Archive for 'Localities'

Savoury dishes and gelato are what come to mind when people think of Italian food. They are less likely to imagine desserts other than panna cotta and tiramisù but certain regions in Italy are famous for their desserts and pastries. One such area is the beautiful and historic Siena, which is particularly well-known for her pastries. Traditional and made using recipes passed down for generations upon generations, they are a source of pride for the Sienese. A visit to Siena wouldn't be complete without tasting the specialities on offer so read on and take note! In fact, why not find a luxury villa in Siena, sit back, relax and truly enjoy the experience of being in the area?

You can, of course, get ice-cream – or should we say “gelato” - all over Florence and Italy rather easily. However, now that you're visiting Florence, you don't want just any old ice-cream, you want to be surprised, delighted, you want to have your socks knocked right off! Basically, you want gelato so good that you're ruined for the ice-cream back home.

Or is that just us? If you're on the same page when it comes to gelato, though, read on and take note.

Why not find a luxury villa in Florence and visit all of our suggestions? Your taste-buds will thank you later.

To the west of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Duomo there is a Baptistery which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Construction began in 1152 but was not completed until 1363. Largely Romanesque and Gothic in style it does, however, display Byzantine and Islamic influences as well. Small and perfectly formed and built to allow for exceptional acoustics, it is a symmetrical architectural gem, only a stone's throw from the more famous Leaning Tower. Why not find a villa with pool in the Pisa area and visit the tower and the baptistery, it's lesser-known but equally fascinating and incredibly beautiful cousin?

Palazzo Pfanner stands out in a Lucca, a largely medieval city, as a beautiful baroque palace and gardens. It was begun in 1660 for the Moriconi family, silk merchants and nobility from the town. However, they were then forced to sell the building in 1680 due to a sudden change in fortune and financial situation. The Controni family then moved in. Having recently acquired a noble title, they marked their own change of fortune by renovating and enlarging the building.

If you want to admire the extraordinary job that they did in transforming and perfecting the palace, why not find a luxury villa in Lucca and drop by?

There are certain things in Florence, as in every great city in the world, that are on almost all visitors' itineraries. When in Florence, most will want to see the Uffizi, David, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Piazza della Signoria and, perhaps, the Duomo, but if you are an art, architecture or history lover visiting the city, there's a hidden gem that you need to know about. Stretching from the Palazzo Pitti to the Uffizi is a long passageway, measuring almost a kilometre. Named the Vasari Corridor after the man who designed it, it is a lesser-known and less accessible attraction in the city. If you want the chance to be one of the few who gets to see it for yourself, find a luxury villa in Florence and drop by!