Archive for 'Churches & Religious Buildings'

Lake Reschen, in South Tyrol, Italy is an artificial lake located near the Reschen Pass, right by the border with Austria. Work was begun in 1940 but WWII and local protestations meant that it was not completed until 1950. The lake unifies two natural lakes, Reschensee and Mittersee, and submerged several villages, including Graun and Reschen. The thing that makes this site so remarkable, however, is the 14th century church tower which can still be seen, poking out of the water. At once eerie and beautiful, it is a remarkable thing to behold and surrounded by some of the world's most astounding scenery.

The Temple of Valadier doesn't look real. It looks, instead, like something from a fantasy novel. Perched just inside the Frassassi mountain caves in Genga, Le Marche with views across an amazing landscape, it seems like a mythical temple or the home of some magical creature.

In reality, it is a neoclassical church which was built in 1828 for Pope Leone XII, who was from the area. The church is set inside the equally fantastical Frassassi cave system. With its crags, stalagmites and stalactites, it has a theatrical and breath-taking appearance.

These caves, too, can be visited and explored. If you are in search of beauty and magnificence that seems utterly other-worldly, find a holiday rental in Le Marche and spend a day exploring this special place.

Orvieto Cathedral is one of the most celebrated in Italy and attracts thousands of visitors to the town of Orvieto, Umbria each year. The present building is a revamped version of a pre-existing structure and was reconstructed in order to house a relic in the thirteenth century. The relic in question, the Corporal of Bolsena, is equally fascinating. Wandering through the narrow medieval streets of Orvieto, one stumbles upon the cathedral when the space suddenly opens in front of you and its stunning façade appears, raised and resplendent in its intricate detail. If you want to see this world class building and experience its beauty and history for yourself, find a villa with pool in Umbria and be sure to pay a visit.

Santa Maria Novella is Florence's first great basilica and the principal Dominican church in the city. Though it may be, perhaps, somewhat overshadowed by the presence of the Duomo not that far away, it is still famous for its striking polychromatic façade by Alberti and work by Masaccio, Giambologna, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Michelangelo. Begun in the 13th century and finished in the 14th, it is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles and was commissioned by that great patron of the arts, Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai. However, it is not just the church itself or its artistic treasures that are worth visiting for. Santa Maria Novella is also home to one of the world's oldest active pharmacies.

The mosaics of Ravenna entered the common parlance and radars of a very large audience in 2013 when Dolce & Gabbana used prints of some of the works of art in their garments. However, the Byzantine mosaics created in the city in the 5th and 6th centuries have always been one of its distinguishing features and one of the things that it is most well-known for.

Even today, it is still one of Italy's greatest producers of mosaics.

If you are interested in art or are fond of awe-inspiring church interiors that glitter like jewellery boxes then find a vacation rental in Ravenna and see them for yourself.