Archive for 'Curiosities'

The University of Pisa is one of the oldest universities in the world and it is also home to a Natural History Museum that is also one of the oldest museums in the world. It has a surprisingly impressive and rich collection that could compete with any natural history museum in the world. If you have found a vacation rental in Pisa and you are looking for somewhere to spend a couple of hours out of the sun and learning more about the natural world, this is a fun and educational spot that is perfect to do just that!

Located in the Pisa Charterhouse (the Carthusian Monastery of Calci), 10km from the city of Pisa in the comune of Calci, the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa (Museo Di Storia Naturale dell'Università di Pisa) was founded in 1596 by Grand Duke Ferdinand I of Tuscany. Originally composed of specimens sent from the Florentine palaces of the Medici and the Uffizi, in particular, it was somewhat fashioned on the German idea of a “wonderland”, meaning that it gathered together a variety of natural curiosities and oddities. This selection of minerals, zoo animals, skeletons, fossils, and more eventually expanded into a proper institution in its own right and became an early example of a natural history museum, which boasted a rich and impressive collection.

Volterra is a beautiful, medieval hilltop town in Tuscany that is incredibly picturesque. Elegant, cinematic, and seemingly untouched by time, it feels as though one has stepped into the past when walking around the pretty cobbled squares and historic buildings. There is a reason that it was chosen as the setting of the Italian headquarters of a very ancient and powerful vampire coven in the movie series based on Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga. However, beneath this beautiful exterior, there is a lot of darkness and the town of Volterra is steeped in local myth and is home to quite a few macabre attractions. Perhaps, another reason as to why it was chosen as the fictitious home of a group of deadly vampires!

If you are intrigued by the more spooky or creepy things in life, a vacation rental in Volterra is a great idea as it offers all of the charm and typical features of a Tuscan town and Tuscan life, along with some fascinating morbid surprises. Head to the crossbow festival in May, the Jazz festival in August, the delicious truffle fair in October, the horrifying and informative Torture Museum, and the site of a witch trial. Or, you could go and explore the abandoned Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra, a crumbling old mental institution that looks upsettingly just like the setting of a very scary horror movie.

Carrara Marble is famous worldwide. It adorns counters in the fanciest kitchens around the world and was the material of choice of the great Renaissance genius, Michelangelo. To this day, the area in and around Carrara is steeped in the tradition of marble quarrying and of parcelling it off to make beautiful things. You can go on exhilarating 4x4 tours through the glittering marble quarries of the region to see where the journey of so many famous art objects and buildings began, you can explore the stunning and exquisitely carved marble gem that is Carrara’s Cathedral and how the material can be used to its fullest and most extraordinary extent, you can wander around the many marble beauties in the town of Carrara, and you can also seek out the exceptionally lovely sculptures made of Carrara marble in churches and galleries and museums all over Tuscany, Italy, and the world.

The Tuscan Coast is less well-regarded and famous internationally than its inland counterparts, from famous cities like Pisa and Florence to its iconic rolling green hills and lines of cypresses. Yet, despite this, it is an excellent place to holiday, offering unbridled opportunity to explore. With a holiday rental on the Tuscan Coast, you can spend time discovering the different islands (each with their own unique characters), the charming and sleepy little seaside villages, the bustling promenades and bright lights of the larger resort towns, the natural wonders of the Orbetello Lagoon and the Maremma, and the absolutely picture-perfect beaches. The area in and around Monte Argentario, in particular, boasts a lot of exceptional beaches. Just find a vacation rental in Monte Argentario and come discover her many incredible beaches for yourself!

Located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, nestled between Giglio Island and the mainland Tuscan province of Grosseto, Monte Argentario was once an independent island but, around 4,000 years ago, two narrow strips of land called Isthmuses formed with water on either side and connected the north eastern and eastern side of Monte Argentario Island to the mainland, making it into the peninsula and comune that exists today.

We have previously written about the Orbetello Lagoon on several occasions. This coastal lagoon is one of Tuscany’s greatest treasures and is a diverse area of marshland that supports a varied and rich flora and fauna. Consisting of 1500 hectares of marshland separated from the sea on the west and east by two 6km strips of land and by the Argentario headland, it is an area that is both exceptionally lovely and incredibly unique near the coastal city of Orbetello. If you have found a holiday rental in Orbetello, there are lots of reasons to set aside some time to go and explore the lagoon but there is one particularly colourful and charming reasons: it is one of the best places in Italy to see a flock of pink flamingos en masse in the wild.