Archive for 'Pretty Views'

The city of Milan, metropolitan gem that it is, boasts much to see and do within the city from museums to excellent shopping to incredibly stylish eateries to going out in search of excellent street art. However, if you have found a vacation rental in Milan and are spending time in the city, you might want to take a day to get out into the countryside, escape city life, get some fresh air, and enjoy a different side and different charms to Italy. If so, then you should head to the beautiful Villa Visconti Borromeo Arese Litta in Lainate, which is twenty kilometers north-west of Milan. An easy day trip, this stunning villa and its extensive and incredible gardens are well worth seeing for yourself and make a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Milan.

Built between the 16th and 18th centuries, originally for Count Pirro I Visconti Borromeo, with work beginning in 1585, the villa and gardens at Villa Visconti Borromeo Arese Litta bring together the work of many famous architects, artists, and artisans of the time, including the architect Martino Bassi, sculptors Francesco Brambilla Il Giovane and Marco Antonio Prestinari, painters Camillo Procaccini and Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli (known as Morazzone), Agostino Lodola and Giovanni Battista Maestri (called “il Volpino”).

While there are lots of cultural gems and wonderful manmade things to be discovered in Italy, the country boasts an incredible natural beauty that is well-worth mentioning and exploring too. If you are planning a trip and browsing our vacation rentals in Campania then you should definitely set aside some time to head to the stunning Caves of Pertosa, also known officially as the Grotte dell'Angelo (Caves of the Angel). A series of caves located between the villages of Auletta and Pertosa, around 70 km from Salerno, the Caves of Pertosa are immense, impressive, and utterly otherworldly and magical. If you are spending time in this part of the world, you should definitely plan a visit.

Tuscany is home to the Apuan Alps, a mountain range nestled between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, not far from the Garfagnana and Lunigiana areas. It is a beautiful part of the world that boasts even more beautiful views over the picturesque and distinctive landscape of Tuscany. Monte Sagro then, is a mountain in the Apuan Alps, overlooking the city of Carrara, that is one of nine main peaks in the range and an excellent place to go hiking if you have found a vacation rental in Carrara and want to get some fresh air and stretch your legs.

Located closest to the sea, in the northern part of the mountain range, Monte Sagro means holy or sacred mountain and there are several theories as to how this name first originated. According to one theory, the mountain is said to have been a sacred place for the ancient Liguri tribe, along with Monte Bego, which is located at the modern border between France and Italy. It is thought that these Ligurian-Apuan people, with Pliny the Elder noting this belief, believed the mountain to be home to a generous god who was prone to blessing them with rain. Other ideas about how it became a sacred mountain include its grandeur simply attracting such a name, or the idea that its particularly elegant pyramidal shape warranted the title, or because it was one of the main sanctuaries of the ancient Ligurian-Apuan people and allowed direct visual communication with Monte Penna, another important mountain for the local tribes. All of these theories come from the same period and all suggest that, though we do not know which one is exactly right (or if it might not actually be a combination or blend of these reasons), this grand and imposing mountain, usefully positioned for communication and for attracting clouds and rain, has long captured the imagination of those who saw it.

The evocative Amalfi Coast presents one of the most iconic and enduringly beloved images of Italy. Of course, it presents many different images, not just one singular image, but one can easily conjure up a standardised prototype that could stand in as shorthand for the Amalfi Coast at large; romantically craggy cliffs, perfectly blue waters just waiting for you to dive in, and seaside towns perched along the edge of the world with colourful buildings stacked upwards from busy and bustling bays. This beautiful part of the world is an idyllic holiday destination and a perfect place to lazily explore stunning settings. There are various lovely trails to hike and lots of incredible different towns, all connected along the coast, to visit and explore. However, one of the best places that combines both of these things – trails and traditional towns – that you should definitely make time for is the Sentiero dei Limoni. This trail connects the towns of Maiori and Minori, is lined with lemon groves, and is the most idyllic of paths to follow if you have found a vacation rental on the Amalfi Coast and are exploring the area.

Sentiero dei Limoni is 3.9km long and a moderately trafficked trail that offers scenic views over the Amalfi Coast. Passing through terraced lemon groves, the route follows the coast and connects the towns of Maiori and Minori in Campania. Going up and down staircases, through alleys, along terraces, through lemon groves, and more, it is a varied and interesting walk that is not incredibly difficult or challenging and, therefore, should be fine for most people in any party. However, it is, in no way, readily accessible for those in a wheelchair, would be challenging for anyone relying on crutches or a walking stick, and does require that those who undertake it be relatively able-bodied and relatively fit. In saying that, it really is not a particularly difficult walk and is a great way to explore the area, admire the incredible views and surroundings, get some fresh air, and stretch your legs, all at the same time.

Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands and is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, just off the northern coast of Sicily. It is an exceptionally beautiful place with pretty and colourful little villages, the most impossibly blue waters, lovely sandy beaches, craggy volcanic rock formations, and a lush green landscape. There are lots of things to see and do but the best all revolve around enjoying the incredible natural beauty of Lipari, with boat trips and hiking the various trails around the island being two of the best activities to really make the most of those stunning surroundings. If you have found a vacation rental in Sicily and you are coming to explore Lipari for the day then we would highly recommend that you follow one particular route, to the Forgia Vecchia, at the top of which you will be rewarded with a sweeping view over all of the incredible natural bounty below.

The Forgia Vecchia is a large obsidian crater, that is 600m wide and 1km long, created by an old obsidian lava flow that came out of Monte Sant'Angelo and it is an extraordinary sight to behold. It also happens to offer the most evocative and exceptional viewing point on the island. The nearby Stromboli may be famous for having the only permanently active volcano in Europe and for its black sand beaches but the lesser-known Monte Sant’Angelo and the Forgia Vecchia hold their own with the incredible setting and a volcano-dyed beach made up of black pebbles that curve around a tranquil bay, framed by the volcano’s lush green slopes.