Archive for 'Curiosities'

The Renaissance gave birth to an endless list of extraordinary artworks, architectural gems and feats of ingenuity. In things such as garden design, in particular, some incredibly beautiful creations came to light in this period, one of which is the Villa Demidoff and its gardens. Located about seven miles north of Florence, the gardens are home to many different sculptures, fountains and various other delights but one of the highlights has to be the Appennine Colossus. Measuring about 35 feet tall, the Colossus is a personification of the Apennine mountain ranges, and is depicted as a blend between mountain and man, its smooth skin emerging out of the surrounding mountainous setting. This immense sculpture by the great Giambologna is actually even more fascinating than it appears at first glance; it is also a building, with chambers hidden inside, and a water feature. For lovers of the Renaissance, those interested in art and people intrigued by secret passageways and buildings, it is definitely a must-see. Just find a luxury villa in Florence and make time to visit the gardens of Villa Demidoff to go in search of this exceptional gem.

Walking around Milan – maybe going for a spot of shopping, trying local food and wine or visiting museums and tourist attractions – you might be surprised by a certain sculpture that you could easily just stumble across. In the bustling centre of the city, the Piazza Affari, or Business Square, facing the stock-exchange, there is a giant middle finger – and it is pointed right at the building that serves as the financial headquarters of the country and its occupants.

The sculpture was donated to the city by Italy's most famous contemporary artist, Maurizio Cattelan, on the one condition that it would be placed in this particular location and, surprisingly, the Mayor agreed.

If you have a bit of a cheeky side and love art, this is one more reason to find a vacation rental in Milan and visit the city.

The Rocchetta Mattei is a magnificent castle that emerges as an extraordinary sight, soaring up from the northern part of the Tosco-Emiliano Apennines, in the comune of Grizzana Morandi in the province of Bologna. It is a rather eccentric building that speaks to its former owner, a similarly strange character. The earl Cesare Mattei, who had the castle built in the 19th century, was the inventor of "electrohomeopathy," a medical practice said to cure cancer. It was a method that combined the use of herbs with electric bio-energy from plants and homeopathy to harness the “life energy” (electricity) of plants to heal all illnesses. He even studied biology, anatomy, physiology, pathology and botany in order to found the medical movement. While it is still used in some parts of the world today, it was largely debunked. Other elements of the earl's lifestyle make it even more apparent that he was an eccentric, including the fact that he had a room built specifically for celebrations for his 90th birthday (which, sadly, never came) and that his home was like a real Medieval court with even a court jester.

Our last article discussed some of the amazing spa destinations and glamorous getaways that Italy has to offer but any single post on this topic could only dip a toe into the vast thermal waters of the unending list of amazing spa towns that the country has to offer.

While Ischia Island has beautiful scenery and popularity with celebrities to recommend it and Salsomaggiore Terme is home to one of the greatest architectural gems any spa destination in the world can boast and a history of being the spa town of choice of emperors, there are many others to be discovered.

Read on for some more relaxing, beautiful and fascinating spa towns in Italy.

Art, architecture, culture, history, the finer things in life, these are all on offer in Italy in abundance. There is no shortage of museums, art galleries, architectural gems, castles, palaces, churches and other attractions all over the country and many are incredibly famous worldwide. These are things that make it onto bucket lists and can be the single motivating factor for people when deciding to visit Italy. However, for every Uffizi Gallery, Sistine Chapel and Medici palace there are also plenty of outstanding museums that you have probably never heard of. We thought these lesser-known heroes deserved a mention so we compiled a list of museums and galleries where you'll avoid the crazy lines and floods of tourists and will get to experience wonderful highlights of Italian art, architecture, history and culture.