Archive for 'Tourist Attractions'

If you are looking to have easy access to the wealth of museums, churches, gardens, restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, and other tourist attractions that can be found in the incomparable city of Florence but you still want some space, privacy, and natural beauty all around you and you would prefer to be in the famously lovely Tuscan countryside, then we think that the incredible La Ripresa is the ideal option among our Tuscany villas. 

There is no doubt about it: Tuscany is impossibly picturesque. And the list of places and sights and gorgeous buildings and incredible views and amazing works of art that could be defined as must-sees is truly endless. However, most of us unfortunately do not have entire lifetimes to explore every little thing of beauty in this stunning part of Italy. Despite this, those who browse our Tuscany villas will be able to fit a lot of wonderful sights into a vacation in Tuscany. So, why not book your trip today and get started? To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most beautiful of this endless list of extraordinary sights to get you started, help you plan your itinerary, and whet your appetite!

1. Siena’s gilded cathedral

As there is no shortage of lovely sights in Tuscany, there is also no shortage of remarkable churches and cathedrals in this part of the world. Those, however, who find a villa with pool in Siena, should definitely make a point to see this city’s glittering Duomo. With its polychromatic stone, intricate carvings, luxurious marble floors, and array of stunning words of art, it is a thing of wonder. 

A visit to a garden is always a great way to refresh while on vacation, particularly on holiday in Tuscany or some other destination where there can be lots of cultural attractions that have a whirlwind of stimuli. All of the sights, sounds, textures, and details that one can take in in places like museums, galleries, historic buildings, and old towns can overstimulate the senses and leave one especially tired. Of course, those who find one of our Tuscany villas and spend time in the region should definitely seek out as many of this part of the world’s famous sights and spots as their heart desires but you may also need a bit of a palate cleanser. This is where gardens and parks come in and, luckily, there are also plenty of these to discover in Tuscany as well. Wandering in these spaces, breathing in clean air, surrounding yourself with nature, it not only pleasant and enjoyable but it is also good for the mind, body, and soul. It is a perfect way to recover from intense touristing and the ideal sort of activity to slot into your itinerary as a cushion to more hectic outings and days.

If you have found a villa in San Gimignano, for example, the lovely Giardino Sottovico is exactly this sort of attraction and garden. A wonderful addition to any vacation in San Gimignano, this gem of a botanic garden is home to a charming collection of over 3,000 succulents in a lovely setting that is housed on the former site of an illegal landfill. Built by passionate locals who wanted to reclaim this space in Vico d'Elsa, in the municipality of Barberino Tavarnelle, not far from San Gimignano, the garden was a way of not only transforming an eyesore and polluted part of the countryside but a way of making it into a space that would actually be of service to the physical and psychological well-being of visitors.

Tuscany is full of incredible public gardens – from formal arrangements surrounding palaces, to leafy parks where one can wander endlessly, to botanic gardens bursting with plants from all over the globe that are waiting to be discovered, and more – but one of the most impressive and lesser-known of the region’s gardens has to be the Fineschi Rose Garden in Cavriglia in the Valdarno. An ancient town surrounded by a scattering of picturesque little hamlets at the foot of the mountains of Chianti, Cavriglia is a land of olive groves and vineyards that makes for an ideal place to come and enjoy local produce and wines while admiring the natural beauty of the area. And, while you’re enjoying all of that natural bounty, you should also make a point to see the cultivated natural splendour of the Fineschi Rose Garden. Browse our villa in the Valdarno and Tuscany Villas and come see this lovely corner of the world for yourself.

The largest private (though open to visitors) rose garden in the world, the Fineschi Rose Garden was established by Professor Gianfranco Fineschi, a surgeon and teacher of medicine at the Catholic University in Rome, and has been collecting rose species and hybrids from all over the globe since 1967. A living museum, it boasts more than 8,000 roses and among them 6,500 species and varieties – from antique roses to modern roses, ramblers and climbers – which are organised into 21 different sections spread across an acre of land, following the classification of roses. Each example and variety is also clearly labelled with little plaques in the ground next to them, telling you the name, age, and who created the particular type in question.

The painter Masaccio was one of the most influential and important painters of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance, a key figure in moving from the more stylised and decorative aesthetic of Gothic art to something more naturalistic. Vasari, an artist and architect in his own right who was a great writer, historian, and chronicler of the Renaissance masters, notes that Masaccio was studied by all of Florence’s most celebrated painters and sculptors in order to, "learn the precepts and rules for painting well."

So, though his name is perhaps unfamiliar to many, his influence goes far beyond his life and work and his paintings, when viewed today, remain striking and impressive things to behold. Full of dramatic tension, stunning jewel tones, and impressive lifelike figures, his paintings and frescoes are a delight to devour.

If you are browsing our Tuscany Villas and are already a fan of his work, in particular, or are simply interested in the history of art and the Italian Renaissance, then this winter is an ideal time to plan a vacation in Tuscany as the master’s great works are returning to Masaccio’s home town of San Giovanni Valdarno for a very special exhibition!