Archive for 'Central Italy'

If you have been imagining and planning a relaxing Italian holiday for ages but still aren't sure where to visit, might we suggest the city of Chieti, capital of the province of Chieti in Abruzzo. Find a holiday rental in Chieti and see everything that this little gem of a city has to offer. You want to experience the food, the wine, the scenery, climate and culture of Italy but, perhaps, you don't want to deal with crowds of tourists clamouring to take the same photo that is on countless phones and computers and in albums across the world. You don't want to rush from place to place. You want something a little more authentic. Chieti, then, really is the perfect place for you.

We've already shown you how to make the famous Cacciucco alla Viareggina but the best known variety of this type of dish is actually Cacciucco alla Livornese from the town of Livorno on the Tuscan coast. Find a holiday rental in Livorno to try out the real deal and give the recipe a go for yourself for now.

The itinerary for Rome, as with many of the world's major cities, can be a little repetitive; visit the Colosseum, catacombs, Vatican City, Galleria Borghese, etc. Perhaps you've been to the city before or you might hate places stuffed to the gills with tourists. If so, fear not, there are plenty of other things to see in the city which are full of cultural importance, history and fun. Here are five slightly more unusual things to do on your next trip to Rome, so why not find a holiday rental in Rome and get going?

Pollo alla Cacciatora is a reasonably well-known dish outside of Italy due to the fact that it is often on the menus of Italian restaurants around the world and has even begun appearing among the pre-packaged ready-meals from Italian food ranges in supermarkets. Literally meaning “hunter's chicken” (more literally, "chicken cooked hunter-style"), the name probably comes from the fact that this dish has typically always been made with rabbit and game birds – the types of meat brought back to the home by hunters as most Italian food has peasant roots. The slow, gentle braise employed by this recipe is ideal for delicious meats that can potentially become dry and stringy if not carefully prepared. Coming from the Le Marche region, this dish is best tasted while holidaying there but you can also try it out for yourself with the recipe below. Once you've tasted it, you're sure to be in need of an Italian escape. Find a villa with pool in Le Marche and spend a vacation eating, swimming and enjoying the perfectly picturesque surroundings.

Local markets are always a great place to get a sense of the culture and flavour (quite literally) of a new place. Strolling through in the morning to grab some food in the sun is always a great way to start a day of exploring a new city. In Rome, there is one such marketplace which is also fascinating due to its history. The square of Campo dei Fiori in the centre of Rome is regularly home to a market with flowers and food stalls flocked by throngs of wandering tourists and, in the middle of the square, a statue. This brass statue is of Giordano Bruno, a 16th century friar and philosopher who was burned at the stake for his forward-thinking. Why not find a holiday rental in Rome and visit the market?