Archive for 'Siena'

As we all know how important the location is when choosing where to stay on a holiday, we have looked through all of the villas and apartments on our site and chosen ten of our best located vacation rentals in Tuscany. Here is the next batch.

6. Piazza Del Campo

In the last post, we had an apartment located in the heart of Florence and this beautiful and charming apartment is located in the historic "Piazza del Campo" in Siena, where every year the famous Palio takes place. On the third floor of an ancient, historic building with windows looking directly out on to the “piazza” and on the renowned “Torre del Mangia”, the town-hall civic tower, you couldn't find a better or more centrally located property in Siena.

There are plenty of things to see and do in Tuscany – in fact, there is no shortage at all and a list that one could not complete in even several lifetimes – but alongside the famous churches, galleries, works of art, palaces, museums and other commonplace and famous attractions, there are some more unique and strange sights. Once you have found a luxury villa in Tuscany and are planning a trip, consider these attractions alongside the prerequisite visits to the Uffizi, Leaning Tower of Pisa and Palazzo Vecchio.

6. The Sword in The Stone, San Galgano Abbey

Galgano Guidotti was born in 1148 to a minor noble and was a self-centred, violent knight until he was visited by the Archangel Michael in a vision and told to renounce his ways when he was 32.

The little-known town of Chiusi in the Siena province of Tuscany is a bit of a hidden gem that offers stunning scenery, pretty buildings and a rich history. If you have found a vacation rental in Chiusi and are looking for a unique day out that is a little bit off the beaten track, it really is a perfect destination.

Between the 7th and 5th centuries BC, the area was one of the most important towns in the Etruscan Dodecapolis (league of twelve cities) and was where one of their most powerful kings called Porsenna is said to have been buried in an elaborate tomb within a complex labyrinth in an Etruscan burial site. In his Naturalis Historia, Pliny the Elder tells that the legendary Etruscan king Porsenna was buried in a majestic tomb inside an unfathomable labyrinth, with his sarcophagus laid to rest in a golden carriage that was guarded by golden statues of twelve horses, a brood hen and five thousand chicks, all also made of gold.

With Valentine's Day coming up, you may have been inspired to think a little longer on your loved ones and about spending quality time together.

While cards and gifts and flowers are all well and good, nothing beats making memories that will never wilt, go out of date or break.

So, here are ten of our most romantic vacation rentals in Tuscany in which you can make those memories.

Pienza is a small village in the Val d'Orcia in southern Tuscany. Set high atop a hill, overlooking the Orcia Valley, it has extraordinary views, and is often known as the "ideal Renaissance city”.

The creation of the great humanist Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who later became Pope Pius II, the town was his birthplace, originally called Corsignano. He transformed it into his idea of a Utopian city, what would eventually come to be known as Pienza. If you want to wander the streets of an ideal town for yourself find a luxury villa in Pienza!

The Papal Palace, or Palazzo Piccolomini, is located to the right of the Duomo has a large loggia with hanging garden from which there are breathtaking views across the Val d'Orcia Valley. This is the highlight of the town, the garden in particular.