Archive for 'Food and Wine'

One might associate the heavy scent of citrus on the air with holidays in the south of Italy, in particular, but if you have found a vacation rental in Tuscany and you want to take in that tangy smell, buy some incredible citrus products, and visit a unique garden then we suggest a visit to the Hesperidarium Il Giardino degli Agrumi (or Hesperidarium Citrus Garden). Just browse our luxury villas in Florence and our villas with pool in Lucca and plan a day-trip to the town of Castellare di Pescia, in the province of Pistoia to come explore this impressive and beautiful botanical garden for yourself.     Read More

Siena is a city in Tuscany famed for its mad-dash annual historic horse race in the main square in its core, for beautiful surroundings, and for delicious pastries. Some of the region's most enduringly famous and popular traditional treats were born or popularised in Siena. And, while there are plenty of places to buy tasty baked goods in Siena, from local supermarkets to cafes to traditional bakeries called pasticcerie, there are some must-see spots that food enthusiasts visiting the city would be wise to make note of. If you have found a villa with pool in Siena and you have worked up an appetite wandering around her picturesque medieval streets, then we highly recommend heading to the oldest pasticceria in town, the Pasticceria Nannini.     Read More

Peroni is the Italian beer that is most familiar to those outside of Italy and, while there are more Italian beers that are household names to locals, there is also a craft brewing industry that has become bigger and bigger in recent years, as is the case in many places across the world. Tuscany, in particular, is home to quite a few micro-breweries, brew-pubs, and other small producers of craft and artisanal beers that the foodie and beer enthusiast who has found a villa in Tuscany will be excited to discover. In fact, we have previously written a guide to some of the highest rated craft breweries in Tuscany that can be found here. However, today, we are focusing on one of the region's breweries, La Petrognola Brewery.     Read More

The charming and historic town of Arezzo makes for an idyllic holiday destination to enjoy the unique culture and atmosphere of Tuscany while staying a little off the more well-trod tourist path. If you're looking to enjoy a key location in the region but you're less interested in bigger cities or more world-famous spots, then a villa with pool in Arezzo is just the thing for your next vacation in Tuscany. In this extraordinary gem of a place, visitors will encounter a picturesque Old Town that has remained largely untouched by time and is so cinematically lovely that it was featured in Benigni's beloved and Oscar-winning, “Life is Beautiful”, stunning churches and palaces often stuffed full of incredible works of art (like Piero della Francesca's astounding Renaissance fresco cycle that covers the walls of the Bacci Chapel), little museums that may not hold familiar works but are fascinating all the same (including a wonderful jewellery museum and the rich Diocesan Museum), pretty little shops selling local crafts and delicious regional treats, and more. Then, around the town's boundaries, you will also find a rather stunning part of the Tuscan countryside with some of the region's iconic and impossibly scenic, lush, rolling hills dotted by old farmhouses, majestic and ancient villas once occupied by ruling lords, and endless vineyards producing some of Tuscany's celebrated local wines.     Read More