Archive for 'Museums & Galleries'

The home of Leonardo isn’t actually found within the town of Vinci, but is actually located nearby in the foothills of Montalbano in a village called Anchiano in the comune of Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci was born in Anchiano on April 15, 1452 as the illegitimate child of a servant and a local landowner. The surrounding landscape, typically Tuscan, will be familiar to any fans of the master as it often appeared in his works. The house in which he grew up was reopened to the public in 2012 and is a must for anyone who adores his ouevre. Find a villa with internet in Vinci and step into the area's rich past while easily staying in touch with the present.

If you still haven't had enough of Da Vinci after the last post why not find a luxury villa in Vinci and spend a couple days following his trail around Anchiano and Vinci?

Once you have visited his birthplace and the museum there, have been told the story of his life by a hologram and taken in the breath-taking Tuscan countryside which surrounds and inspired his work, you can follow one of the many itineraries that explore the surrounding territory.

One of the most beautiful and interesting of these itineraries is known as the Strada Verde, or Green Road.

There are certain things in Florence, as in every great city in the world, that are on almost all visitors' itineraries. When in Florence, most will want to see the Uffizi, David, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Piazza della Signoria and, perhaps, the Duomo, but if you are an art, architecture or history lover visiting the city, there's a hidden gem that you need to know about. Stretching from the Palazzo Pitti to the Uffizi is a long passageway, measuring almost a kilometre. Named the Vasari Corridor after the man who designed it, it is a lesser-known and less accessible attraction in the city. If you want the chance to be one of the few who gets to see it for yourself, find a luxury villa in Florence and drop by!

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.