Archive for 'Museums & Galleries'

Sarteano is a stunning Tuscan town that has long been a bit of a hidden gem. Only recently have its many attractions and boons have become public knowledge to a wider audience outside the region.

The town itself is immediately distinguishable; a lush and green place with a medieval core and topped by its famous giant castle.

The castle is definitely one of the main highlights of the town and is a must-see but there are plenty of other historic and cultural gems to be discovered and explored; from Etruscan tombs to Renaissance palaces and medieval churches to local festivals, Sarteano has a diverse offering of interesting local attractions.

Just find a holiday rental in Sarteano and you can begin delving into everything the town has to offer.

For those visiting the stunning cathedral of Siena, there is another stop on the premises that you won't want to miss: the Piccolomini Library. Another artistic and architectural gem in this great Tuscan Renaissance city, it can be reached when you turn left about halfway along the length of the cathedral's aisle. The Piccolomini name holds a lot of weight and history in Siena. Enea Silvio Piccolomini was a 15th century noble who served as mediator in trying to reconcile Emperor Frederick III with the papal state, arranging the emperor's marriage to Eleonora of Aragon and organising his coronation in Rome and was rewarded by being made the Bishop of Trieste in 1447 and the Bishop of Siena in 1450.

He went on to become a cardinal in 1456 and was elected as Pope Pius II min 1458. A very powerful figure of the time, the library was named after him by the subsequent Pope Pius III, another Piccolomini, his nephew.

We almost all had that phase where we were completely and utterly obsessed with dinosaurs, right? Some digested encyclopedias of knowledge as if they were a comic book, others smashed plastic figurines together in back yards and some visited every museum in sight while others watched Jurassic Park over and over again. For nineties kids, it was pretty much a rite of passage as a child but everyone can appreciate the might and majestic beauty, as well as the intrigue and mystery, of these long gone and long dead creatures.

Dinosaur skeletons are awe-inspiring and reconstructions fascinating and you'll find both in Pisa for the next few weeks. If you're looking for an activity to please everyone in the group – across all ages – find a villa with pool in the Pisa area and head to the "Terra dei Giganti", or “Land of Giants”, exhibition.

Tuscany, and Italy, in general, does not lack beautiful and historic churches to discover and explore. In fact, you could spend a lifetime doing just that and barely put a dent in their great number. However, some boast particular claims to fame; miracles worked there, famous figures buried on the premises, magic hands that helped design them, historic events that happened within their walls, impressive patrons or works by famous artists.

The latter scenario is the case of a church in Arezzo. The Franciscan church of San Francesco boasts frescoes painted in the main choir chapel (the Cappella Maggiore) by the great Renaissance master Piero della Francesca.

If you are an art-lover who has found a luxury villa in Arezzo and are spending time there, this will definitely be one activity that you'll want to pencil into the calendar.

The Ospedale degli Innocenti, in Florence, was established in 1419 as the first lay institution in the world dedicated to infancy and childhood thanks to donations from Francesco Datini, “the merchant of Prato”. It became home to children abandoned by their families for various reasons, generally extreme poverty and those children then received the surname Innocenti. The prevalence of this name today indicates the importance and scale of the institution's work. However, the building that was home to this service, so ahead of its time, is one of the city's major attractions for more than its social and historical importance; it is also an architectural gem designed by the great Renaissance master, Brunelleschi. Now, a new museum is also being opened on the premises this summer that looks to both the past and the future. If you are interested in history, social issues, culture and art, this sight is a must-see as it manages to cater to all of these interests. Just find a luxury villa in Florence and you can visit for yourself.