Archive for 'Southern Italy'

The Villa Cimbrone is a historic villa located on a rocky outcrop known as "Cimbronium", from which it takes its name, in Ravello that dates to at least the 11th century AD. The earliest references to the villa from this time refer to when the villa belonged to the Accongiogioco, a noble family. It later became the property of the wealthy and influential Fusco family, who are also recorded as owning the local church of S. Angelo de Cimbrone in the 13th century. Later still, it became part of the nearby monastery of Santa Chiara. Ownership from the seventeenth century is uncertain, but by the second half of the nineteenth century it had come into the possession of the Amici family of Atrani.

In the 20th century, the villa was altered and extended by Ernest William Beckett, who brought in salvaged architectural elements from other parts of Italy and elsewhere, leaving little of the original structure visible.

The Galleria Borbonica, or Bourbon Tunnel, is an ancient military underground passage that connects the Royal Palace to the military barracks in Naples. It was built to allow the king to flee to the sea and the soldiers to defend the palace quickly and remains a rather intriguing reminder of the past. Errico Alvino was commissioned by Ferdinand II in 1853 to construct this military passage due to his paranoia about the outbreak of a rebellion. His paranoia turned out to be well-founded as, two years after construction began, the fall of the Bourbon dynasty led to halt of all work on the tunnel.

A network of tunnels carved into the aqueducts of the city, it is 530m in length and remained unused and abandoned until WWII. During the hundreds of bombings in World War II, the people of Naples used the underground passages as shelters. There were also military hospitals established in the tunnel. Furthermore, confiscated vehicles such as cars and bicycles that were taken in this period were kept in the tunnels. A fascist monument made for Aurelio Padovani was also abandoned underground.

Then, again, the tunnels were forgotten until the 2000s, when the curious artefacts that were housed inside and the fascinating passages themselves began to garner attention from locals. In 2014, the tunnels were opened to the public and are now a tourist attraction. You can take several different tours of the tunnels including the Standard Tour, the Adventure Tour (80 minutes; adult/reduced €15/10) and adults-only Speleo Tour (2½ hours; €30).

Standard Tours take you around the displays of vintage cars, motorbikes and water tanks. The Adventure Tour, sees visitors enter a cistern still full of water and sail under the city on a raft. More extreme adventurers, meanwhile, might be more interested in the Speleo Tour, which sees participants don a hard hat and overalls and go crawling through aqueduct tunnels to reach the most beautiful water cisterns.

If you are exploring the city of Naples or have found a luxury villa in Campania, a visit to the Galleria Borbonica is a perfect alternative to more typical tourist attractions and promises to offer a rather unique experience!

There is lots to see and do in Italy but we have rounded up a list of some particularly intriguing attractions and sights that we have dubbed the Seven Wonders of Italy and, continuing from the last article, here are some more of said wonders.

The Fiat Lingotto Factory in Turin was built in the 1920s and was the largest and most modern car manufacturing plant in Europe and second in the world at the time. It is five storeys high with a test track atop the roof and cars were moved upwards from floor to floor to be tested on the track when completed. The factory was eventually closed in 1982 but, in 1985, it was converted and made into a multi-purpose centre and is now used commercially by various companies. The exterior is largely unchanged but the interior has been drastically redesigned in order to house an exhibition centre, a conference centre and auditorium, two hotels, offices and retail space.

Carpino, in Puglia, is within a two hour drive of the busy international airport Bari but is probably not a name that many are very familiar with. Yet, each summer, thousands descend upon this little town for an incredible music festival: the Carpino Folk Festival.

The setting could not be more perfect or picturesque with the sun shining overhead, kissing the white-washed buildings, open piazza, cobbled lanes and buzzing crowds, excited to take in the music and festivities.

Down below, the lovely Lake Varano, olive groves, beach resorts and Gargano National Park all stretch out like a painting. The whole thing makes for an incredible atmosphere that can not be replicated elsewhere.

Procida is a small island located in the Bay of Naples in the south of Italy. It is a place where locals make up the vast majority and there aren't many typical or well-developed tourist sights but, as a result, it is all the more authentic and unspoiled. Unlike Capri and Ischia, it is not a buzzing tourist destination and is devoid of large crowds and long lines.

If you are in search of a typical holiday destination with plenty of cultural attractions and things to see and do, it may not be the place for you. However, if you are looking for something a little quieter and more laid-back, where you just enjoy a place and its scenery, then Procida is the destination for you. Just find a luxury villa in Campania, head to Procida and take in the stunning views, try the fresh local food and lay out on the perfect beaches.