Archive for 'Must See Attractions'

The Cappella Bacci is a chapel located in the apse of 14th-century Basilica di San Francesco, a single-nave building in Arezzo dedicated to St Francis and built reflecting the values typical of the mendicant orders of the day.

Work was begun in the second half of the thirteenth century and completed in the fourteenth, with a campanile added in the sixteenth century. Both exterior and interior are somewhat grave and austere, though the interior is a richer and less intensely pared back place.

The exterior is expressed with a roughly textured stone facade without any real ornamentation, while the interior is accented with niches containing fourteenth-century and Renaissance ornamentation and Gothic chapels.

One among these chapels is particularly famous: the Bacci Chapel, and the reason for its recognition and fame? It is home to a cycle of incredible frescoes by the famous Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca. Just find a luxury villa in Arezzo and drop by to see it for yourself.

One of the great beauties of Tuscany is a beach that may have escaped your attention. Cala Violina is one of the best beaches in the country and endlessly tops lists that back this claim up.

A stunning soft white sand half-moon cove, it is located in the Golfo di Follonica right in the heart of the Riserva Naturale delle Bandite di Scarlino and the Le Costiere di Scarlino Area Naturale Protetta di Interesse Locale. As such, this Maremma gem is rather unlike many of Italy's other more built-up beaches in that it is completely unspoiled.

Most beaches in Italy require fees to be paid for their use and the use of their special facilities but Cala Violina is a “spiaggia libera", (literally a “free beach”) a public beach, that is devoid of the rows of bars, sunbeds and parasols that dot other shores.

Lari is a small hilltop village located around 30 km from Pisa, that is thought to have been founded by the Etruscans. Its most distinctive feature is the castle that sits at the centre of the village and looks out over the whole area. Most of the present day castle dates back to the first half of the 17th century but records show that a castle has stood in the area since before 1200. It was an incredibly important military stronghold of the Pisan Republic and was caught up in the disputes between Pisa and Florence. When the Florentines took over in 1406, it became the residence of the vicars and was installed with a court room, prison and torture chamber. The prison was enlarged in the 18th century and remained in use until 1934. It was only in 1991, that the Municipality of Lari began restoring the castle and it was then opened to the public as a historic tourist attraction.

As one might imagine, a history filled with punishment, crime, death and torture has lead to a history of ghost stories and the town, at large, is also steeped in some spooky tales. Lari Castle is said to be haunted by the spirit of Giovanni Princi, a man who found hanging in his prison cell in 1922 after being jailed for his political views.

Natural disasters, emigration, accidents and other unexpected events have led to the creation of quite a few ghost towns around Italy. However, the Italian iteration of the ghost town is often far more beautiful than their counterparts worldwide. Ghost towns are always intriguing and fascinating sights that people positively itch to explore but these Italian towns also capture hearts with their incredibly picturesque settings and poetically decaying buildings.

A good Tuscan example for those exploring the region and looking for an attraction that is a little different or for those intrigued by such things is the town of Isola Santa. Located near the Versilian Coast, just find a vacation rental in Versilia and drag yourself from the beach long enough to spend a day exploring this fascinating ghost town.

In our final post in this series, here are two more architectural gems that one might make time for when exploring the incredibly rich culture and artistic heritage of the region. Of course, there are many other wonderful examples of great architectural feats all around Tuscany but these are some of our personal favourites and are, largely, somewhat less well-known than the most famous works that every tourist seems to flock to magnetically. Fnd a luxury villa in Tuscany and explore these delightful structures for yourself.

Florence, of course, is packed to the gills with artistic and architectural gems. However, one of the most striking and theatrical is the Laurentian Library. Home to the most important and prestigious collection of antique books in all of Italy and one of the greatest scholarly legacies left behind the Medici family that is still in existence, it was born of the passion of Cosimo the Elder.

As he was an avid collector, it became necessary in 1523 for Pope Clement VII (Giulio de' Medici) to commission a new library to house the massive collection.