Archive for 'Northeast Italy'

Verona in Veneto is one of the a charming city, renowned for its beauty, ties to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and its summer opera season that takes place each year. This opera festival is the premier opera experience in Italy and is a must for music-lovers and romantics alike who have found a luxury villa in Veneto.

Prosciutto di Parma, or Parma Ham, is, perhaps, Italy's most famous typical food product worldwide. Certainly, it ranks highly amongst the best-known products – alongside the likes of Balsamic Vinegar and Parmesan. It is probably also one of the foods mostly intimately connected with its town of origin, as many are unfamiliar with one without the other; people know Parma Ham but not necessarily Parma and know of Prosciutto di Parma specifically among all cured meats from the country.

Continuing on from our previous two posts, here are more of our picks of our favourite vacation rentals in Italy with incredible views.

6. Pia

Pia is a cosy and stylish chalet, built in 2015 across three storeys that is located in the hamlet of Ciampei in the Italian Alps. Situated 6km from St. Martin in Thurn, it is a quiet, sunny place in the countryside with a stunning mountainous backdrop. The interior is beautifully decorated and it perfectly frames the incredible views outside. Sleeping 16, this is a great place for a luxurious ski break as a group, with all the mod-cons (WIFI, large flatscreen television and open-hearth in the living room, fully equipped kitchen, etc) and ski specific facilities such as a ski boot dryer, ski rental and a ski school nearby. Available from €984 per night, this modern ski chalet is a serious gem.

Though Italy is famous for a great many of things, one famous attribute that you are less likely to have heard of or associate with the country is its incredible number of caves. In fact, it is one of the countries that has the most caves in the entire world – more than 35,000 in number – and, among them, the largest tourist cave on Earth: the Grotta Gigante. Officially recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records, the main underground chamber of the Grotta Gigante measures 98.5m in height, 76.30m in width and is 167.6m long.

Located near Borgo Grotta Gigante, in the municipality of Sgonico in the lesser-known Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, it has been a popular tourist attraction since it opened to the public in 1908. Seeming like something plucked from the beautifully illustrated pages of a fantasy novel, it makes for an extraordinary sight. Just find a vacation rental in Friuli Venezia Giulia and set a day aside to go explore this underworld kingdom.

The International Museum and Library of Music in Bologna is a rather extraordinary gem. Not only is it home to a rather exceptional and vast collection of books, paintings and musical instruments, but it is also an incredible beauty and a well-run and friendly place to visit and spend time.

People enthuse over everything from the audio guides to the peacefulness of the library, the frescoes to the quality of the collection. Just find a holiday rental in Emilia-Romagna and spend time in this pretty museum, taking in Italy's rich musical history.

Opened in 2004, the International Museum and Library of Music is split between two locations. The museum is located in the Palazzo Sanguinetti, in the city center and the library is located inside the convent of San Giacomo Maggiore, alongside the G.B. Martini music conservatory.