Archive for 'Pretty Views'

Salento, the, “heel,” of the boot that is Italy is a stunning coastal area of Apulia that is an exceptionally beautiful part of the world. Here you will find a landscape that is dotted with incredible beaches featuring impressive and scenic rock formations and bluer than blue waters, stunning ruins and historic buildings perched picturesquely on hilltops, peaceful lakes that make for the perfect place for relaxing and enjoying picnics, meadows blanketed with colourful wildflowers in National Parks, and some uniquely charming and unusual natural attractions. If you are looking to surround yourself with the most breathtaking of landscapes that you could possibly imagine, then browsing our villas in Salento and our villas in Apulia is a great idea as it makes for a truly incredible and picturesque vacation destination.

If you're looking to vacation in Italy and to go hiking and take in stunning mountain views, then you could choose no better holiday destination than South Tyrol. Browse our vacation rentals in South Tyrol and come explore this northern region of Italy with its backdrop of towering snow-capped peaks in the Alps, idyllic rolling green valleys full of wildflowers, cute little Alpine villages with traditional cabins and chalets, excellent ski resorts, wonderful hiking routes, and impossibly beautiful landscapes. Among all of the natural gems that one can discover if they have found a villa in South Tyrol and are taking the time to thoroughly investigate the area, one of the most breathtaking and astounding sights has to be Pragser Wildsee.

Pragser Wildsee, also known as Lake Prags and Lake Braies, is often called the, “Pearl of the Alps,” and is a lake in the Prags Dolomites in South Tyrol. Due to the emerald green/blue colour of the lake and the surrounding beauty of the trees, mountains, and little beaches that frame the lake, it has become a major tourist attraction for those who wish to immerse themselves in nature and hike in an incredibly scenic destination. There are paths leading all around the banks of the lake that can be readily tackled by any hiker, no matter their level of skill or experience, and the loop takes just 90 minutes in total.

Italy is home to some truly unique and beautiful parks and gardens. However, most still confirm to certain aesthetics; green manicured lawns, pathways, fountains, trimmed hedges, neat flowerbeds, and more. While these stunning outdoor spaces are well worth exploring in their own right, if you are in search of a more specific and singular yet equally stunning garden and you have found a vacation rental in Sicily, then we recommend a visit to the Kolymbetra Garden in Agrigento, on the South Coast of Sicily.

Kolymbetra Garden, or Giardino della Kolymbetra, is a very Sicilian kind of garden. Located in the heart of the Valley of the Temples, and often overlooked but readily visited if you are already at that other famous attraction, it is a lush and fragrant space that hosts all sorts of events. The landscape of this area is made up of almond and olive tree groves, with irrigated citrus groves and orchards cutting through this. Kolymbetra is an example of an irrigated citrus garden but also boasts great historical and archaeological value. Situated in a small valley to the west of the Hill of the Temples, nestled between the Temple of Castor and Pollux and the Temple of Vulcan, the six hectares of garden are framed picturesquely by these great monuments of the distant past. It is also mentioned in ancient records, noted as the site of a Greek pool mentioned by Diodorus Siculus in the first century AD as the place where Carthaginian slaves were brought in to build aqueducts that delivered water to the sumptuous pool that they also built in the area. While this artificial lake has long since been destroyed and disappeared, the land remained fertile and the profitable fishing industry that had thrived there when it was a fish hatchery was replaced by the Moors with a business based on abundant trees yielding delicious fruits.

If you have always dreamed of a luxurious experience of the stunning and singular city of Venice then you should definitely browse our luxury villas in Veneto and plan a trip to the city. And, if you're looking to continue the luxury then we recommend heading to T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS. This is a place where you can not only shop designer brands and high-end products but you can also go and take in one of the best views over the city. Best of all, the incredible things on sale in this stunning mall (located inside a historic former post office building) are also duty-free, making luxury just a little bit more affordable!

Where would we rather be today? Probably in this naturally-occurring and utterly picturesque swimming pool on the La Spezia Riviera in Liguria, that's for sure! In this new series, we will be introducing unbelievably scenic spots that cleanse the soul just by gazing at them and have us looking forward to our next getaway, whenever that may be.

This week's pick, Punta Pineda, and more particularly the Bozi di Punta Pineda (Basins of Punta Pineda), is one of those rare instances of a hidden gem that has somehow remained largely that: a mostly hidden gem. In this day and age of Instagram blowing up once little-known beauties and making them hot spots to go, be seen, and be photographed, it can be rare to stumble upon magical places that have remained within the purview of largely only locals and those in the know. This gem on the Ligurian Coast has remained a place that only gets a little coverage in the media and almost exclusively only in the Italian media. On Instagram, the tagged images here are in the hundreds, rather than the thousands. So, it seems to remain a place you might just get all to yourself when you visit and even if you don't, you'll likely only encounter some locals rather than hoards of tourists. If you have always wanted to visit the area and take in its great beauty for yourself, including this hidden gem, just browse our vacation rentals in Liguria and get planning a trip of a lifetime!