Archive for 'Central Italy'

For avid cycling enthusiasts contemplating a Tuscan getaway, mark your calendars for a truly exceptional experience this fall – L'Eroica. Autumn is already the ideal time to come to Tuscany in order to enjoy outdoor pursuits as the landscape of famous rolling green hills of the region is even lovelier when dressed in fall colours – making for especially scenic surroundings to admire on your adventures – and the milder weather after the hot summer is more conducive to enjoying outdoor pursuits comfortably.

L’Eroica, meanwhile, takes place on the first Sunday of October each year in the enchanting province of Siena and is an annual non-competitive cycling event that celebrates vintage cycling culture. Participants immerse themselves in the nostalgia of the past by riding vintage bicycles, adorned in accessories and clothing from pre-1987. Combining the thrill of cycling with a vintage flair amidst the captivating Tuscan landscapes, L'Eroica is a distinct and captivating event. And, certainly, cycling fans who book a vacation rental in Siena at the beginning of October won’t want to miss it!

When one is thinking about planning to get around Tuscany, they may be considering the methods of travel that best allow them to make the most of the famously beautiful scenery of the Tuscan countryside and towns and how to admire them as they move about. Among them, one method of travel that may be less efficient and practical when it comes to getting from A to B but is certainly among the best possible ways to soak up the incredible beauty of this part of the world has to be hot air ballooning!

A magical, whimsical, and utterly romantic way to explore the region if you have found and booked one of our stunning villas with pools in Tuscany, a hot air balloon excursion is a must for those who want to make unforgettable memories. 

The thermal springs of Saturnia are one of the most iconic natural wonders that can be found while enjoying one of our Tuscany Villas and have been drawing visitors to the Saturnia area for centuries. Some tourists may not actually be aware of this but Tuscany is a hotspot (no pun intended) for thermal springs and spa towns that have built up around them, with lots and lots of incredible examples to choose from. For those looking to enjoy a holiday in Tuscany full of relaxation, these spa towns and thermal springs only add to the pretty surroundings, good food, slower pace of life, and general serenity that recommend the region as an ideal destination. And, Saturnia, without a doubt, is home to one of Italy's most famous and beautiful natural spas.

Located atop a hill, overlooking the beautiful surrounding scenery and rolling green hills of the Maremma, Saturnia and her thermal springs have been well-known since ancient times for their therapeutic properties. The town is home to two main naturally-occurring springs that can be visited, including the oft-photographed Cascate del Mulino, located a little under 6km outside the town and made up of a series of waterfalls and natural pools of warm thermal water, and the less famous but less busy, Cascate del Gorello. 

Tuscany is famously a region that is rich in history, cultural heritage, and natural beauty. It is a place from which great art has sprung. It is home to some extraordinary buildings and picture-perfect towns. It has long been a centre of learning and knowledge. It is a wonderful place to eat and to taste wine. Plus, all of this is set within a stunning landscape of rolling green hills, endless vineyards, medieval hilltop towns like something plucked from a fairytale, cypress-lined roads, and grand cities. As a result, those who browse our Tuscany villas and come to the region for a vacation will find that they have a truly endless list of extraordinary attractions with which to keep themselves busy.

However, if you are a person who is looking for something a little more offbeat or someone interested in the unusual and macabre, the weird and wonderful, then Tuscany is also an excellent destination. Tuscany, in addition to all of those things for which it is so well known and beloved, also has its fair share of rather strange and unusual tourist attractions that are sure to pique your interest. Here are just a few of the most unusual things to see and do on vacation in Tuscany...

While, of course, there are a range of different Tuscany villas to browse across our websites to suit all sorts of budgets, groups, tastes, preferred locations, desired features and amenities, etc, we cannot help but admire a particular kind of villa: the stunning historic properties plucked directly from our dreams! These incredible gems boast stunning interiors, incredible surroundings and grounds, remarkable characters and histories, and just endless visual appeal. For those who have always wanted to stay in a palace or old manor and get a taste of the lives of ancient nobility, these really are a dream come true! 

An example that we have been admiring lately is the extraordinary seven-bedroom and seven-bathroom Villa Staggia, located 13km (8 miles) from Poggibonsi and 24km (15 miles) from Siena in green and leafy private grounds that overlook lush fields and rolling hills so typical of this magical region.