Archive for 'Villas and Farmhouses'

Our Villa Spotlight is turning once again to the fair city of Montepulciano, well known for its Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. We are looking at the Via Della Stella (Montepulciano 850) (no longer available), a gorgeous three unit farmhouse lies about 15km from the town center of Montepulciano. The smaller brick cottage dates back to the 18th century, while the farmhouse was built in the early 20th century. Both buildings have been renovated and meet modern expectations. To give this villa the proper treatment in our Spotlight, we will be running a three part series. Be sure to stay tuned in the coming days to find out more about this vacation rental in Montepulciano!

Siena, well known for its Palio and beautiful black and white striped Duomo, is a great place to consider for your next vacation. The area was first settled by the Etruscans more than two millenia ago and sacked by the Gauls of present day France, only to be retaken by the Romans around 70 A.D. where it was named "Saena Julia" and has remained a major town in the region ever since.

Siena is truly a medieval town. In the city center, traffic is kept to mainly foot traffic, the buildings are all kept in the same style and new buildings have to be designed similarly so there is no garish modern buildings to mar the historic facades of the city. During the Palio, the city is transported back in time and many of the citizens come out in medieval costume and parade through the streets during the events leading up to and including the race itself.

Banners are waved for each section of the city, as they cheer for their horse and rider, all confined within the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo that has been lined with dirt to form the racetrack. If you are lucky enough to find a rental during one of the two Palio's each year you will be treated to experience you will not soon forget.

During the rest of the year, there is still plenty to see, do, eat and enjoy in and around Siena. It is centrally located to many smaller Tuscan hill towns that are well-known destinations, such as Montepulciano or Montalcino (both of which should be visited by any wine lover). Be sure to take a look at our full listing of Siena Villas.

There are more towns in Tuscany than most of us will ever hear about, much less visit. When you are planning your trip to Tuscany its best to plan ahead for where you want to go; what do you definitely want to see? Some people make sure to visit San Gimignano, the small town with the big towers. Some people have to see Florence, the big city of Tuscany with plenty of history, architecture and beauty to keep you busy during your stay. Then there are the wine regions that the wine lovers are sure to visit and lovers of "Under the Tuscan Sun" may want to stay or at least make a stop in Cortona. The list goes on and on...

The point is, there is a LOT to see. So some cities may be looked over, or driven past, or maybe you just don't know about them yet. One of those towns that you may not have heard of, or may not know as much about is Arezzo: home to the oldest operating bank in the world, home to the blue festival ArezzoWave for years, and location for many of the scenes in "Life is Beautiful". Unfortunately, the ArezzoWave has outgrown itself and has been moved this year to Florence, but that is indicative of the town and its feel. It doesn't have the big city feel you'll get in Florence, Rome or Milan.

Arezzo is a great place to stay during your vacation if you are one that enjoys slower paced travel, and we have plenty of Arezzo luxury villas for you to choose from. Here there are a few of our choices villas in Arezzo with guest reviews for you to take a closer look at.

Welcome back once again to Tuscany Travel Blog feature article, Villa Spotlight! 2008 is going to be a great year for spending your vacation in Tuscany, and our mission is to bring you the best places to stay as well as the best information to keep you up to date on the happenings in Tuscany. Be sure to check back often or subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up to date with our new articles.

La Puzzola is a smaller villa located in the small village of Solata. The town of Bucine is close as well, and Arezzo is only 35 kilometers away.

This is the perfect villa for a couple or small family looking for a peaceful and relaxing holiday away from the noise of the city. La Puzzola is a completely independent villa that sets about 4 kilometer off the road and as such offers a great deal of privacy.

After the hectic holiday season, many people begin planning their vacations for the year. Here at Tuscany Travel Blog we have brought you reason after reason to go to Tuscany for your vacation, but we realize its not for everyone. Maybe you prefer the ancient history or big city feel offered by Rome and its Lazio region? Or perhaps the sunny, dryer climate in Naples?

Well, we have the site for you! Our sister website, Italy Villas, offers you all these regions and more! The site is structured similar to Tuscany Villas, so for those who have used that or any EasyReserve website, the navigation will be familiar and easy to use as ever.

So after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season dies down, and you can begin to relax and ponder about where you will be going this year, be sure to investigate all of our vacation rentals at Italy Villas.