Archive for 'Day Trips'

  

Thursday, September 5, 2013
view of tresana town
Visit the gorgeous town of Tresana in the province of Massa and Carrara in Tuscany, a little gem immersed in nature! This ancient town is surrounded by medieval walls and visitors can still see some of the four old towers and ruins of a castle that once stood majestically over the area.

It’s privately owned now but tourists can walk around the remains of what was once a glorious fortress to take some photographs. Those wishing to explore the area can find plenty of vacation rentals in Treschietto, a nearby town.

There is a second castle close by to Tresana called Giovagallo fortress and its ruins now stand up on a rocky hill outside of the town.

A legend of this castle tells the story of the meeting between the famous Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, and the wife of Morello Malaspina. She convinced the doubtful Dante to undertake his ambitious idea on creating what would be his most famous work, The Divine Comedy. This is one of the longest and most detailed poems in history which earned Dante the right to be called one of the masters of the literary world.     Read More
Posted in: Day Trips, Localities, Small Towns

  

Thursday, September 5, 2013
view from michelangelo park
Explore this fascinating part of Florence city, which is off the beaten tourist track, called Oltrarno! It means ’Across the Arno’ and can be visited most directly by crossing the Ponte Vecchio, a very old bridge that crosses the large Arno River. Strangely, during World War II, the German army destroyed every bridge in Florence except for this one!

Tourists wishing to stay in this city for a few days have a huge range of Florence holiday rentals to choose from where they can relax and admire the city views and attractions!
Start off your day of exploring the Oltrarno by stepping of the other side of the Vecchio Bridge to the south side of Florence.

This quarter is packed full of beautiful artisan shops, antique stalls, delicious restaurants, craft fairs and much more. The added benefit is that it still is home to many lovely museums and churches to walk around but it’s much calmer than the busiest area of Florence where Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi gallery are.

There are three primary areas in the quarter worth visiting; Santo Spirito, San Niccolò and San Frediano. Firstly, why not visit the famous Capella Brancacci decorated with exquisite Renaissance frescoes in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. The architecture of this building is mesmerising and is one of the finest examples you’ll find in the city!     Read More
Posted in: Day Trips, Florence, Localities

  

Wednesday, September 4, 2013
gavorrano town
In the heart of Maremma on a beautiful hill in Grosetto province is the lovely town of Gavorrano! There are spectacular views from here of the mountains, the coastline and the islands of Giglio and Montecristo that would make for some lovely photographs. Tourists wishing to stay here for a few days would enjoy relaxing in a tuscan villa rental in Gavorrano or in the nearby town of Saturnia where there are also some lovely natural hot springs to bathe in to take away all the aches and pains of your adventurous travels!     Read More
Posted in: Day Trips, Localities, Small Towns

  

Wednesday, September 4, 2013
nearby pistoia town
Located on the northern slopes of the Apennines in Pistoia province is the lovely village of Sambuca Pistoiese. Despite the name, the famous Italian liquor called Sambuca doesn’t originate here; it’s thought to have been invented in the coastal town of Civitavecchia in the province of Rome.

This would be an excellent spot to visit during your travels of this beautiful mountainous area of Tuscany and those wishing to stay for a few days have lots of holiday villas in Pistoia, a nearby town, to choose from.


Visit the ornate churches of St. James and the sanctuary of St. Mary del Giglio where there are some wonderful examples of renaissance style sacred art and architecture. Or visit the interesting learning centre here where you can learn about the art of stone carving and even try carving your own souvenir to take home! There are many workshops and demonstrations taking place throughout the year that can give visitors an intriguing insight into how local artisan pieces are created.     Read More
Posted in: Day Trips, Localities, Small Towns

  

Wednesday, September 4, 2013
capraia island
Why not make a trip out to the glorious island of Capraia off the coast of Tuscany on your next vacation here? This wild paradise was once home to an abundance of wild goats which earned it the name ‘Aegylon’ by the Greeks meaning ‘Land of the Goats’! This is the third biggest island in the Tuscan archipelago; Elba and Giglio are the biggest.

At only twenty km2 in size, visitors won’t have any accommodation to choose from here but they could stay in a beautiful vacation rental along the coast on the mainland in Livorno, around sixty kilometres away by boat so a visit to Capraia would make for an excellent day trip! Capraia Island is only 32 kilometres North West of Elba Island if you also wanted to include a visit to it in your touring plans.

Capraia Island was created by a volcano thousands of years ago and tourists can see a ridge that stretches across the entire island that is the scar of its birth. This rugged ridge is nearly 450metres high at some points. There’s a spectacular lake here filling an ancient crater that supports a colourful array of wildlife, including a dainty rare species of flowering water lily that floats along the edge of the lake.     Read More
Posted in: Day Trips, Islands, Localities