Archive for 'Must See Attractions'

Those interested in fashion, design, art, and cosmopolitan delights are often drawn to the city of Milan while they enjoy a vacation in Lombardy. Home to chic bars and boutiques, incredible museums, and amazing designers of all descriptions, it has plenty to offer those interested in beautiful and interesting objects and works of art.

The Palazzo Reale, the former seat of local government for centuries and a vast palatial structure, is today one of the city’s premier spaces for art, design, and culture. It is a cultural centre of the city and showcases international art and design exhibitions of modern and contemporary works in collaboration with some of the most famous and celebrated museums and institutions around the world.

Recently, it has hosted important and large-scale exhibitions of the works of Picasso, Munch, Dolce & Gabbana, Cézanne and Renoir, Goya, famous photographers, thematic group exhibitions, and more. Those who love the works of the surrealist artist and writer Leonora Carrington, meanwhile, will be able to see the first exhibition of her works in Italy at the Palazzo Reale if they book a holiday rental in Milan or a villa in Lombardy and plan a day-trip into Milan from September of this year into January of 2026. And if you’ve never even heard of her? Then, this is your chance to discover her trippy, colourful, fantastical, and beautiful works of art!

Planning a trip to Italy in May or June means that you are coming at the tail end of spring and the beginning of summer, just as tourists really begin to arrive and while everything continues to fully bloom. Not only is this when weather is milder but more than pleasant enough for days in a luxury villa with pool in Italy or by the sea but it is also when Italy is at its potentially prettiest. The coming summer days and this natural splendour, as well as harvests beginning to load tables with delicious produce, means that there are plenty of reasons to celebrate.

As a result, May and June are a time when there is an especially large number of sagre, traditional local festivals that can celebrate saints, holy days, historic events, particular food products, and more with feasts, parades, parties, concerts, and other events. Those who book a vacation rental in Italy at this time of the year, will be able to enjoy authentic, traditional experiences alongside locals, sample incredible wines, enjoy regional dishes, and really get a genuine look into Italian life.

Of course, while the food-related events and parties are well worth seeking out and enjoying, we also recommend experiencing one of the infiorata events that take place around Italy each May or June. These particular celebrations, or “flowering” events, are the pride of several towns located around Italy and involve the creation of breath-taking, elaborate flower-based decorations that wow guests and locals alike. 

We always recommend an incredible stay in one of our vacation rentals in Florence to take in the immense cultural wealth of the city but if you’re after that kind of cultural background as well as the sizzling summers and stunning coastline offered to those who book a holiday rental in Salento then just plan a visit to Lecce. The so-called Florence of the South – a nickname that stuck after the Irish bishop George Berkeley came through Apulia in the 18th century and was struck by the splendour of the city – Lecce is a hub of incredible beauty that is full of things to see and do and is basically one giant, outdoor museum. 

But why exactly has Lecce been labelled the Florence of the South?

There is almost no time in which a trip to Rome won’t be a rewarding and fascinating experience as there is simply so much to see and do in this grand city. At different times throughout the year, however, a vacation rental in Rome and time in the city means that you will also be able to enjoy some specific celebrations, seasonal experiences, or special events. From the intense Christmas celebrations in this hub of Catholicism, to the wonders of the blooming gardens of the historic palaces in spring, to the thrills of the Italian Open for tennis nerds planning a visit in May, to Roma Jazz Festival in October, there are all sorts of unique offerings throughout the year.

However, the 15th of March, known as the Ides of March, has long been a particularly significant day in Rome. It was often a time around which new year ceremonies would take place, was sacred to their supreme deity, Jupiter, was the beginning of a holy week in the later Imperial period, and more. However, it became cemented in popular imagination from antiquity all the way to the current day when, on the 15th of March in 44BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated on that very day.  

From the 24th of December 2024 to the 6th of January 2026, the Jubilee 2025 (or Iubilaeum A.D. 2025) will take place. Announced in 2000 by Pope John Paul II at the end of the Great Jubilee, this year will see special pilgrimages, prayers, pardons, and events take place at the Vatican. As a result, the Vatican has estimated that some 35 million pilgrims will come to the city for the Jubilee Year of Hope.

Those who would like to be among this number, therefore, or who were considering planning a trip to Rome in 2025 should think about booking their vacation rentals in Rome as soon as possible as accommodation is sure to fill up fast and prices are likely to rise over time. Check out our range of holiday rentals in Rome today and secure your trip now.