Archive for 'Localities'

The Duomo di San Gimignano, also known as Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta (Collegiate Church of the Assumption of Mary),is a Roman Catholic Collegiate Church and the cathedral of San Gimignano. It is most famous for its incredible murals and paintings, which include works of famous artists such as Taddeo di Bartolo, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Lippo Memmi. In fact, the building is only one of many celebrated buildings that make up the ‘Historic Centre of San Gimignano’, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just find a luxury villa in San Gimignano and visit this amazing cathedral and the astounding historic centre in which it is located. There are few towns so picture-perfect as this and it is well worth exploring.

The last of our amazing romantic villas...

8. Torre Forese

Torre Forese is a charming tower dating back to the 14th century that has been tastefully restored, preserving its original architectural features. This apartment is set on different levels and offers beautiful frescoed interiors decorated with ancient pieces and antiques. Rich, warm and atmospheric, with lots of use of dark wood, plush fabrics and luxurious decorative elements, the place has a rather romantic atmosphere overall. The tower in which it is situated right in the centre of the medieval town of Figline Valdarno, just 30 km away from Florence, which has its own shops and restaurants to offer, as well as frequent trains for Rome and the rest of Italy. With two bedrooms, and sleeping up to four, this apartment will set you back just €139 per night.

Continuing on from our last post, here is the next batch of our "Ten of Our Most Romantic Villas In Tuscany".

4. Cosimo

Cosimo is a small, elegant and perfectly formed apartment, built for two, located in the heart of Florence. Situated on the third floor of an historical building in Piazza della Signoria, it is just few steps from the likes of the Palazzo Vecchio and Uffizi. Decorated in a classical Florentine style, it is comprised of a welcoming entrance, living room and kitchen area with high end appliances, a beautiful double bedroom, and elegant bathroom. A perfect balance between warm and luxurious, this apartment is ideally located to explore the city. With one bedroom and sleeping up to three, it is available from €154 per night.

With Valentine's Day coming up, you may have been inspired to think a little longer on your loved ones and about spending quality time together.

While cards and gifts and flowers are all well and good, nothing beats making memories that will never wilt, go out of date or break.

So, here are ten of our most romantic vacation rentals in Tuscany in which you can make those memories.

A photo posted by Architecture Interiors Design (@somewhereiwouldliketolive) on Jul 22, 2015 at 1:49pm PDT

Casa Saldarini, also affectionately known as “The Whale”, is an extraordinary house that was built in 1961 and designed by Florentine architect Vittorio Giorgini. It was the first building in the world based on an iso-elastic membrane made of concrete and wire netting and predates the work of architects such as Frank Gehry at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao by 25 years. The organic curves of the building created concerns about how structurally sound it was and, so, it was tested with double the normal amount of weight usually applied. It passed with flying colours and, yet, despite the advanced nature of the design and building techniques, the work was largely ignored by Giorgini's peers at the time.

Today, it remains as a bit of an unsung hero and hidden gem, an architectural masterpiece in the Gulf of Baratti that few have ever heard about. If you are an architecture nerd and are thinking of spending time in Tuscany, why not find a vacation rental in Piombino and stop by the Casa Saldarini to see this extraordinary building for yourself?

Giorgini was born in Florence in 1926 and studied architecture there, continuing to live in Tuscany until he moved to New York in 1969. He lived and taught there at the Pratt Institute until 1996 but his heart seems to have largely stayed in the land where he was born. As an architect, he was interested in the relationship between the built environment and nature and this is visible in the organic forms that his buildings took on. The environment that most inspired him was that of Baratti. At the time, it was an unknown and untouched area, far from the famous beaches of Tuscany. It was here that he built his own home, Hexagon House, in the midst of and at one with the natural environment of this incredibly lovely part of the world.

A small silk producer from Como, Rino Saldarini, also used to come to the area on holiday and he wanted a “cottage” looking out over the gulf. Having become his friend, Saldarini humoured his Giorgini and gave him a free hand in 1962 to create the Whale House. Constructed in a few months, with reinforced concrete crete cast over an arc welded mesh, it is a building of curves that resembles a huge animal, a whale. This zoomorphic construction is perfectly at ease in the Mediterranean maquis and has changed hands many times over the years but remains a constant surprising delight that some people are lucky enough to accidentally stumble upon and that others seek out. Be sure to be the latter on your next trip to Tuscany!