Archive for 'Northeast Italy'

If you have found your perfect vacation rental in Veneto and are thinking about spending some time exploring the wider region and all that it has to offer, then you should definitely ensure to set aside a day to head the few kilometres just outside of the city of Verona to the Moreniche hills overlooking Lake Garda, where you’ll find the Parco Giardino Sigurtà. Often listed as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world and with good reason, it is a truly breath-taking place and a perfectly idyllic spot to get well and truly away from the humdrum surroundings of daily life to experience something utterly refreshing and rather extraordinary.

First established as a park all the way back in 1617 and now combined with a modern garden, the park was sold by its last owner, Dr Carlo Sigurtà, in 1941 and was then opened to the public in 1978. It extends over a whopping 600,000 square meters and is made up of a diverse landscape including woodlands, a medicinal herb garden, a grotto, 18 (yes, eighteen!) flowering ornamental lakes, incredible fields of flowers, a dog cemetery, the Hermitage, the Great Lawn, the Great Oak, a farm, and more. The scale and variety is utterly staggering and the whole thing is an amazing sight to behold with plenty to keep anyone more than occupied for a day (or several!).

In the last post, we noted that while great coffee is readily available all over Italy, Trieste is the coffee capital and, for coffee lovers, a must-see destination. To try the great variety of incredible types of coffee available and learn all about the rich history of the city, you simply need to find a vacation rental in Friuli Venezia Giulia and spend some time in her coffee shops. These establishments include the Caffè San Marco, where James Joyce penned The Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man or Caffè Tommaseo, the city's oldest surviving establishment which was opened in 1830 or the beautiful Caffè degli Specchi. However, if you are planning on visiting Trieste and ordering coffee, you'll need to take note of some very special terms and phrases. The city has its own coffee language that even Italian speakers and Italians from other parts of the country sometimes struggle with. So, if you're planning on ordering coffee in Trieste, keep these phrases at hand:

While coffee, and especially great coffee, is something that one can find readily all over Italy, some places are particularly famous for their brews or serve up slightly better cups of the black stuff than others. Among these destinations, Trieste is undoubtedly one of the best of the best and unmissable for those who want to vacation in Italy. If you're a coffee lover, find a holiday rental in Friuli Venezia Giulia and get stuck into all of the rich history and delicious beverages that they have to offer in the city...

Coffee may be a daily, permanent fixture of most of our lives but until the 18th century, it was not something that Europeans were familiar with. It was originally an African and Middle Eastern drink and likely originated in either Ethiopia or Yemen and was invented around the 15th century. In the 16th century, it spread to Turkey and Iran and then to the Mediterranean in 17th century and the first coffee house opened in Venice around 1629. By the 18th century, there were plenty of coffee houses in Italy and in Trieste, in particular as Emperor Charles VI had made the city a free port, allowing them to receive beans from coffee plantations all around the world and to supply coffee houses throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In the last post, we introduced the little gem that is the enclaved microstate of San Marino. Nestled between the Italian regions of Le Marche and Emilia Romagna, this impossibly pretty republic is a perfect spot for a day trip and has a surprising amount to offer visitors. Just find a vacation rental in Emilia Romagna or a villa in Rimini, in particular, or a holiday rental in Le Marche and then set aside a day to come and explore this incredible place that looks like a picture-perfect kingdom plucked right from the pages of a storybook. Aside from the stunning views and scenery, pretty streets, great food, and excellent value for money, here are even more reasons as to why it is a must-see...

6. Shop The Discounts

We noted that San Marino isn't overly expensive, in general, but it also boasts tax-free shopping, lots of great shops and boutiques to choose from, some malls, and, additionally, two outlets: San Marino Factory Outlet and Queen Outlet. Be sure to grab a bargain while you're in town!

Those who have found a vacation rental in Emilia Romagna or a villa in Rimini, in particular, or a holiday rental in Le Marche should definitely try and set aside a day to spend visiting the intriguing San Marino.

The enclaved microstate of the Republic of San Marino, also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, is located inside Italy, not far from the riviera of Rimini and is a fascinating little country within a country that is just 61 square kilometres in size. It is thought to be the oldest sovereign state, oldest republic in the world, and was founded in 301 AD. In addition, it is one of the least visited countries in Europe and is a really special gem with a unique history and culture of its own. Impossibly picturesque and a path less travelled, the discerning and adventurous tourist exploring the surrounding area of Italy will definitely check it out but, if you're not yet convinced, here are ten reasons to add San Marino to your bucket list...