Archive for 'Must See Attractions'

The Scala dei Turchi, or Turkish Staircase, in Realmonte on the island of Sicily is a naturally occuring phenomenon. It is a rocky cliff, an unusual white in colour, which has been eroded by the sea over the centuries. Due to this extraordinary appearance and its mention in Andrea Camilleri's series of detective stories about Commissario Montalbano, it has become a popular tourist attraction in the area.

The white, starkly beautiful crags and hollows of the cliff-face, paired with the rich blue of the ocean and the stunning sunsets in the area make it an astounding sight.

St Patrick conjures images of Ireland to mind, not Italy. However, a particularly fascinating monument in Orvieto, Umbria has the British saint's name attached to it. St Patrick's Well, originally called The Fortress Well – which would be a far more suitable title to use – is an exceptionally deep well which was built to provide water to Orvieto during times of siege.

Built on the edge of a cliff in the early 1500s and a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering, it is now a popular tourist site.

The structure is so ingrained into Italian mindsets that to call someone generous you can say that they have pockets as deep as St Patrick's Well. If you want to see this astounding and iconic structure for yourself, find a luxury villa in Umbria and make the descent into the depths of the earth.

The Temple of Valadier doesn't look real. It looks, instead, like something from a fantasy novel. Perched just inside the Frassassi mountain caves in Genga, Le Marche with views across an amazing landscape, it seems like a mythical temple or the home of some magical creature.

In reality, it is a neoclassical church which was built in 1828 for Pope Leone XII, who was from the area. The church is set inside the equally fantastical Frassassi cave system. With its crags, stalagmites and stalactites, it has a theatrical and breath-taking appearance.

These caves, too, can be visited and explored. If you are in search of beauty and magnificence that seems utterly other-worldly, find a holiday rental in Le Marche and spend a day exploring this special place.

The beautiful island of Capri is known for its stunning seascapes, pretty towns and luxury but its single most famous attraction is probably the Grotta Azzurra, a sea cave which is lit by an eerily lovely blue light.

Like something from a movie, storybook or other world, this magical corner of the globe should be visited by those with vivid imaginations or wishing to claim back their childhood. It's the type of place that one could imagine mermaids or mystical sea creatures would gather and congregate.

If you want to join them, find a villa with pool in Capri and experience this magical place for yourself.

Marmore Falls is a man-made waterfall in Umbria which was created by the ancient Romans in 271 BC. One of the tallest waterfalls in Europe and the tallest man-made waterfall in the world, it was constructed in order to divert the stagnant waters of the Velino river away from Rieti because it fed a surrounding wetland and was causing illness.

Today we recognise that the illness in question was probably malaria. The river was diverted to a natural cliff at Marmore nearby and then fell over the edge into the river Nera below.