Where: Portmeirion, Gwynedd, North Wales, www.portmeirion-village.com.

Why go there: In North Wales, take a day trip to a beautiful Italian village built on a private peninsula on the sea coast of Snowdonia, by Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. Tucked away in the woolly Welsh countryside, the village, built between 1925 and 1975, opened to visitors in 1926. The remains of a 12th-century castle lie in the woods just outside the village.

What to do: This is a place to stroll. About 50 buildings including a campanile, the pantheon, private homes and guesthouses built in the Italianate style surround a central piazza and small lake, enhanced by fountains, gardens and statues. A 19th century, copper Hercules of "Twelve Labors" fame holds up the world near the Town Hall, where a 17th-century ceiling rescued from an abandoned piazza depicts his legend.

Where to stay: The Portmeirion Hotel, overlooking miles of estuary, is an eccentric throwback to colonial times with furniture in the Jaipur Bar from Rajasthan, India. Rates are $245 per night, including hearty Welsh breakfast. Or visitors can stay in guesthouse and self-catering apartments in the village. Rates are at www.portmeirion-village.com/en/accommodation.

Where to eat: If smoked goose salad with apple and pear compote followed by a tranche of salmon piques your appetite, then prepare for lunch or dinner at The Portmeirion Hotel, where the menu is pricey but exquisite. Lunch is from $30 per person; dinner is from $45 per person. Town Hall self-service restaurant is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cadwaladers Ice Cream Parlour serves coffee, tea and wonderfully creamy Welsh ice creams.

Where to shop: The Ship Shop in the village sells Portmeirion's famous flowered tableware.

Reach Chris Oliver at coliver@honoluluadvertiser.com.