Archive for 'Pretty Views'

April is a wonderful time to find a luxury villa in Florence or to book one of our Tuscany Villas and plan a day-trip (or two or three) to Florence for plenty of reasons! Not only do tourist crowds remain relatively smaller compared to the height of the summer but it finally starts to get a bit warmer and, importantly, the city finally goes into bloom. And, all of these flowers and this lush greenery that can be found in the gardens and parks and dotted throughout Florence only serve to make the impossible beauty of this incredible city all the more picturesque and to add splashes of colour amongst the grand architectural gems that are found all over. In particular, Florence is home to some of the world’s most famous and extraordinary historic gardens and most of them are best experienced in the spring.

Among this selection of stunning gardens that can be found by visitors who are planning on booking a vacation rental in Florence, one that is considered a must-see each April and which is regularly photographed at this time of the year is the Giardino Bardini. This is because of one particular feature: the extraordinary, “Wisteria Lane.” 

Tuscany is famous for her remarkable landscapes and pretty towns and places where you can view both. Perhaps the best spot of all, however, to take in these views is the medieval beauty that is San Gimignano. This magical gem is a place where high rise buildings in the form of tower houses are not a new addition to the lovely skyline at all – in fact, they have a long history in the town. Come see these incredible structures and views for yourself by finding a luxury villa in San Gimignano.

San Gimignano, known as the Town of Fine Towers, was famously and historically a town of these impressive ancient towers that were built in the Medieval and Renaissance periods by wealthy families and nobility who tacked the structures onto their homes and built them up increasingly higher in order to compete with each other to show off their fortune and power. The towers were very much status symbols of the time, again something that is not unfamiliar as many places around the globe today continue to compete in attempting to build the tallest structures in the world. 

We have discussed the stunning coastline of Tuscany on many occasions and highlighted the incredible resort towns, amazing beaches, and remarkable natural beauty of this part of the region that is often overlooked by tourists. While the famous landmarks and museums, the historic towns and gleaming cities, the rolling green hills and foggy valleys, the vineyards and endless excellent eateries of Tuscany are all lauded and well-known for a reason, the Tuscan Coast is a true must and a favourite of those in the know. Many of the above charms are just as common in this part of the world but if you find a villa on the Tuscan Coast and spend time in the area, you will also be able to enjoy the things we traditionally associate with the region, alongside some impossibly lovely seaside delights. 

The idyllic beginnings of the heart-rending classic film La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful) by Roberto Benigni is purposefully fairytale-like. It is a dreamy love story set in beautiful surroundings, a wonderful and glimmering thing to hold onto when things start to go terribly wrong in the plot. A big part of making this introduction as magical as possible is the setting, Arezzo, and few other places could match the storybook quality as perfectly as this gem of a town. Those who are looking for a villa in Tuscany and a holiday spent in surroundings that seem almost too utterly idyllic to be real will find that a vacation rental in Arezzo is just the thing. If you are looking to really fall in love with Tuscany then, as with being a perfect introduction to the film, this gem of a medieval town is an ideal introduction to this most charming region of Italy.