Archive for 'Latium'

If you are looking to plan a city break over the coming months and you are looking for a destination that perfectly combines beautiful surroundings with an unbelievable wealth of things to see and do (from museums to galleries, architectural gems, historic sites, activities, parks, and more), a great culinary scene, and also some excellent shopping, then the Eternal City is, without a doubt, one of the best options around. For a taste of that Dolce Vita, a vacation rental in Rome is just the thing, as it truly is a place that lives up to its name. Rome is always lovely, always fascinating, always a good idea, and always a perfect place to indulge in a bit of retail therapy. And, while there are plenty of interesting independent boutiques, elegant flagship stores for some of the world's best-loved labels, buzzing shopping streets, and more to be explored, a shopping trip is never complete without a visit to a local market. Wouldn't you know it? Rome happens to also have one of the best markets we've laid eyes on! A contemporary, well-oiled gem with the freshest of produce and some really cool traditional and new retailers, if you're planning a getaway in Rome and you're thoroughly exploring her shopping scene then you should definitely make time to visit the Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio, or Testaccio Market.

One of the best food markets in Rome today and home to some incredibly stylish shops, Testaccio Market in the Testaccio Quarter has been utterly transformed in recent years. Formerly shambolic and untidy, it is now a very smooth operation with a little bit of something for everyone and just lots to see...and eat! Among the oldest markets in the city and a neighbourhood fixture for over 80 years, Testaccio Market was moved to its current location back in 2012 and, with the move, became the more orderly beast that it is today. Glass-covered, bright, clean, and charming, the market is made up of nearly one hundred different stalls and retailers, many of which have been run by the same families for generations.

Plenty of people prefer to travel outside of the summer months or, even, travel multiple times throughout the year and if you've been thinking of planning a vacation in Italy then a fall getaway is just the thing. Autumn is a wonderful time to visit Italy as you can often find bargains when it comes to the cost of travel and accommodation, the tourist crowds get smaller, the weather becomes less intensely hot as summer ends, and the variety of the landscape and climate of Italy means that there are holiday options to suit everyone, no matter what kind of vacation they are after. From hiking in the Alps to lying out on perfect beaches to taking in some of the world's prettiest cities and landscapes at their most beautiful, there are all sorts of incredible experiences to be had and memories to be made while exploring Italy this fall. Here is our guide to the best holiday destinations for those considering an autumnal trip in Italy this year.

A regular fixture on our blogs are listicles of some of our favourite properties of the moment among the almost four thousand different villas, farmhouses, apartments, castles, and more located all across Italy that are available to rent on our website. It can be very hard for us to narrow down the lists into bite-size articles for your consumption as there are just so many wonderful options to choose from! But we always somehow manage to whittle it down eventually to a taster of just some of the best of the best among them.

However, if you don't want to just take our word for it and would also like the opinion of one of the world's most stylish publications, then you're absolutely in luck! ELLE magazine, a famously sophisticated and fashion-forward magazine, recently ran a special feature focusing on the coolest, most luxurious, appealing, chicest, and varied ways to holiday in Italy. As Easy Reserve and Italy Villas are two of the best online destinations for those looking into planning a holiday in Italy and finding the perfect Italian villa of their dreams, they posted a special round-up of some of their favourites among our incredible vacation rentals in Italy on their website in conjunction with this Italian travel special. We were delighted to be chosen as one of their go-to sites for booking a vacation in Italy!

Rome is already the kind of destination that endless people have on their bucket list and dream of visiting at least once in a lifetime. As the major stop on the Grand Tour, a practice by which British and European nobles set out for months or years to travel and take in Europe after finishing their studies, Rome has also historically been one of the world's major tourism destinations since even before mass tourism was established and there are plenty of good reasons for that. It is undeniably an astounding centre of western art and incredible creations from the time of the Ancient Romans to the present day. History is wherever you turn, there are famous landmarks dotted throughout, and there is a truly endless list of things to see and do. In fact, it has been estimated that one would need several years of unbroken excursions throughout the city to visit all of the Eternal City's attractions. However, if you don't have years and years to spend on travelling and you're looking for some good reasons to finally plan that vacation in Rome today then here are just five excellent traits that make it a perfect holiday destination and that might sway you into action...

Michelangelo's most famous work in Rome has to be his painted ceiling in the stunning Sistine Chapel and any art-lovers who have found a villa in Rome are sure to seek it out to see for themselves. However, the great artist personally most loved to work as a sculptor, freeing figures he imagined were trapped inside blocks of marble, waiting to be born at his hands. As he was a great favourite in Rome and the Church was one of his best patrons, there are also some wonderful sculpted works by Michelangelo to be discovered around the city, as well. So, if you are planning a vacation in Rome, be sure to check those out too and to see how incredibly talented he was at mimicking the folds and flesh and shape of the human form in stone.