Villa Nicodemi

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.

While it was hard to pick out just 10 of the best pools in our Italian villas, it was harder still to limit what we could say about them! For this reason, we had to split the list into three posts.

Here is the second batch of choices in our “10 Of Our Best Pools In Italy” series, all villas and farmhouses that are particularly recommended for their wonderful pool set-ups.

If you're looking for a holiday that involves a lot of lounging by the pool, dining al fresco and going for a dip or that features letting the kids tire themselves out by swimming all day, these are the perfect options for you!

Continuing on from our last post, in which we discussed the proliferation of incredibly picturesque ghost towns in Italy and the reasons behind their considerable number, here are some more of our picks of the most beautiful among them. If you are a fan of such things, of exploring abandoned buildings and taking in the sight of nature reclaiming land and buildings decaying beautifully, keep these extraordinary towns in mind during your next trip to Italy.

Fabbriche di Careggine is a town in the area of Lago di Vagli, or Lake Vagli, in Lucca. Although it would be more correct to say that it is beneath the lake. The medieval town, a long-time home to talented metal-working artisans, was flooded in 1953 in order to create the artificial lake, a hydroelectric basin and every decade it makes a ghostly reappearance when the lake is drained for maintenance work. Hundreds of thousands attend every time to watch as it slowly rises out of the lake but the town is often still visible underneath the water, with the top of the church poking out on days that the level is low.

In our last post, we discussed the value of a good view and how it enriches any vacation, as well as showcasing just two of our incredible properties. Both of those properties had sea views and, while a sea view is always a good thing, there are plenty of others that are just as pleasing. Here are some more of our vacation rentals with incredible views in Italy, some with glimpses of the ocean but always with something lovely to behold, be that mountains, plains or lakes.

3. Villa Ponzano

This beautiful and fully renovated villa boasts an extraordinary panoramic view. Located high up on the hills of La Spezia, in a lovely sunny position, it is surrounded by a fully fenced garden, a private pool and large panoramic terrace, all of which overlooks the Gulf of La Spezia. The surrounding mountains, hills, valleys, medieval towns, the forested hillside and a glimpse out to the coast are all visible from the house. In fact, the view is so sweeping and majestic, with so much to take in, that one could spend endless hours on the terrace just breathing in the fresh air and enjoying it all.

The Church of San Pietro is a stunning little church, exceptionally popular for weddings, that is perched picturesquely on the tip of the promontory of Portovenere, surrounded by craggy rocks and cliffs and blue seas.

Once the site of a Temple to Venus (Venere in Italian), after whom the town of Portovenere was named, an early Christian building made of black marble was then built there in the 6th century.

In the 13th century a campanile and Gothic extension clad in bands of black and white stone were added to the earlier structure.

Small and a little rugged but very striking and framed by perfect scenery, it is a building that has captured imaginations for centuries and which continues to do so.