Archive for 'Must See Attractions'

The Grotta Mangiapane is one of those tourist destinations that is so far off the beaten track that, while it may be of interest to tourists, it really isn't made for the itineraries of most. It is a bit of a secret that is unfamiliar to anyone but locals.

However, it is well worth a visit. Just find a luxury villa in Sicily and explore this unique site for yourself!

The giant cave, located on the west coast of Sicily, is home to an ancient village, that may date back some 10,000 years and which has remained untouched and untainted for decades. It is the largest of nine Scurati Caves in Custonaci where prehistoric men first settled. For a long time thereafter it was a small town and community. Today, it is abandoned and is now basically a large, open-air museum, dedicated to Italy of the past and which allows visitors to step back in time.

If one talks of fjords, it is likely that Norway probably comes immediately to mind, however, Italy can also boast its own fjord.

The town of Furore on the Amalfi Coast is a typical town for the area in almost every aspect. However, it is differentiated from others by one extraordinary feature: its fjord. Find a holiday rental on the Amalfi Coast and you can discover it for yourself.

Located at the mouth of an overhanging valley, the fjord is a sharp recess into the rock and cliffside by the sea and was originally formed by a usually dry stream, the Schiato, that cuts down from the edge of the plateau of Agerola. In times long by it was called Terra Furoris, most likely because of how the thunderous sea slaps through the crack during storms.

The city of Verona is most famous for two fictional inhabitants – the tragic figures of Romeo and Juliet, who were the eponymous doomed lovers of Shakespeare's most famous play. As a result, tourism in the city often plays up to these famous figures and you can find endless businesses named for or with the theme of Romeo and Juliet and attractions “related” to the pair.

However, gross capitalism and consumerism aside, there is a certain romantic air to the city and, as it is within a stone's throw of Venice, it is the perfect spot to spend a honeymoon, in particular.

Just find a luxury villa in Veneto and explore the stunning region and its famously romantic cities as you begin exploring your first days or your new lives together.

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.