Alex Polizzi's Italian Islands (Channel 5, 8PM)

THE Hotel Inspector who was never afraid to get her hands dirty, or offer some unpalatable home truths to hoteliers, is about to re-join ITV's Gino D'Acampo, of Italian Escapes fame, in highlighting the delights of Italy.

The granddaughter of Charles Forte, the Italian immigrant who founded the leisure and hotels empire, presented Secret Italy last year, and now delves further into her heritage by exploring the culture, cuisine and history of the country's most beautiful islands.

Thanks to her grandparents, Alex has strong emotional ties to the area. First stop is Sardinia, where she introduces aspects of this fiercely independent and alluring island that few viewers will have seen before. She also uncovers more of her family roots.

Aside from its rich and diverse culture, there is a darker side to Sardinia's history, including stories of kidnappings and bandits that have affected the island's reputation in the past. Alex visits the caves that the bandits used to evade capture.

With millions of us keen on living forever, the region might hold a clue: Sardinia is said to boast more centenarians than anywhere else in the world. Little wonder scientists are studying the genes of the locals to find out more.

As Italy is synonymous with good food, Alex is keen to sample the Cagliari cuisine. At a records office, she discovers more about her Sardinian ancestry and her trip becomes a journey through her personal heritage. She also ventures inland to experience the rugged elegance of the Supramonte region, After sampling local fare at San Benedetto market, Alex samples suckling pig cooked by an 80-year-old shepherd, a youngster compared to the 411 centenarians on the island, more than anywhere else in the world.

Out hotel expert meets someone who claims to be the last woman in the world to weave the precious sea silk – a tradition dating back to some of the world's most ancient cultures.

After Sardinia will come glamorous Capri, Ischia, and the Aeolian Islands, before Alex explores Sicily from north to south, experiencing its festivals, learning about its past and listening to the stories of locals.

With this four-parter and Gino's six-part series also featuring the Italian islands many of us will be going online to check out the best travel deals to this part of the world.

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs (ITV, 8.30pm)

LADY and Gemma are a pair of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels who have spent their entire lives in each other's company. Paul O' Grady is keeping everything crossed that they will be able to find a new home together. However, things take a turn for the worse when the vets realise it's not just a new home the ladies need, but new ears as well.

Our host also meets a hungry mongrel called Hector who is eight kilos underweight, and has to be handled with extreme care in case his bones break. Because his stomach has got so small it would be dangerous if he started scoffing down his meals, but trying to stop a starving dog from wolfing his dinner is far from easy. And it doesn't take long before Paul is besotted with Battersea's current longest resident, Baloo, a beautiful Alaskan Malamute.

The World's Most Expensive Food (Channel 4, 9pm)

WHILE most people buy their food in the supermarket, Britain's growing number of billionaires use a private network of luxury food suppliers. This documentary sees how they cater to their super-rich clients in a world untouched by austerity. They include a catering company who charge more than £1,000 per head and a Welsh cattle farmer who massages his Japanese Wagyu cows as well as giving them beer to drink (to improve the characteristic marbling effect in their beef). The documentary also meets etiquette expert William Hanson, who travels the world teaching super-rich foreign clients how to negotiate the minefield of a dinner party.

Viv Hardwick