Archive for 'Castles & Palaces'

Lucca is a stunning province in Tuscany abundant in history and the many monuments it left behind. In this article we’re taking a look at some of the range of historic attractions in the Garfagnana area of Lucca. Stay in a beautiful villa in Garfagnana close to all the historic attractions here.

Climb up a scenic hill above the village of San Romano Garfagnana to the beautifully preserved fortress of Vernicole. Fantastic restoration works took place here in 1990 and it’s now open for tourists to browse around.

Or spend a few hours in the village of Perpoli which is still enveloped by two walls, the oldest being a low wall built around the highest part of Perpoli village.

Looking to soak up lots of fascinating culture on your next vacation to Tuscany? Then come to the province of Lucca in the north west of the region. There is an abundance of castle remains and fortressed towns here that tell a magnificent tale of Lucca’s turbulent past of territorial feuds and invasions.

During the 11th and 12th centuries, Florence was flourishing as a Renaissance city, growing richer and more powerful every day.

Noble families living here were often feuding with each other and many of them built tall elaborate towers beside their palazzos to show off their wealth. But these towers also served as a form of defence where families could escape through a trapdoor at the bottom along a secret underground passage if the feuds grew too violent!

Stay in a lovely luxury villa in Florence province where you can easily travel into the city and explore all the treasures awaiting you here.

Here are some of Florence’s most interesting towers and where they’re located.

Florence was once a heavily walled city, completely enveloped by high strong defensive walls. Today, only a few remains can be seen in the south of the city in the Oltrarno area. Some doors and guard towers still exist here which could be an interesting tour for visiting tourists to make.

Stay in a cosy rental accommodation in Florence where you can spend a few days exploring all the tourist treasures of this city!

Begin your towering trail with a walk along Via del Proconsolo, situated between a cathedral and Piazza San Firenze, on the Oltrarno side of Florence city. There’s a circle marked here on the road.

The tower in front of it was part of Florence’s first defensive walls dating as far back as 30BC! The circle marks where the foundations of this tower began which was uncovered and later resurfaced during road works here.

Built on the foothills of Monte Retaia in Tuscany is the tourist city of Prato! The River Bisenzio, a tributary of the great River Arno, meanders through Prato and helps create a pleasant scene for visitors. Prato has been inhabited since Palaeolithic times and is believed to have been colonised by the Etruscans. It is now Tuscany’s second largest city after Florence and is home to the second largest Chinese population in Italy after Milan.

Check out some stunning Carmignano luxury villas, only twelve kilometres from Prato if you wish to stay in this area for a few days.

Textile manufacture made up quite a lot of Prato’s economy as can be seen from the informative textile museum here. Also of interest to history lovers is the Datini Archives on display here. This is a collection of books and manuscripts that belonged to a merchant called Francesco di Marco Datini.