Archive for 'Florence'

Italy is home to some incredible churches, to be sure, and if you're in Tuscany, in particular, you will find lots of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque gems. However, more modern beauties are less commonly found. Among them the Church of San Giovanni Battista or the Chiesa dell’Autostrada del Sole in Limite, in the municipality of Campi Bisenzio. Although formally named after John the Baptist, the latter name is a nickname meaning “The Motorway of the Sun Church” and was given due to the building's unusual location between the Autostrada del Sole and the A11 Firenze-Mare Highway, which was actually chosen to remember labourers who lost their lives while building the motorway. While it is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, those interested in design and architecture will find it intriguing. If you're an architecture nerd that has found a luxury villa in Florence, be sure to check this unusual gem out for yourself.

Recently, the Comune of Florence has published their "Experience Florence" digital brochure that makes for the ideal guide to the city. If you were considering a holiday in Tuscany, it really lays out all of the reasons why you need to find a vacation rental in Florence and make it your next holiday destination. A guide to Florence's museums, culture, events, food & wine, fashion, sport, and more using images, videos and slideshows, it is a handy starting-off point for planning your ideal trip to the birthplace of the Renaissance...

There is no shortage of palaces, gardens, and architectural gems in and around Florence, however, if you have found a luxury villa in Florence, you should make sure to set aside some time for a visit to Villa La Pietra, which combines all of the above. Set in the hills just outside Florence, it is one of the grandest villas in Florence, is surrounded by extensive gardens, filled with wonderful objects, and an extraordinary sight to behold.

Head into the hills around Florence – looking down upon the city, where the noble families of the area, like the Medici had their country estates in which to pull back from urban hustle and bustle and seek out rest and recuperation – and you will encounter a grand entrance and a long avenue lined by cypresses standing tall and proud. At the end of this driveway is a fifteenth-century villa and, arranged around it, 57 acres of olive groves, fruit trees, and incredible gardens.

You imagine a certain kind of rather traditional option for restaurants and coffee shops in Italy but, of course, there are more modern and cutting-edge options available and one thing that we love to do is track down all sorts of different kinds of places to eat on our next trip to various cities. With Florence currently in mind, I was looking at lots of places, hunting for something special, when I came across the magical and appealing interiors of La Ménagère.

Tuscany, with her rolling, picturesque landscapes, excellent food and wine, pretty villages and impressive cities, beautiful coast, stunning buildings, and truly incredible works of art is an inherently romantic destination. It birthed great poets and writers of singular devotion to one beloved such as Petrarch and Dante. It boasts some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world. It is overrun with gorgeous palaces and cathedrals. The pace of life is perfectly suited for focusing entirely on someone special. Really, Tuscany simply is a perfect place to dash to for a little city break for a long weekend or to escape to for an extended getaway with your Valentine.

If you were considering planning a Valentine's getaway in Tuscany together or surprising your love with a
vacation rental in Tuscany this Valentine's Day, you're sure to make incredible memories that will last a lifetime. Here are a list of some of the most romantic things to get up to in this impossibly romantic location....