Archive for 'Localities'

It might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of Christmas (somewhere with more snow is probably more likely) but Lucca is a great part of the world to be around the festive season. Between markets, ice-skating, pretty streets made prettier by twinkling lights, food and general good will and joy, it's got everything you could ask for. If you're thinking of spending Christmas away from home, Lucca is a great option as it is so full of Christmas spirit that you won't feel as if you are missing out on anything at all! You just need to find the perfect luxury villa in Lucca for you and yours so that you're nice and cosy and then start exploring the city and everything that is has to offer at this time of year!

Once you've found your perfect villa with internet in Florence and are planning out what you're going to do while you're there, you'll quickly realise that there is a serious wealth of options – too much to do on a thousand trips there, let alone one! The amount of choices might even be a little overwhelming or intimidating. However, if you're going to be in Florence in the run up to Christmas, there's one thing that you will definitely want to pencil into your schedule and make time for – the Christmas markets, of course! Specifically, in order to have the most Christmassy experience possible, you'll want to head to the German Christmas Market, or Heidelberger Weihnachtsmarkt in Piazza Santa Croce.

In our last post, we discussed a very special exhibition of Italian Renaissance tapestries which is currently taking place at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

However, there is actually a second unique exhibition that is being housed in that great Florentine institution at the moment which is really rather different. In fact, one could say that it is the opposite.

While the tapestries represent the pinnacle of craft and design of the past and the work of European Old Masters, this new exhibit is characterised by an example of fine art by a great American master of the present.

Placed next to the copy of David outside the entrance to the building, is Jeff Koons' Pluto and Proserpina. Be quick to find a villa with internet in Florence so you can see this contemporary masterpiece in the unexpected surroundings of the epitome of the Italian Renaissance!

Maybe you have visited Florence a few times before and are looking to see it from a different perspective. Maybe you have no taste for the conventional tourist trails but have never visited Florence before now. Perhaps you simply have a fondness for Sherlock, mysteries and history. If any of the above apply to you, then you might be interested in a very special tour of Florence run by Accord. A really fun and unique way to see and get around the city, their Historical Whodunit Tour of Florence involves being given a series of clues by the organisers and being left to your own devices and wits to solve the mystery and guide yourself around Florence.

In the town of San Gimignano, in Tuscany, there is a very unusual and special museum. Called San Gimignano 1300, this museum displays a beautiful, large and super detailed miniature reconstruction of the town during the Middle Ages, allowing us to see it as it would have looked like at the height of its splendour. This special miniature was created by a team of artists and architects. Located near the centre of the town and free of charge to visit, it's a lovely way to spend an afternoon, wandering around the exhibit and marvelling at the astounding reconstruction. It's also an especially engaging way to involve children in becoming interested in the history of the area. Just find a luxury villa in San Gimignano and stop by the museum to see how the town used to look.