Archive for 'Architectural Gems'

Tuscany is home to imposing forts, impossibly pretty medieval hilltop towns, dreamy country villas, staggering cathedrals, architectural curiosities, and much more besides. It is a place where centuries of wealth and artistic innovation resulted in a architectural language, landscape, and heritage that is matched by few other places in the world. If you're an enthusiast or if you're simply just a casual observer, then you're likely to find yourself impressed and often lost for words at the incredible buildings that you will encounter while travelling in Tuscany. While travel is yet a good way off for most of us, we can dream and look ahead to a time in which it is possible once more. And, in the meantime, we can take a look at just five of the most unique architectural gems in Tuscany and start adding the ones that most take our fancy to bucket lists that are, no doubt, growing by the day in this time of social-distancing. Here are our picks of just five of the most incredible architectural feats that you can find in Tuscany, as we see it:

1. Cappella Della Madonna Vitaleta

Nestled among the iconic winding roads and perfect rolling hills of the Val D’Orcia the Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta, or La Cappella della Madonna Vitaleta, emerges like an image too picturesque, too symmetrical, too perfect for real life. This evocative scene has been the subject of endless photographs and postcards and for good reason, it is like an image plucked from the pages of a story book and is an example of a building and setting coexisting in perfect harmony.

If you are a true art lover then you might be interested in art experiences in Tuscany beyond visits to the famous galleries and museums and churches; you may be interested in something more unique and something more behind the scenes. There are, for example, several childhood homes of great artists (like Michelangelo and Da Vinci) that are now preserved as museums and open to the public that you can visit. However, going even beyond the artist into the works themselves, there are sites and locations that have become famous as the backdrops of great works of art, which makes sense as the landscape of Tuscany is painterly in its beauty.

The walled city of Lucca is a stunning medieval gem that is full of incredible buildings, palaces, churches, pretty, little side streets and winding alleys, works of art, cultural hotspots, and historic beauties. If you find a vacation rental in the Province of Lucca or a holiday rental in Lucca, you will quickly realise that just wandering the streets of this charming city, so steeped in history, is a delight in its own right and utterly transports you back in time. However, it is not just the city that is rich in history and culture, the wider province around Lucca is full of little gems and fascinating surprises. One such gem is Massaciuccoli Romana, an archaeological complex that is home to a wide variety of ruins and remains from the time of the Romans including villas, baths, and more.

Located in the municipality of Massarosa, on the banks of Lake Massaciuccoli, the first indications of the Massaciuccoli Romana complex were first discovered back in 1756 though there wasn’t much public interest or involvement from the larger academic world until the 19th, and then the 20th, century. A Roman lead pipe inscription (a Latin inscription that is found on leaden Roman water pipes and which provides information on its manufacturer, owner, and often the reigning emperor) was found in 1770 and then the western sector of another group of structures was discovered in the 1930s, which included a balneum (a thermal plant built for private, rather than public, use) and mosaics, that were deemed to be part of a villa. In the 2000s the work at Massaciuccoli Romana was officially taken up and continued under the authority of the Municipality of Massarosa. The Municipality also opened the site as a tourist attraction and museum in this time period and continue to promote education, research, and excavation on the site to this day.

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.

Not far from Montepulciano, in the rolling, lush landscape of this famous and beautiful wine area in Tuscany, you will find a truly incredible garden. The Parco Villa Trecci is something really special, one of those places that is absolutely breathtakingly lovely. Surrounding the Villa Trecci, a country villa located along the Via di San Bartolomeo, a stone’s throw from Monticchiello, the gardens of the park cover a total area of three hectares and are divided up into different sections such as the rose garden, olive grove, and more. Designed by the landscape architect Adelmo Barlesi and begun in 2014, the Parco Villa Trecci is a feast for the senses, a modern vision of bucolic bliss, and perfect contemporary villa garden. If you have found a vacation rental in Montepulciano and are exploring the area, it is a must-see.

The park, as noted, is made up of different areas and sections including the grey plants garden, the grove, the rose garden, the large graminaceous flowerbed (or flowerbed of grasses), the lake with the aquatic plants and the swamp, the lemon trees glasshouse, and the garden library. It is home to 400 species of plants, almost two dozen varieties and hybrids of roses, lots of different kinds of trees, herbs, fountains, statues, and more. As a result, it is a colourful, beautiful space that shifts, changes, surprises, and delights as you wander around. The herbs, flowers, and citrus plants all give off incredible aromas, insects and birds living in the gardens chirp and buzz, the blooms and grasses in different hues are ruffled by the breeze; it is a living, breathing, multi-sensory experience.