Archive for 'Florence'

A city like Florence is old enough and so rich in history that it has to be at least a little bit haunted. If you are to believe the reports, it appears to actually be rather haunted, indeed. From windows left open for a ghost still awaiting her lover to piazzas still haunted by executions that happened long ago, there are many buildings and spaces around the city that are said to be plagued by the dead. However, there is one ghost that is thought to haunt two different locations in the city. If you feel like going ghost-hunting, just find a luxury villa in Florence and follow him around the city.

Once the Palazzo Vecchio closes for the day, all the tourists have filed back out the door in search of dinner, all of the staff returns home and night falls, the sound of footsteps and squeaking in the supposedly empty building is not uncommon. It is said that there are many ghosts in the Palazzo Vecchio, but one is more famous than others: Baldaccio d’Anghiari.

If you have found a luxury villa in Florence and are planning to take in the art and culture for which the city is so famous, you have, no doubt, pencilled in a visit to the Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi Gallery, or Galleria degli Uffizi, in Piazza della Signoria is one of the oldest and most famous art museums in Europe and the world and was originally begun under Vasari for Cosimo I de' Medici in 1560. The name comes from the Italian word for “offices” which is what the building was intended to house when it was first constructed.

You may be planning a trip to Tuscany and looking at the kinds of activities that you can enjoy while there. There are plenty and a rather wide variety to choose from but you probably haven't considered mummy spotting as one of them. Yet, there are a few that can be found in rather unlikely spots. Here are two that you might find interesting if you're intrigued by history and the more macabre things in life.

Catherine of Siena was a Dominican tertiary, philosopher and theologian. Born in the 14th century, she began having visions of Christ at the age of five or six. At seven, she had decided to devote her life to God. She resisted marriage as a young woman until she was eventually allowed to join the Dominican Order.

She was known for helping the sick and poor and launching reform campaigns among the faithful. Catherine even went so far as to become involved in political matters like swaying the loyalties of cities back towards the papal armies.

Her writings spread her word further and gained more followers but she also became known for extreme devotion, eventually dying due to her refusal to eat. In 1461, she was canonised by Pius II and is now one of the two patron saints of Italy.

Siena, her birthplace, still remains the best place to see evidences of her life and works. The most intriguing of these is her head, which was separated from her body after her death in Rome when followers wished to return her to Siena. Unable to sneak her full body past guards in Rome, they settled for just her head which they smuggled out of the city. It is set in an ornate reliquary in the Basilica San Domenico (also known as Basilica Cateriniana, after the Saint) in Siena.

The Palatine Gallery is located in the incredible and stunning Palazzo Pitti in Florence and is a private royal collection that was opened to the public by the House of Lorraine in 1828.

Today it still retains that typical layout of a private collection and is set within the elaborate and sumptuous setting of the palace, with the works remaining in their original rich picture frames.

It also has not be reorganised, as most such galleries and collections are, into any sort of thematic or chronological order. It, instead, merely reflects the tastes and whims of the people who originally formed the collection over time.

As a result, a visit to this gallery is a very different experience than most other museums around the world will offer. It is also quite refreshing. Instead of feeling as though you need to be on your toes and keeping history and progress firmly unwind, you can merely relax and enjoy the collection as it unfolds. The collection invites us to enjoy, rather than merely categorise and label things. Just find a vacation rental in Florence and you can experience this unique gallery for yourself on your next trip to the city.

Montecatini Terme is a stunning spa town that is situated in the Valdinievole area, near Pistoia and Florence and is most famous for its thermal waters. In fact, it is probably the biggest “spa town” in Italy.

In addition to the spas and thermal waters, however, the town itself is a simply beautiful and relaxing place full of lush and leafy green parks, extraordinary Art Nouveau buildings and charming shops, bars, restaurants and hotels. It is the perfect place to well and truly get away from it all, unwind and relax. Just find a luxury villa in Montecatini Terme and find your own zen on your next vacation!

Of course, the thermal waters and spas are the main things to draw people to the town – and with good reason! One can ingest the waters or do spa treatments such as massages, saunas, facials and more. There are nine thermal centres located in the extensive thermal park.