Archive for 'Parks & Gardens'

The Villa Reale, or Villa Marlia, is one of the many beautiful historic estates located in the Tuscan countryside. There are lots of wonderful villas in the area around Lucca, in particular, and this property in an area called Marlia is especially lovely.

A former royal palace with extensive and stunning gardens, it is filled with surprises around every turn and if you have found a luxury villa in Lucca, it is the perfect place to head off for a day trip.

Exploring the grounds, alone, will take up to two hours and if you want to picnic in the gardens (which we recommend) or visit the villa (although it is currently closed for renovation work), you will need additional time. Off the beaten tourist track and away from intense crowds but full of things to see and do, it is the ideal place to wander at your leisure and truly enjoy your downtime while on holidays.

Capraia, the third-biggest island in the Tuscan Archipelago and the farthest from the coast at 54 km from Livorno. Almost all of the island is a protected National Park and there are only two settlements so, while there are places to eat and shop, the reason most come to this beautiful place is to enjoy its incredible natural bounty and outdoor pursuits. If you are a nature-lover looking to well and truly get away from it all, then find a vacation rental on the Tuscan Coast, or a vacation rental in Livorno, get up early and take the three hour ferry to the island, and spend time exploring this remote slice of paradise on earth.

Isola di Capraia – or, simply, Capraia – is a small island located off the coast of Tuscany that is a protected national park status and unspoiled natural gem that is abundant in wonderful views, perfect for adventure and rich in wildlife. If you have found a holiday rental on the Tuscan Coast, it is well worth planning a day trip to this lovely mass of land to explore, soak in the natural beauty and get far, far away from real life.

In the last post we were discussing Pisa and why it is such an excellent place to visit...In fact, we began listing just ten of the many reasons as to why you should find a luxury villa in Pisa and plan a trip right away. Here are the other five to complete the set...

6. Palazzo Blu: Palazzo Blu is one of Tuscany's artistic highlights and is an excellent art museum located right in the historic heart of Pisa. Home to both an excellent permanent collection – featuring works by the likes of Artemisia and Orazio Gentileschi, Benozzo Gozzoli and Umberto Vittorini – and important temporary exhibitions throughout the year – Dali, Lautrec and Escher have all been showcased in the last couple of years, it is a wonderful place to get a taste of the great tradition of art in Tuscany.

7. Borgo Stretto: This is a popular pedestrian shopping street filled with charming historic buildings, stores, eateries and cafés. Ideal for wandering, doing a spot of shopping and grabbing a bite to eat, it's an idyllic and typical pretty Tuscan cityscape to spend some time in.

A post shared by jillkellett (@jillkellett) on Apr 20, 2017 at 4:06pm PDT

Tuscany is full of grand gardens and is full of excellent art collections but there are also several places that combine the two things. One of these makes for a perfect day out for those who find a vacation rental in Maremma, the Giardino di Daniel Spoerri. A lovely sculpture garden created by the Swiss artist Daniel Spoerri in the early 1990s, it was opened to the public in 1997 and is located in Seggiano, near Monte Amiata.