Archive for 'Localities'

Villa Deli is a truly magic and perfectly-located vacation rental on the Amalfi Coast that is positioned right in the centre of Positano, directly overlooking the town and the beautiful bay below. If you have been dreaming of a holiday on the Amalfi Coast, then this incredible property is probably exactly what you have been picturing in your fantasies. Make the most of these stunning surroundings and enjoy stylish and cosy interiors while exploring all that this famous stretch of the Italian coastline has to offer. 

Lots of people like to follow their favourite characters on their fictional journeys through destinations and then shadow those footsteps themselves in real life. Think of Bloomsday in Dublin, each summer, that sees fans from all over the globe come to follow Joyce’s protagonist Leopold Bloom around the city. Recently, another Irish author has given us yet another engaging and fascinating protagonist whose journey we can chart with Maggie O’Farrell’s fictionalised novel about the life and death of Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara, in The Marriage Portrait.

The celebrated and well-loved O’Farrell released the book in 2022 to great acclaim and immediately transported readers all over the world into the life of an incredibly young bride in Renaissance Italy. Certain liberties have been taken with the details of her life but the story is rooted in historic record and real events and places. Those, therefore, who have read and adored the book can pretty easily track Lucrezia’s path from birth to childhood to a rather nerve-wracking young married life in a strange court. In fact, many of the places in the novel are already key tourist attractions that one might already be planning on visiting if booking a villa in Florence and/or a vacation rental in Emilia Romagna. 

We all hear about certain destinations. They become trendy all of a sudden due to a film or a television series being set there or because the food of the region becomes popular or because the rich and famous are spotted there. Or others are the classic hot spots that we spend lifetimes hearing about, that have been on bucket lists since time immemorial. No matter which type of popular destination it is, you hear lots about them, you see the pretty photographs of other people’s trips, you start to become curious, and then you might begin to wonder if it could possibly live up to all of the hype.

This, of course, will change from person to person. Some people will see (or smell) Paris and find it lacking compared to the perfect image that they had conjured in their minds, while others will find that the rougher edges only add to the romance of the museums and landmarks and picturesque streets. 

Famously lovely Lake Como is one of the impossibly scenic lakes that makes up the area sometimes known as Italy’s Lake District. Along with the other lakes stretching across this area of Northern Italy (including Lake Maggiore, Lugano, Iseo, and Garda), this beautiful body of water is dotted with islands that house some extraordinary attractions and is surrounded by picturesque shoreside villages and towns as well as impressive peaks and lush greenery and forests. Those interested in taking in beyond gorgeous scenery and in having all sorts of lovely places to explore will find no shortage of wonderful things to see and do but those who find a villa in Lake Como should also slow down, take in deep breaths of that clean and sweet lakeside air, and generally just appreciate the magic all around them. While there are plenty of incredible hiking routes to try out, historic villas to discover, gardens to admire, islands to seek out, concerts to attend, water sports to enjoy, and much more besides, we also suggest taking your time and merely wandering about some of those charming towns, admiring the beauty that abounds all around. One of the prettiest villages in which to do just that is Varenna.