentation from sun damage when combined with Mayella's Vitamin B Lotion. The Vitamin C Serum can be applied before as a layer of defence, or alternatively as an after-sun treatment as it can act as a calming agent for inflammation. Perfect to use after sun exposure to calm the exposed skin as well as repair from UV radiation.

Extra

• Old fashion slip slop slap: Sun protection, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
• If you really want that golden glow use a good fake tan - sun exposure that doesn’t leave any visible effects can still damage the skin.  

1. While most active volcanoes reside in the Pacific Ocean region, Italy is home to Europe’s two most active volcanoes: Mount Etna which is best remembered by the devastation it left on Pompeii in 79AD causing over 10,000 casualties, and Mount Vesuvius which is located on the eastern shore of Sicily and is Europe’s highest volcano. But not to worry, there hasn’t been an eruption in over 70 years.
2. Legend has it that the globally beloved dish of pizza was invented for Italian King Umberto I and Queen Margherita in Naples. Dating back to the late 1800’s it’s conception recipe included fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil. Margarita pizza, anyone?
3. There is nothing quite so cliché but so picturesque and authentic as seeing a cluster of suave Italians standing around a café bar top drinking their beloved espresso shots and coffee. They all seem to either have a chat to the barista, their neighbour or enjoy a moment of stillness before moving onto their next task in the day. Over 14 billion espressos are consumed in Italy each year. Even if you don’t like coffee, you must enjoy an espresso just to get apart of the action.