Archive for 'Siena'

One of the most famous Italian Palio events is the Palio di Siena held in the city of Siena in the central Tuscany region. To celebrate their historic Palio event, the people of Siena stage a famous horse race twice a year; one on the 2nd of July and one on the 16th August. There is a great selection of luxury holiday villas and simple vacation rentals located close to the city where you can easily commute to witness this spectacular event. The participants in this exciting race are horses and jockeys representing their ‘contrada’ or region of the city of Siena. The competition and rivalry between the contrade is fierce and attracts thousands of city supporters and tourists every year. There are seventeen contrade in total but only ten are allowed to race on each date for safety reasons. The ten that are chosen to race in one Palio are then replaced in the following one by the seven that didn’t race plus three that will be chosen by drawing lots between the other ten. The months leading up to the Palio di Siena is filled with choosing the best ten horses to race and the jockeys to ride them as well as organising the smaller events that will be held in each contrada in the days leading up to the main event. The race is preceded with a group of the national military police or ‘carabinieri’ on horseback wielding their swords as they demonstrate a mounted charge twice around the track. As they exit, a pageant enters the Piazza which includes flag wavers, and trumpeters marching around the track to signal the beginning of another thrilling year of racing rivalry!

Today we'd like to introduce you to a language, cultural and culinary school located in Siena, Italy called Dante Alighieri.  They have submitted this article as an introduction to the courses they offer.  If you're considering a cooking or language class while visiting Tuscany, we highly recommend you read this article to learn more about Danta Alighieri.

One of the most popular type of villas we rent in Tuscany are  luxury villas. Typically these vacation rentals are large restored farmhouses in Tuscany countryside although there are also luxury accommodations located in many of the popular city destinations like Siena, Florence, Lucca, San Gimignano and Cortona.

If you plan on staying in a large luxury villa with pool in Tuscany next season we recommend you book it as soon as possible.

The supply of these villas is limited and the demand is always high. October and November are the best time to reserve a luxurious villa because the availability for the next season is just coming online and your choices won't be limited. If you wait until next spring to book, your choice of villas will be much more limited.

We are often asked about the rating system we use to rank our villas and how we determine the star rating. Our ratings are from one star to five stars with five stars being the best. We take into account the quality of the villa and furnishings, the location and views, the amenities like private pool, en-suite bathrooms, maid service, etc. All these factors and many other criteria are evaluated before a villa specialist assigns a rating to the villa.  Only villas that are rated 5-stars are considered to be luxury vacation rentals.

To learn more about individual properties visit our luxury villas in Tuscany page to view a complete list of our 5-star accommodations. If you're interested in renting a luxury villa in a specific area, please visit these pages: Florence luxury accommodations, Siena luxury villas and farmhouses, Lucca luxury vacation villas, Chianti luxury holiday rentals and Cortona luxury villas.

Souvenirs to bring back home are always a problem, but not when you are visiting Siena.

In this era of globalization now you can make a difference. In this little shop in Via dei Pellegrini 9 in Siena you can get the most beautiful and amazing objects in olive wood and, even more special, olive root : chopping boards, plates, salad bowls, spoons, pepper mills and more.

This is high quality Italian craftsmanship made with traditional techniques that have not changed in time. The olive wood really is a Tuscan product and easy to carry home.

Of course, if you'd like to visit Siena, Italy check out these villas in Siena.

It took some time but finally it is now possible to view the official brochures and guides of the Tourism Promotion Office for the Siena Territory (APT Siena) on line. Well, they do not contain much information but for sure they offer a lot of inspiration through the many big and splendid photos......



Link to the page of brochures and Guides online of the official Website of Tourism in Terre di Siena

If you'd like to experience Siena for yourself consider renting a villa in Siena, Italy.