Archive for 'Tourist Attractions'

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.

Tuscany is our great passion as a company and we are dedicated to finding the best villas, food, sights and attractions for you so that you can have the perfect holiday. Through our blog, we uncover everything that the region has to offer, both famous and lesser-known. Our new ebook, “Tuscany, Off the Beaten Path – 37 Unique Day Trips” (download it here), perfectly complements these aims and will allow you to easily plan the trip of your dreams and is especially focused on showing you the smaller towns and hidden gems that aren't given much time or consideration in other travel guides about Tuscany. Of course, there is information on the likes of Florence and Pisa, but our focus is very much off the beaten track.

Following on from the last post which discussed Florentine fashion designers that you should know about and visit while in Florence, this will continue with two more historic and important designers. As noted previously, many of the city's important designers are still based in Florence and even when they don't have museums like as Salvatore Ferragamo does, they have large boutiques located nearby. With a history that is intrinsically connected to fashion and design, Florence's fashion heritage cannot be overlooked.

Find a villa with internet in Florence and explore, shop and learn all about the wealth of design culture that she has to offer.

Now that you know where to go for bargains in Florence, it seems only fitting to discuss some of the greatest and most important designers to come from the city. Most are still headquartered there and Florence's history is intimately connected to clothing and design. It is, of course, well-known that Florence was a great art centre in the Renaissance but its wealth, which allowed for the production of all that art, came, in part, from the roaring wool and silk trade of the Middle Ages. The rise of the Medici from merchants to almost-kings led to their becoming taste-makers and influencers, the first fashionistas, if you will.

Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, architect, writer and historian probably most well-known today for his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects which remains an important (if warily used) resource in art historical study of roughly contemporaneous artists' lives. Vasari was born in Arezzo, Tuscany and one of his homes still stands there today, organised and decorated by the man himself. For any art historian or enthusiast worth their salt, its a must-see, not only due to who lived there but also because of the artworks set within a Renaissance home, the frescoes and décor (though not all of the furniture). Find a luxury villa in Arezzo and drop by.