Archive for 'Tourist Attractions'

Come to the Versilia coast where you can find some fascinating old castle ruins and ancient walled towns to walk around and learn about. Stay in a fabulous villa with a swimming pool in the Versilia area of Tuscany for a few days to soak up some sunshine and culture!

Close to the fortressed town of Camaiore in the Versilia area of Tuscany is the partially restored castle of Montemagno.

It was built in the middle ages beside a village of the same name. It overlooked a section of the pilgrim road to Rome, the Via Francigena, running through Lucca into the Versilia plains.

Estimations have the castle dating as far back as 1099 and the private owner of the castle today had it wonderfully restored to include the original walls and the façade of the adjacent San Bartolomeo church.

In 1278 construction began on what was to become the majestic monumental cemetery in Pisa beside Piazza dei Miracoli. Designed by Giovanni di Simone, this fascinating space is home to a large collection of Roman tombs and beautiful 15th century frescoes.

These mesmerising images, many depicting themes of life and death were painted by Taddeo Gaddi, Benozzo Gozzoli and Andrea Bonaiuti to name but a few.

Despite that many of them were exposed to a lot of damage during World War II, they have been carefully restored and are up on display for the public to enjoy once more.

Lucca is a stunning province in Tuscany abundant in history and the many monuments it left behind. In this article we’re taking a look at some of the range of historic attractions in the Garfagnana area of Lucca. Stay in a beautiful villa in Garfagnana close to all the historic attractions here.

Climb up a scenic hill above the village of San Romano Garfagnana to the beautifully preserved fortress of Vernicole. Fantastic restoration works took place here in 1990 and it’s now open for tourists to browse around.

Or spend a few hours in the village of Perpoli which is still enveloped by two walls, the oldest being a low wall built around the highest part of Perpoli village.

Looking to soak up lots of fascinating culture on your next vacation to Tuscany? Then come to the province of Lucca in the north west of the region. There is an abundance of castle remains and fortressed towns here that tell a magnificent tale of Lucca’s turbulent past of territorial feuds and invasions.

After a massive restoration project, the San Niccolò tower is open to the public once more. This historic tower was once part of the ancient walls of Florence. It dates back to 1324 and consisted of three arched floors. Soldiers used to stand guard in these arches day and night. It was designed by the famous architect, Arnolfo di Cambio.

Stay in a comfortable holiday rental in Florence where you can easily come and see this magnificent tower for yourself!

The San Niccolò tower was the only original defensive tower of the city that wasn’t lowered during the Siege of Florence in 1529. The other thirteen towers were lowered as their heights made them easy targets for artillery but the San Niccolò tower wasn’t as the Miniato hill in front of it served as its natural protection.