Archive for 'Churches & Religious Buildings'

Continuing on from our last post, here are some more architectural gems around Tuscany that are well worth a visit if you are interested in art and culture. Once you have found a luxury villa in Tuscany and are planning your trip, be sure to pencil some of these beauties into your itinerary.

Siena's Cathedral is a perfect example. It was built between 1215 and 1263 and was designed by Nicola Pisano. His son, Giovanni, continued the design when more building was undertaken from 1285. The upper half of the facade was not added until 14th century, a time of great wealth and prosperity for Siena. At the time, plans were considered to transform the church into a giant masterpiece that could even rival the mammoth St. Peter's in Rome but this never came to pass.

It is still a stunning building, Gothic in style, and elaborately embellished inside and out. Its anachronistically Romanesque black-and-white striped campanile is particularly iconic.

There are plenty of things to see and do in Tuscany – in fact, there is no shortage at all and a list that one could not complete in even several lifetimes – but alongside the famous churches, galleries, works of art, palaces, museums and other commonplace and famous attractions, there are some more unique and strange sights. Once you have found a luxury villa in Tuscany and are planning a trip, consider these attractions alongside the prerequisite visits to the Uffizi, Leaning Tower of Pisa and Palazzo Vecchio.

6. The Sword in The Stone, San Galgano Abbey

Galgano Guidotti was born in 1148 to a minor noble and was a self-centred, violent knight until he was visited by the Archangel Michael in a vision and told to renounce his ways when he was 32.

Continuing on from our previous post, here are some more bizarre and wonderful attractions in Tuscany that are absolute must-sees. Once you have found your perfect luxury villa in Tuscany and are looking to explore the region, be sure to look past the obvious and find the weird and fascinating that is hiding in plain sight.

4. Tuttomondo by Keith Haring, Pisa

Art and Italy are somewhat synonymous and there is no shortage of artworks to be found in Tuscany, in particular. However, most of these are housed in galleries, inside churches and palaces and in typical enclosed or public spaces. Keith Haring's “Tuttomondo” mural, meanwhile, is located out in the open, on the side of a church in Pisa.

Italy is known for her culture, her art, her good food and the good life but, like anywhere, it has its strange and bizarre sides as well. Tuscany is no exception, though it can often seem like an idyllic paradise. We have rounded up some of the strangest, silliest and most fascinating attractions that Tuscany has to offer so why not find a luxury villa in Tuscany and begin uncovering her more unique attractions?

1. Antro del Corchia Caves, Lucca

The Antro del Corchia is part of the cave system of Monte Corchia in the Apuan Alps Regional Park and is the largest cave system in Tuscany and one of the biggest in Europe. It is made up of over 60km of galleries which go down to a depth of 1200m into the earth. Exploration of the cave began in the 19th century but it was not opened to the public until 2001.

The Duomo di San Gimignano, also known as Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta (Collegiate Church of the Assumption of Mary),is a Roman Catholic Collegiate Church and the cathedral of San Gimignano. It is most famous for its incredible murals and paintings, which include works of famous artists such as Taddeo di Bartolo, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Lippo Memmi. In fact, the building is only one of many celebrated buildings that make up the ‘Historic Centre of San Gimignano’, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just find a luxury villa in San Gimignano and visit this amazing cathedral and the astounding historic centre in which it is located. There are few towns so picture-perfect as this and it is well worth exploring.