Archive for 'Northeast Italy'

Hearing what real people have to say about something helps give us peace of mind and, luckily, here at Italy Villas, we have been blessed with lots of customers who give us great feedback on our properties. Therefore, we thought that it would be a good idea to put together a list of our most-reviewed properties to show some of the excellent villas and experiences you can expect when you book with us. Here are two more!

7. La Cenerara

La Cenerara is a large villa, spread across 2 floors, that is located in the hills of Emilia Romagna, close by both Parma and Piacenza. With a pool, mini football pitch, trampoline, beautiful natural surroundings and a horse-riding facility, it is the perfect place of business retreats, family holidays and getaways with friends alike. Charming and well-maintained, the villa has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and sleeps up to 13 people.

In the last post of this series, we really have saved the best for last. Italy is a beautiful holiday destination and is a country rich in art and culture and fine cuisine but it also has a stunning landscape that perfectly facilitates adventure. If you are a fan of extreme sports, in particular, it is an ideal destination and these are some more of the places you need to check out.

5. Polignano a Mare

Polignano a Mare is a town and comune on the coast of the Valle d’Itria, Apulia that is perched atop a 20m limestone cliff, overlooking the Adriatic. It is also often home to one of the legs of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series and was again this year on the 23rd of July. The cliffs are a huge part of the identity of the town and make the perfect place for the competition. Athletes dive directly from a private roof-top terrace and must proceed through a private living room in order to reach the platform, set 27m above the Adriatic Sea.

If you are a thrill-seeker that is planning a trip to Italy, you may be looking forward to the relaxation, great food and culture but you might also want to squeeze in some adventure as well and, in that case, you have chosen the right destination! Italy's varied and beautiful landscape makes it the perfect place to enjoy many different extreme sports that are bound to get your heart racing. From tall cliffs to snowy peaks and raging rivers to deep seas, the ingredients for an adventure are all over Italy. Continuing on from our last post, here are some more of the extreme sports and incredible experiences that await in Italy.

4. Marmore Falls

Marmore Falls is a man-made waterfall in Umbria that was created by the ancient Romans in 271 BC. It is one of the tallest waterfalls in Europe and the tallest man-made waterfall in the world. There are plenty of routes for hiking and walking in the area and these are recommended for taking in the fairytale-like beauty of the falls.

In the final post of this series, we have rounded up the last of our must-try foods for anyone who has found a vacation rental in Italy and is planning on exploring its famous cuisine. There are plenty of other foods that could be recommended here and many more to try but these are some of the most famous and iconic foods that you really shouldn't leave the country without trying.

5. Prosciutto di Parma

Prosciutto di Parma, or Parma Ham, is, without a doubt, one of Italy's most famous typical food products and one of the foods mostly intimately connected with its town of origin. Dating back to the ancient Romans, today, it is a DOP food that is officially recognised by the EU. In order to be called Prosciutto di Parma, it must come from pigs raised in a specific area (either Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio, Abruzzo, or Molise) and has to be produced in a precise area in the province of Parma.

Continuing on from the last post, there are, of course, many more Italian foods that deserve a mention as “must-tries”. In fact, endless books and documentaries are dedicated to the topic and you could make countless trips to Italy where all you did was eat. However, there isn't infinite time or space here to talk about all of those foods and once you have found a vacation rental in Italy, you probably don't have indefinite time or resources to try everything so, this is a whittled down a list of the key foods that you need to try in Italy.

3. Balsamic Vinegar

This is, obviously, not a stand-alone food. However, as it is a key cupboard essential in many homes around the world and Italy is its birthplace, we figured you might want to take the opportunity to learn more and see how delicious the product can actually be.