Archive for 'Northeast Italy'

The mind-bending and heart-racing twists and turns of some of the roads that wind through the Alps have popped up on movie and television screens and again and again throughout the years, prompting both fear and excitement in viewers. For some, these images make people want to immediately pack their bags and go careening down these scenic and challenging roads on a bicycle or in a car themselves. Others never want to have to try and traverse them in their entire lives. If you fall into the former category and you are a bit of a daredevil, then one of the most extreme and thrilling of these roads that must be visited and experienced is, without a doubt, the Stelvio Pass in South Tyrol. With lots of excellent hiking, skiing, winter sports, and exploring options and pursuits also available in the area, a villa in South Tyrol and a vacation in this part of Italy, in general, will definitely ensure that your next holiday is a real adventure. However, if you're interested in the Stelvio Pass, in particular, then be sure to read on...

Italy is known for many things; food, art, opera, design, style, a relaxed pace of life, gorgeous scenery, and more. However, to motor enthusiasts, it is the country that produced some of the most iconic and beloved cars and motor vehicles in the world. In particular, Italy has given the world some of the most beautiful racing cars, supercars, and luxury cars. Ferrari is just one famous brand and if you are a car-lover who has found yourself a villa in Emilia-Romagna, a lush and beautiful region to the north-east of Italy, then you should definitely make it a point to visit the Museo Ferrari.

"Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life"

So opens Shakespeare's beloved and impossibly famous play Romeo and Juliet, immediately and firmly setting the location as Verona in the first two lines and forever cementing it as one of the world's most romantic destinations (so enamoured was the playwright with the town, in fact, he also set another play, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, there as well!). However, aside from this incredible claim to fame, there are plenty more reasons to find a villa in Veneto and pay a visit to Verona while on a romantic getaway in this exceptionally beautiful part of the world...

If you have found yourself a vacation rental in Verona and you are planning on spending time in that famously most romantic of cities, you're likely looking to plan out some equally romantic activities to enjoy while you are there. Once you have done all of the classics like visiting Juliet's balcony, Romeo's house, the pretty jewellery box-like Church of Sant'Eufemia, dining in any one (or several) of the endless candlelit restaurants in town, and then going to wander through the truly picturesque streets of the historic core of the city, then you might decide to head out of town for a few hours and to plan a visit to one of the nearby wineries to sample some of the delicious wines from the Veneto region.

An excellent option among the many wineries of the Veneto is the Cantine Bertani in the famously stunning Valpantena. From the Greek for, “Valley of the God,” and known in Verona as the, “Valley of all Wines,” this area has long been home to grapevines and the Romans are recorded as having been totally enamoured by the flavours of the wines coming from the valley, believing the soil of Valpantena to be ideal for growing grapes. The area has also long been known for its beauty, with a rich history of written records of this such as when Francesco Corna from Soncino noted in his “Fioretto de le antiche croniche de Verona e de tuti i soi confini” (“Choice passages from the old chronicles of Verona and surrounding”) in 1477 that this area was, “an idyllic valley marked by springs and dales, delightful fountains and vineyards which abound in Valpantena”.

Verona is already known internationally as a great city of romance in Italy as it was home to, perhaps, the most famous lovers of all time, Romeo and Juliet. In addition to this incredible claim to fame, the architecture of this charming town in Veneto is impossibly pretty and picturesque, adding to the thoroughly romantic ambiance of the place. Of all the lovely and romantic buildings in town, one of the best examples is the exceptionally charming Church of Sant'Eufemia, or Chiesa di Sant'Eufemia. If you have found a vacation rental in Verona and are spending time exploring the city then we highly recommend popping in for a visit to this wonderful architectural gem.

The Church of Sant'Eufemia is located right in the heart of the historic centre of Verona, over the site of a church that dates back to the 5th or 6th century. Various other buildings were placed over top throughout the centuries, with the foundation of the current church dating to the 13th century, when the ruling Della Scala family brought Augustinian monks to the city to build a monastery in what was then the Captains quarter of the city. Though they were brought to Verona in 1262, the necessary donations and funds had to first be gathered in order to pay for the construction of the new church and monastery. The bequest of Alberto della Scala, in particular, was integral in the funding and completion of the project.