Archive for 'Localities'

Cortona is a charming medieval hilltown in Tuscany which is an important artistic and cultural centre. Within the walls of the town, it can sometimes seem as though time has stopped long ago and everywhere you turn, you will see historic architectural gems. However, some of the real highlights of the town and its surrounding area are its churches. The Church of Santa Maria Nuova, in particular, as a centralised square-plan Renaissance church, is a prime example of an important principle of Renaissance construction. Santa Maria Nuova was built by Giorgio Vasari in 1554 and is an example of one of that great architect’s later works. If you’re an architecture lover and have found a luxury villa in Cortona, be sure to stop by and check it out.

Cycling is certainly one of the best ways to discover a new place and it's probably the ideal mode of transport for getting to know Tuscany better. It offers the chance to find hidden gems, get well off the beaten track and to take in the breath-taking landscapes which surround without getting into an accident. You can take your time, enjoy the fresh air and truly immerse yourself in the whole experience. One company, in particular, is all about giving a true experience of Tuscany and offers one day bike tours which explore this beautiful region. This is IBikeTuscany, a small Florence-based company which organizes bike tours in Tuscany, and was founded by Marco Vignoli, a former bicycle racer who wants to share his passion for cycling and Tuscany. If you want to be involved in sharing these passions with Marco, just find a holiday rental in Florence and get exploring the Tuscan countryside.

Massa Marittima is a small town in Southern Tuscany located 50 kilometres from Grosseto. It is a bit of a hidden gem, not well-known to tourists and, therefore, authentic and particularly beautiful. The town offers stunning panoramic views across the surrounding landscape due to its hilltop location, its historic centre has Etruscan origins and many striking buildings from the 13th century, its golden age for architecture, remain in tact. Massa Marittima is also often known as the 'City of Museums' because of its unique artistic and historical heritage, as seen in the variety of outstanding historic buildings and the numerous museums dotted around the town. If you're looking for a corner of Tuscany to holiday in where you can avoid the large tourist crowds of others centres such as Pisa, Siena or Florence, while not compromising on art, architecture, history or culture, just find a holiday rental in Massa Marittima.

Film and Tuscany have a long and rich history. In Florence, in 1895, Filoteo Alberini, born in Orte, had the idea to create a tool for projecting film on screen. While a member of the Military Geographical Institute, in 1894 in Piazza della Repubblica he had the chance to see the Edison Kinetoscope, which shows moving images when you look inside a special wooden box. The next year, he created the kinetograph, a precursor to cinema projectors. Sadly, it was only patented a few months after the Lumière brothers patented their projector and went on to become much more famous and rich than Alberini ever did. However, he did go on to open the first Italian movie theatres in 1901 and founded the country's first film company, Cines, in 1905. He then made the first Italian movie "La presa di Roma," about the entry of Garibaldi's troops into Rome during the Risorgimento. He made the film in Livorno and it was the first of many to be made in the city. So began Livorno's long relationship with cinema, continuing to this day. Find a holiday rental in Livorno, wander her cinematic streets and you'll understand why.

If you've found your luxury villa in Lucca and are looking for things to do but can't seem to escape the easy answers of food, museums and places that attract every tourist in the world (or so it would seem from the lines into such places!), then listen up. If you're after something different, a bit of an adventure, time outdoors and a little bit physical exertion mixed in with fun, then you're going to want to check out the recently opened adventure park in Bagni di Lucca. Canyon Park has opened at Scesta, near Cocciglia, on the Brennero road towards Abetone. It is the first adventure park developed in a canyon in Italy and enables visitors to go rafting on the river, zoom down a zip line and clamber over the wire suspension bridge across the canyon, among other things.