Archive for 'Northwest Italy'

Camogli is a well-kept secret. Along the Italian Riviera near Genoa, it is a typical, but particularly charming, fishing village perched on a rocky outcrop. It has beautiful beaches, a small harbour full of colourful boats, shops and restaurants and has a distinctive seafront with brightly coloured houses decorated in trompe l'oeil designs. Known mostly to Italians but quite like the neighbouring, and more famous, town of Portofino. It is an authentic taste of Italian seaside life, a little off the beaten track, and far from the bustle of tourists. If you're after a holiday full of relaxation, culture, good food and beautiful scenery, this is just the place.

The town of Balestrino in Liguria is comprised of two parts, the city in which people currently live at the base of a hill and an abandoned town atop it. Abandoned since 1953, the mysterious ghost town of Balestrino is eerily beautiful and utterly captivating. Very little is known about the original city's history and origins, only adding to the grand sense of mystery and intrigue that surrounds this most famous of Italian ghost towns. It is one of the most visited and popular ghost towns in the country with thousands of visitors and explorers coming to see it each year. However, with plans to redevelop the area on the cards, time could be running out to visit. If this sounds like something you would be interested in doing, find a luxury villa in Liguria and drop by.

In the market for an exceptionally unusual attraction to visit in Italy this summer? Perhaps something that can be seen from space? Maybe something unlike anything else in the world? Well, if that is the case, Piedmont has just the thing for you: A giant, knitted pink bunny which can be seen from satellites above earth. Located in the Alps in a rural spot called Colletto Fava, the oddity attracts many visitors each year. Knitted from wool, it is slowly rotting away and is expected to have disappeared entirely by 2025, if you want to get the chance to see it for yourself, you'll need to plan a trip in the next few years. As it is, it has already deteriorated quite a bit. So, why not find a villa with pool in Piedmont and spend a day visiting this unusual sight?

The Abbey of San Fruttuoso in Camogli is a famous tourist destination, filled with art, architecture and history but off the coast from this institution is a rather more unique attraction.

The Christ of the Abyss is a submerged bronze statue of Christ called Christ of the Abyss which was placed in the bay at San Fruttuoso in 1954. Copies of the work have been placed in the waters at Grenada and Florida since then. If you have a passion for diving or in seeing oddities around the world, this might prove interesting.

Why not find a villa with pool in Liguria and spend your entire holiday in the water?

The Villa della Regina is a seventeenth century palace in Turin, Piedmont. It was originally designed by Ascanio Vitozzi in 1615 but after his death that year, the project was given over to Carlo and Amadeo di Castellamonte. The building was commissioned by Maurice of Savoy, then brother to the Savoy King.

As one of the Piedmontese Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, the Villa della Regina is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also a museum.

Only relatively recently was it opened to the public after restorations were completed in 2006.