Archive for 'Curiosities'

One hardly needs any other reasons to visit Sardinia. Its beaches, people, climate, culture and beauty alone put at the top of many people's bucket lists. However, the beautiful coastal town of Castelsardo, in particular, is known for its charming streets, distinctive skyline and picturesque surroundings which are characterised by dramatic rock formations. One of the most interesting of these rock formations actually takes the shape of an elephant. Perched by the side of the road just outside the town, the Roccia dell'Elefante, or Elephant Rock, is a surprising little oddity that adds to the character of the town and adds to the heaped pile of reasons to visit. Just find a holiday rental in Sardinia and spend a day exploring this charming town and its unique surroundings.

Christmas trees were, originally, a Northern European tradition. They have since been adopted into the festive celebrations of many other cultures. Italy, by and large, has been relatively slow to embracing the Christmas tree and they are not exceptionally common across the country.

The ideas of Michelangelo that dominate the public imagination are of a dedicated, tireless, genius who went above and beyond for his art. While these things are all, of course, true, it paints the image of a rather serious figure. There is, however, one piece of evidence in the world that suggests he might not have been the one-dimensional character that he is often portrayed as but, rather, a more complex and enigmatic figure. This religious, hard-working and diligent man was also a street artist. In Florence, in the historic Palazzo Vecchio, a simple caricature known as the L’importuno di Michelangelo, or Michelangelo's Graffiti, remains as a clue of this other Michelangelo. It is also one extra highlight to add to your itinerary once you've found a luxury villa in Florence and are headed on a holiday there.

Dragons seem to be all the rage once more due to the immense popularity of the Game of Thrones book and television series but did you know that a cathedral in Italy claims to house a bone from the rib cage of a dragon?

It seems bizarre and unlikely but it's true, the Cathedral of Saint Leucio in Atessa in Abruzzo, Italy, has a dragon rib on display inside the church. Of course, there is a reason for this, a legend about the local area which is still told to this day. Find a villa with a swimming pool in Abruzzo and make the pilgrimmage to this unique relic and stunning cathedral for yourself.

One of the first things that comes to mind when most people think of Rome is the Colosseum and one of the first things that comes to mind when thinking of the Romans is gladiators. It is fair to say, then, that gladiatorial games are one of the city's defining heritages. Visiting the Colosseum should be done at least once in a lifetime but for something more unique and a little off the beaten track, why not enroll in Gladiator School?

If you're intrigued, find a vacation villa rental in Rome and read on to learn how you can become the next Spartacus.