Archive for 'Localities'

If you're planning on staying in a villa with pool in Siena and are looking to explore the area more thoroughly while you're there, there's one particularly memorable way to do so! Why not take a horse-riding tour of Siena? The tour will take you from the centre of the city of Siena and then all through the stunning surrounding Tuscan countryside, allowing you to really take it all in at a calm, leisurely pace.

Surely, it will allow you and your party to make some seriously wonderful memories of Tuscany that you will come to cherish for the rest of your lives! You can have fun, get some fresh air, take some great photos and learn more about this beautiful part of the world.

If you've found a luxury villa in Florence and are spending time in that great city, you might find the crowds of tourists and pace of trying to see everything a little tiresome after a while. Of course, you'll want to see as much as you can and it is worth the lines but it might be worth escaping the city for a little while so you can return revived and ready to tackle the wealth of things to see and do. Why not take a day trip out of the city and get some fresh air by exploring the nearby Chianti region on horseback? A fun and somewhat different way to get around and see things, this is a great way to get some light exercise and to explore both the Tuscan landscape and the wine-making heritage of the famous Chianti area.

There are already plenty of reasons to visit the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Set in the heart of the historical part of the city, the natural flow of the tourists passing through the area, alone, could bring you to its doorstep, even if you hadn't actually planned to end up there! However, it is also an important building historically, culturally and administratively and a key sight in Florence because of its art, architecture and history. Adding to the permanent displays and the building itself are the temporary exhibitions which are often housed inside the Palazzo Vecchio.

Currently, there is a very special exhibition taking place entitled, “The Prince of Dreams. Joseph in the Medici tapestries by Pontormo and Bronzino”, which displays tapestries that were commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici in the 16th century. Shown in the room they were made for and all together again for the first time in over a century, it is a special treat for art and design lovers. Just find a luxury villa in Florence and see these extraordinary works for yourself.

The Church of the Ognissanti, or Church of the All Saints, in Florence is one of the earliest Baroque examples in the city and dates to the first half of the 17th century. It is, perhaps, due to this that it is not a particularly flamboyant example of the Baroque. It is, however, a grand and beautiful building.

This great beauty and historic merit is enhanced by the presence of works inside the building by Ghirlandaio and Botticelli. Off the beaten tourist trail and very much a hidden gem, this is where you should head if you've found a luxury villa in Florence and want to take in some of her art and architecture without lining up for hours to get into a museum

Toulouse-Lautrec is a French artist of the nineteenth century who worked in similar circles to the Impressionists such as Monet. Even if his name is new to you, it is unlikely that you are unfamiliar with his works as they have become hugely iconic. The so-called “soul of Montmartre”, he captured the streets, lights, music and atmosphere of the bohemian Montmartre district in the late nineteenth century. He was an illustrator and engraver and is best known for the posters that he designed for establishments such as the Moulin Rouge. This key figure of Parisian art history is being showcased in a fantastic exhibition not in Paris but in Pisa at the Palazzo Blu which has become more and more well-known for its world-class exhibitions. Any serious art-lovers who are thinking of holidaying in Tuscany will want to find a luxury villa in Pisa and drop by before the exhibition closes in February.