Archive for 'Emilia-Romagna'

Food is one of the things that makes many choose Italy as a holiday destination. The culture of dining, of spending hours eating and enjoying the company of your fellow diners, no technology infringing upon the experience, is something that appeals to residents of countries where this has died in favour of busy schedules and convenience. Plus, good food is never far away or hard to find and Italian cuisine is, by and large, a comforting, hearty style that developed from peasant dishes. However, if you want to try something a little different, why not supplement your Italian dining experiences with a trip to the best restaurant in the world?

Osteria Francescana is located in Modena and does not offer a typical Italian dining experience by any means. It is, however, somewhere that should make foodies excited. Just find a villa with pool in Emilia-Romagna and book a table well in advance to try it out for yourself.

Activities that kids will enjoy are key to making a successful family holiday and to keeping everyone in the group happy. It is even better if said activities are educational as well as fun and one of the best destinations or attractions to offer this is a zoological museum as it offers kids the chance to get up close and personal with animals, to observe them properly and learn in a safe environment.

These museums themselves, as well, tend to be set in pretty historic buildings that are attractions in their own right. Even if you're travelling by yourself, with friends or are on a romantic getaway, zoological museums are fun and fascinating places that anyone will enjoy.

Bologna's Zoological Museum, in particular, is a must-see as one of the oldest in the world. Just find a holiday rental in Emilia Romagna and pay a visit to the city and its wonderful zoological museum.

The Rocchetta Mattei is a magnificent castle that emerges as an extraordinary sight, soaring up from the northern part of the Tosco-Emiliano Apennines, in the comune of Grizzana Morandi in the province of Bologna. It is a rather eccentric building that speaks to its former owner, a similarly strange character. The earl Cesare Mattei, who had the castle built in the 19th century, was the inventor of "electrohomeopathy," a medical practice said to cure cancer. It was a method that combined the use of herbs with electric bio-energy from plants and homeopathy to harness the “life energy” (electricity) of plants to heal all illnesses. He even studied biology, anatomy, physiology, pathology and botany in order to found the medical movement. While it is still used in some parts of the world today, it was largely debunked. Other elements of the earl's lifestyle make it even more apparent that he was an eccentric, including the fact that he had a room built specifically for celebrations for his 90th birthday (which, sadly, never came) and that his home was like a real Medieval court with even a court jester.

Our last article discussed some of the amazing spa destinations and glamorous getaways that Italy has to offer but any single post on this topic could only dip a toe into the vast thermal waters of the unending list of amazing spa towns that the country has to offer.

While Ischia Island has beautiful scenery and popularity with celebrities to recommend it and Salsomaggiore Terme is home to one of the greatest architectural gems any spa destination in the world can boast and a history of being the spa town of choice of emperors, there are many others to be discovered.

Read on for some more relaxing, beautiful and fascinating spa towns in Italy.

One of the best things about visiting Italy is the difference in the pace of life. Things tend to be a little more relaxed and laid-back than in other parts of the world and, if you're willing to embrace this, it makes for the perfect atmosphere to have a perfectly revitalising holiday where you forget all your worries and enjoy yourself.

Ignore the fact that the grocery store and post office in the town have just closed for three hours at lunch and forget about emails and the office for the duration of your stay in Italy.

Instead, choose one of the beautiful spa towns around the country and soak in natural hot springs, go for a massage and a facial – there is no better way to fully experience the relaxation that can only be found in Italy.