Archive for 'Localities'

The beautiful Maremma region of Tuscany is a great, somewhat lesser-known holiday destination in the region. It is a coastal area of Italy that boasts a diverse and incredibly picturesque landscape full of natural beauties. For those interested in a variety of beaches, hiking, flora, fauna, and escaping into a new, impossibly lovely destination, a vacation rental in the Maremma or a holiday rental on the Tuscan Coast is a perfect option.

While exploring this region, one should definitely set aside some time for adventures in the Maremma Regional Park, or Regional Park of the Uccellina. Spread across the chain of hills of the Uccellina and parallel to the coast, stretching 25km from Principina a Mare to Talamone, across almost 10,000 hectares, the park boasts romantic ruins of old watchtowers and a Cistercian abbey, sandy beaches, rocky beaches, dramatic cliffs, marshes, pine forests, cultivated fields and pastures, wildflowers, aromatic herbs, berries, deer, foxes, wild boars, over 270 species of birds, and much more besides. There is a wide variety of things to see as you explore the park and a variety of modes in which to so.

Florence is famously the birthplace of the Renaissance and one of the most important hubs of art and culture in Europe to this day. As such, it is an ideal holiday destination for those who are interested in architecture, sculpture, painting, music, theatrical productions, garden design, fashion, and much more besides. If you want to fill a vacation with beautiful treats for all of the senses and some of the greatest artistic works that man has ever produced, then a luxury villa in Florence and a city break in the artistic capital is a must.

Upon arrival, you will quickly find that there is no shortage of incredible museums, galleries, villas, churches, and more stuffed with wonderful works of art to be admired. However, among the more famous names of the likes of the Uffizi and the Duomo, we also recommend a visit to the equally wonderful Museo Nazionale del Bargello, or the Bargello Museum.

The incredible natural beauty of the area is reason enough for anyone interested in a holiday in Tuscany to immediately go browse our listings and find a vacation rental in the Val D’Orcia. This is the picture-perfect Tuscany of your dreams; the lush rolling hills punctuated by medieval hilltop towns, winding roads, lines of cypresses, olive groves, vineyards, and pretty stone farmhouses. It is a place where every vista is picturesque and worth framing, though some particular spots have become especially famous and sought out to be photographed among savvy travellers who are after the perfect shot. One such spot is the Oak delle Checche, a very famous and protect oak tree.

If you are interested in all things traditional, historic, well-made, and beautiful then a luxury villa in Florence is always going to be a good idea. The city, as a whole, is an exceptional beauty that boasts the most extraordinary architectural gems, museums filled with world-famous works of art and stunning objects made in Tuscany throughout history, elegant eateries and bars, luxurious apartments and villas, perfectly manicured gardens, workshops in which incredible goods are still made by hand, lavish boutiques in which you can buy said luxury goods, and much more besides. Tradition is alive and well alongside contemporary life and is embraced by the city and its occupants. If you are interested in dipping your toe into how life used to be lived and experience it, and the beautiful, lasting, non-disposable items that went with it, for yourself then heading to Florence is an excellent plan. Come and buy the most wonderful, unique, and well-made souvenirs from delicious delicacies to leather goods and everything in between.

In the last article, we mentioned the especially lovely Tuscan medieval walled town of Buonconvento, which makes for a perfect day trip idea if you have found a luxury villa in Siena and are spending time exploring the wider province and all that it has to offer. If you are already in the area of Buonconvento and also have a particular penchant for the medieval, then we might additionally suggest swinging by Bibbiano Castle to see a lovely example of a Tuscan medieval castle while you are at it.

Bibbiano Castle is located in a particularly scenic part of Tuscany that is also quite removed from mass tourism and the potential madness of crowds and queues. For those interested in a more relaxed type of travelling and a slower pace of life, it is an ideal destination. Named for the “bibbio”, or widgeon, an aquatic bird that lives in the area, the origins of a settlement at the castle date back to 850 when it was home to the Longobard count Guinigi di Reghinari during the time of Emperor Ludovico II. It was in possession of the Guiglieschi and then the Cacciaconti families until the 13th century, when it was handed over to the Republic of Siena and re-fortified under their rule. After this is was destroyed but then rebuilt in the fifteenth century by its new owner the Cardinal Raffaello Petrucci, according to designs by the architect Baldassarre Peruzzi.