Archive for 'Tourist Attractions'

The Orrido di Botri is an impressive gorge, made up of deep steep walls, which looks like a karstic canyon and was created by the eroding of the limestone rock of the Apennines by the Pelago creek. The creek, set between the craggy walls of the canyon, creates a perfectly scenic natural environment of great geological and naturalist interest. This whole area, located near Lucca, is part of a natural reserve which was established in 1971 to protect the unique and beautiful landscape and its inhabitants. It is home to beech, black hornbeam, orniello, leccio, maple and willow trees as well as wild linden and animals such as roe deer, deer, hares, squirrels, marmots, foxes, polecats and martens.

The walls of the Tuscan town of Lucca came into the news in recent years when comic-book fans took to scaling them in order to gain entry to the town for Lucca Comics, a comic-book festival. However, the walls have always been one of the most recognisable features of this charming town. They now attract tourists and locals alike who admire their construction and design and who also make use of them as a place to walk, jog and cycle. For leisure, exercise or getting to know the layout and atmosphere of the city, the walls are the best place to start! Find a villa with pool in Lucca and spend a day strolling or sweating it out on the city's most distinctive feature.

Girifalco Fortress in Cortona was built by Gabrio Serbelloni, nephew of Pope IV and Francesco Laparelli. Cortona was an important military town from the establishment of the government of Cosimo I Medici until the subjection of Siena in 1555 and the fort was built in the 16th century to bolster the military strength of the city though the site has much older origins as a defensive structure. However, though the building is fascinating historically and as an example of military architecture, its greatest selling point is probably the view that it offers over Cortona and the entire Valdichiana area from the top of the tower. If you're visiting Cortona, this is the best way to introduce yourself to the town.

When you visit the city of Lucca in Tuscany, you would be forgiven for misidentifying one of the landmarks in town. An impressive aqueduct, the Acquedotto Del Nottolini, is located just outside of the city and plenty of visitors originally think that it is contemporaneous to many of the other Ancient Roman structures which dot the landscape of Italy. However, it is actually much more modern than that. This neoclassical gem was built for practical reasons and modelled after those older examples but actually dates to the 19th century. Find a luxury villa in Lucca and visit this stunning work of civic architecture for yourself!

Aghinolfi Castle is a beautiful Tuscan castle perched on a hilltop with stunning view all around the Lunigiana area and out across the Tyrrhenian coast. This position adds to the beauty and romance of the castle but has also made it an optimum strategic location which has made its history dramatic and complicated. It has also meant that the town in which it is located, Montignoso, has also had a much more colourful history than a town its size might normally have had. The town purchased the castle just over a decade ago and have restored it and opened it to the public as a perfect example of a Tuscan countryside palace. If you have a fondness for castles and beyond amazing locations, find a luxury villa in Montignoso and stop by!