Archive for 'Tourist Attractions'

To the west of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Duomo there is a Baptistery which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Construction began in 1152 but was not completed until 1363. Largely Romanesque and Gothic in style it does, however, display Byzantine and Islamic influences as well. Small and perfectly formed and built to allow for exceptional acoustics, it is a symmetrical architectural gem, only a stone's throw from the more famous Leaning Tower. Why not find a villa with pool in the Pisa area and visit the tower and the baptistery, it's lesser-known but equally fascinating and incredibly beautiful cousin?

Palazzo Pfanner stands out in a Lucca, a largely medieval city, as a beautiful baroque palace and gardens. It was begun in 1660 for the Moriconi family, silk merchants and nobility from the town. However, they were then forced to sell the building in 1680 due to a sudden change in fortune and financial situation. The Controni family then moved in. Having recently acquired a noble title, they marked their own change of fortune by renovating and enlarging the building.

If you want to admire the extraordinary job that they did in transforming and perfecting the palace, why not find a luxury villa in Lucca and drop by?

There are certain things in Florence, as in every great city in the world, that are on almost all visitors' itineraries. When in Florence, most will want to see the Uffizi, David, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Piazza della Signoria and, perhaps, the Duomo, but if you are an art, architecture or history lover visiting the city, there's a hidden gem that you need to know about. Stretching from the Palazzo Pitti to the Uffizi is a long passageway, measuring almost a kilometre. Named the Vasari Corridor after the man who designed it, it is a lesser-known and less accessible attraction in the city. If you want the chance to be one of the few who gets to see it for yourself, find a luxury villa in Florence and drop by!

The island of Elba, the biggest of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sardinia and Sicily, is most well-known as the site of Napoleon's exile and if you ever get the chance to visit, you might be wishing for the same punishment! Hardly a depressing or prison-like place, it is, rather, more like a paradise. Surrounded by crystal clear, rich blue waters with cloudless skies overhead, dotted by perfect beaches, little towns, castles and blessed by nature, it is a stunning place and the ideal place to escape to on your next holiday. Find a villa with pool on the Tuscan Coast and you can then start exploring this dream-like island for yourself.

In the comune of Monsummano Terme in Pistoia, Tuscany, there is a very famous cave which was formed thousands of years ago and is now a world-renowned attraction. The Grotta Giusti is the third largest cave in Europe and is so beautiful that the composer Giuseppe Verdi dubbed it “the eighth wonder of the world”. All fine reasons to be intrigued by the natural phenomenon and peak your interest if you're planning on visiting the area but the real attraction is the natural Turkish bath which is formed in the three caverns of Grotta Giusti. It is this element which continues to draw visitors to the site year after year and which has allowed it to be continuously named as one of the best spas in the world.