Archive for 'Curiosities'

The Phlegraean Fields or Campi Flegrei is an area that encompasses land all along the west of Naples, by the bay. The name means “burning fields” and comes from the fact that the area often smokes and sizzles in a remarkably dramatic and hellish way. This area is volcanic in nature and, while none are technically active, there is plenty of seismic activity in the area and it has been hugely affected by its volcanic history.

Vesuvius may be the only active volcano in continental Europe but the Phlegraean Fields' Solfatara is a good place to see some of the effects of volcanism up close. Here you can actually go inside the crater and see its fumaroles (steam vents), boiling mud and ground that's hot to the touch. Solfatara is, in fact, just one of the extraordinary sights that the Phlegraean Fields has to offer and really has to be seen to believe. If you feel like getting in touch with Dante on your next trip to Italy, just find a holiday rental in Campania and see what the Inferno might just look like.

The town of Solofra near Avellino, in the exceptionally beautiful region of Campania, is the place to go if you have a fondness for leather goods.

This town is Italy's most prominent area for leather tanning and produces the best leather in the country. It is particularly well-known as the best place to pick up high quality Italian leather jackets.

For the leather aficionado, or someone who has been trying to track down the perfect leather jacket for some time now, it is an absolute must. Just find a vacation rental in Campania and spend a day wandering this charming town and stocking up on wardrobe essentials and far above average souvenirs for those back home!

Strombolicchio is the name of a sea stack of volcanic origin that is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, just off the coast of Italy. The name literally means “tiny Stromboli” as it is like a mini-me, positioned just 2km off the coast of Stromboli Island and is thought to have been formed by the same original volcano from which the bigger island was built up. Strombolicchio is a distinct and rather romantic looking landmark. It stands up from the water, tall, slim and rugged and is very clearly visible for miles around. As a result, it has captured, and continues to capture, imaginations for a long time and there are endless photographs of it from every imaginable angle, in every light, at every time of day and in every atmospheric condition.

If you have found a vacation rental in Sicily and are exploring the area, make sure to take a boat trip around the island or merely keep an eye out for it along the coast.

An extremely exciting exhibition is coming to Florence this Autumn.

Birthplace of the Renaissance and home to endless museums and galleries, the city is one of the greatest places to see art and for art lovers to visit in the world and, now, one of the great pioneers of contemporary art and China's most famous living artist, Ai Weiwei, will be shown in the city.

A dissident artist with a leading voice, Ai Weiwei is known world-wide for his political activism, for questioning international issues and for his challenging on contemporary art practices.

The exhibition, “Ai Weiwei. Libero”, will be the first major retrospective dedicated to the artist in the country and the first to be exhibited across the entirety of the Palazzo Strozzi spaces.

For art lovers visiting Italy, it is just one more reason to choose a luxury villa in Florence.

In February 2007 there was an archaeological discovery made in the village of Valdaro, just outside of Mantua, which quickly captured the attention and the imagination of scientists and romantics alike the world over. A pair of Neolithic corpses were found buried together, entangled and facing each other, prompting Shakespearean references aplenty. This was only heightened by the fact that the nearby Mantua was the site of Romeo's exile in that iconic blueprint for tales of romance and tragedy. Today, they still remain together, on display under one case. If you have a soft spot for romance be sure to find a holiday rental in Lombardy and stop by to pay the lovers a visit.