Archive for 'Museums & Galleries'

The vast and incredible Renaissance palace that is the Palazzo Pitti in Florence is surrounded by the famous Boboli Gardens and is a truly remarkable architectural gem. However, in addition to being an exceptional tourist attraction and piece of cultural heritage in its own right, the Palazzo Pitti is also home to the Palatine Gallery, the Silver Museum, the Gallery of Modern Art, and several other gallery spaces and exhibitions. If you have found a luxury villa in Florence and are interested in art, architecture, culture, and history, it is a one-stop shop for some of the richest and most interesting collections in the world.

While Florence is truly synonymous with the Renaissance we do recommend, however, that you take the time to visit the Gallery of Modern Art at the Palazzo Pitti, in particular, and take in some incredible works of art from the 19th century onwards. Located since 1922 on the second floor of the palace in rooms along the façade of the building that were once home to the Medici's library and along the side wings where various rooms were used for the children of the family and retainers, the museum was founded in 1914.

San Gimignano is famous as the Tuscan city of Medieval skyscrapers, a place where nobles competed in building the highest towers. While the town was once full of these extraordinary architectural gems, only a few examples exist today and they are the attraction that most immediately go to see when visiting the city. However, if you have found a luxury villa in San Gimignano and are taking a closer look at all this picturesque and historic gem has to offer then we suggest you also look past the ancient and iconic and see what is happening in the contemporary world of art and design and the here and now because, among those winding Medieval streets, you will find one of the world’s most respected contemporary art galleries.

The Galleria Continua is very much the definition of a hidden gem, something one would never expect in an old cinema in the historic core of San Gimignano but is definitely a gem nonetheless. Founded in 1990 by three friends, Mario Cristiani, Lorenzo Fiaschi, and Maurizio Rigillo, the gallery has grown in scale and reputation in the thirty years since its inauguration and now also has locations in Les Moulins (just outside Paris), Havana (Cuba), Beijing (China), and Rome. Having showcased works by globally-renowned talents like Ai Weiwei, Ethel Adnan, The Kabakovs, and Michelangelo Pistoletto, it truly is an extraordinary gallery to stumble across in a small town!

If you have found a vacation rental in Pisa and are planning a trip in the area, you'll likely be looking into what there is to see and do in and around Pisa. While the pretty and historic city itself has its famous Leaning Tower (in a complex of other fascinating religious buildings), cute little streets lined with restaurants and shops, some great museums, and much more besides, the surrounding landscape is also beautiful and full of gems and well worth exploring. For example, just ten kilometres from town you will find the little town of Calci, located on the foothills of the Monte Pisano hillside, which is home to the breathtaking Calci Charterhouse.

The Charterhouse of Pisa (or Certosa di Pisa), more often referred to as the Calci Charterhouse in English, is a stunning architectural complex that is a former Carthusian monastery, or charterhouse, and is home to two different museums today: National Museum of the Monumental Charterhouse of Calci and the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa. If you're fond of frescoes, architectural prowess, dinosaurs, pretty gardens, and more, this is somewhere to see all of the above under (and adjacent to) one roof.

If the English-speaking world has Shakespeare then the Italian-speaking world has Dante Alighieri, a name familiar to many worldwide in connection to his most famous work, his so-called, “Divine Comedy,” as it is referred to in English. One of the defining works of literature throughout history, this incredibly important and influential piece is a beloved tome around the globe and many Dante-lovers hope to one day visit Tuscany and see many of the things and places that he described in his great tale of an epic journey through the afterlife. If you have found a luxury villa in Florence and you are an admirer of Dante's then there is one attraction that is, without a doubt, an absolute must-see: the Museum of the House of Dante Alighieri.

The Museum of the House of Dante Alighieri, or the House of Dante, is a medieval building located in one of the oldest parts of the historic core of the city on the street of Santa Margherita. This building, while not actually the house in which he was born, is located in the area between the Church of Saint Martino and the Piazza dei Donati that documents note was where the Alighieri family lived at the time, in the 13th century, and, though it had to be restored from a somewhat dilapidated state at the beginning of the 20th century when the museum was first planned, it largely maintains its appearance from Dante's lifetime. It was, therefore, decided upon as the best place to house a museum dedicated to the Father of the Italian Language, and is now one of the most important literary museums in the city.

Titian was one of the most important artists of the Venetian school during the Italian Renaissance. While he completed lots of different kinds of works across a variety of genres, his lush and idyllic portrayals of female figures are largely what remain in the public imagination today. From early on in his own lifetime, in childhood, the talents of Tiziano Vecellio (known simply as, “Titian,” in English) were considered to be so extraordinary that they were labelled divine. Often compared in his own lifetime and since then to his somewhat older contemporary, Michelangelo, Titian was similarly gifted but, while the former favoured sculpture, Titian worked in painting and, while both were highly in demand, Titian's career faced less frustration and bestowed the artist with all of the worldly success an artist could hope for. He counted the city of Venice, lots of other Italian rulers, the Pope, the German Emperor, and the King of Spain among his patrons and, very quickly, his work became an international success.