Holiday homes, luxurious villa's and appartments in Italy

The coast of Amalfi stretches 50 km between Sorrento and Salerno and counts as one of Europe's most beautiful coastlines. A narrow road zig-zags with sharp bends and inlets along this spectacular peninsula. The sight of the picturesque villages jammed between the azure blue sea on the one side, steep rocky slopes on the other is litterally breathtaking. From Sorrento you can take a boat to the famous island of Capri. But there are more imposing sights worth seeing in the area such as Pompei, the temples of Paestum and not forgetting the magnificent city of Naples.

Arezzo is an old town carrying a lot of history. It is founded by the mysterious Etruskian people and houses a great number of buildings, churches and musea worth paying a visit.
Nowadays the town is mostly known for its gold blacksmith art and the frescos in the Chiesa di San Francisco.

Our villas are situated in Arezzos surrounding area.

Chianti is an area of about 300 square kilometres of pure Tuscany, right in the centre between Siena and Florence. Entirely hilly, it varies in aspect from the severe and harsh to the sweet and soft, covered in serried rows of vines, green forests or stony meadowland with olive groves and sparse oak trees. The light is really astounding - no view ever seems to be the same from one hour to the next.

Cortona lies on top of a high hill in Tuscany. From here one can admire the marvellous plane of Arezzo and the ancient cities nearby. The city has been built in the so called "art triangle" formed by Arezzo, Siena and Perugia.
Cortona has always been an important village of craftmen and, in the last few years it has increased its tourist appeal. The Porta di Sant'Agostino or Porta Guelfa is the last remain of the majestic Etruscan boundary walls of the city and represent a real architectonic masterpiece.

Our villas are situated in Cortonas surrounding area.

The region forms a rough triangle, bounded on the East by the Adriatic Sea, on the north by the Po river and on the south by the Apennine range; these two linear features, with the Via Aemilia, and the A1 Motorway and the railway that run close and parallel to it, give an unusually regular structure to the whole region except for the easternmost part.

Emilia-Romagna has a lot to offer the visitor. Apart from the art cities of Bologna, Ferrara en Parma, the Ravenna's Mosaics, the Etruscan remains of Marzabotto and Comacchio and the surrounding 'polders' are a genuine attraction for all Italy lovers. Emilia-Romagna is a paradise for those interested in gastronomical highlights. Officialy acknowledged as Italy's most important gastronomical region, you can enjoy the Parma ham, the lasagna's, tortellini and tagliatelle 'à la Bolognese' and the parmezan cheese. All of these products and dishes are responsable for Italy's famous cuisine. The local wines are worthy to accompany them.

Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Florence lies on the Arno River and has a population of around 400,000 people, plus a suburban population in excess of 200,000 persons. The greater area has some 956,000 people. A center of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and was long ruled by the Medici family. Florence is also famous for its fine art and architecture. It is said that, of the 1,000 most important European artists of the second millennium, 350 lived or worked in Florence. In fact, the city has also been called the Athens of the Middle Age.

Our villas are situated in Florences surrounding area.

Lake Como is the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore.The bottom of the lake is more than 200 metres (656 ft) below sea-level, making itItalian's deepest Lake.Whereas the west shore has more of a terraced appearance with less imposing water fronts, the East shore is more cliffs. The west shore is more touristic than the East shore.The city of Como is the largest city around the Lake.

The mountainous pre-alpine surroundings of Lake Como are excellent for hiking trips. These tripscan be quite exhaustive and require a good physical condition and soms guts. If you don't feel like hiking, there's also the funicolare (funicular), which connects the center of Como with Brunate.From there you can walk to a Lighthouse overlooking the lake. You also get great views of the duomo and the city of Como.

Lake Como is famous for its extravagant villas, but while some gardens are open, few of the buildings themselves can be visited. At Villa Carlotta situated at Tremezzo,however, you can visit both the late Baroque villa filled with Neo-Classical statues and Romantic paintings, and the extensive, lush gardens.

At the other side of the Lake, at the tip of the headland that splits Como's two branches there isBellagio. It is no mistake that Bellagio is called the "pearl" of Lake Como and often considered to be one of the most beautiful towns in Italy.Ferries frequent Bellagio arriving from Tremezzo, Menaggio, Varenna and Cadenabbia.

Lake Garda is the largest Italian lake. It has a nice blue color and is very clear. The northern part of Lake Garda is narrow, sandwiched between steep mountains, the southern part leads into a broad basin with predominantly flat large banks with (pebble) beach.

The delicious summer water temperature and the vast pebble beaches attract many bathers to Lake Garda. Most villages are located on the sunny western shore. All places on the shores of the lake are connected by ferries and hydrofoils or some slower steam boats. In addition there are sightseeing boats, day and night. Lake Garda is an excellent destination for those who love sailing and surfing, thanks to the constant warm breeze.

Lazi is situated in the middle of Italy between the Abruzzo, Toscane, Umbria, Molise and Campania regions. Most of the economic activity takes place in and around Rome, with the result that the surrounding area is mostly very peaceful, scarcely populated and somewhat behind the times. This offers tourist areas of unspoilt landscape, delapidated but still lively city centres and hospitable people. In some of the smaller towns tourists are rare, but as soon as the local inhabitants realize that you are interested in their town they are usually enthousiastic.

Le Marche is a relatively unknown part of Italy situated slightly to the east of central Italy between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea. The landscape has a wide variety of fauna and flora. The hills glow with vineyards and olive orchards, corn and wheat fields, which make for superb walking, cycling and horseback riding. They really do still exist in Le Marche â€â€œ the villages where time appears to have stood still. In comparison to Toscany and Umbria the historic cultural attractions are on a smaller scale but no less impressive with its castles, palazzi, monasteries, abbys, churches and museums. Especially Urbino is a highlight. There are stretching sandy beaches on the coast, idyllic bays and authentic fishing villages which are for the main part very quiet, but sometimes very busy in a typical Italian way, mostly in august when all of Italy is on vacation. Especially those who are in search of the 'real' Italy will find exactly what they are looking for in Le Marche.

Liguria is the part of the Italian Coast that runs from the border with France to Tuscany. The coastline lies on the Tyrrean sea and is also called 'The Flower Riviera'. It's a pleasant and lively holiday destination, with many historical seaside resorts. You can find internationally known places such as Cinque Terre (five villages built on the rocks) and Portofino, a beautiful place on a peninsula. This 'Riviera' is the place for sun, sea and sand, but is also interesting for those who want to see the towns and villages of this region. Pleasant outings are for example Turin, San Remo and Cannes is also nearby.

Italian rivalries border on the mythic. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the walled city of Lucca and its surrounding countryside. For hundreds of years, the threat of war with rival city states led to the building of magnificent fortified walls which were continuously maintained and improved until well into the seventeenth century. Today, the ancient walls serve more peaceful purposes. Morning runners, afternoon strollers, the infrequent tourist, all enjoy the gentle breezes and verdant vistas of the countryside and beautiful views of the gardens and avenues of this gem of a city from the path atop the walls.
The Lucchese, like most Italians today, have turned to more civilized forms of competition -- food, wine and olive oil. Who can best cook it, how to grow the best ingredients, who understands it and who appreciates it. In the local trattoria or padroneâ€â„¢s kitchen, the subject is always the quality of the table, the freshness of the ingredients, the perfection of its wine and its olive oil.
In the late fall, the grocery stores pit local against local by displaying the olive oils from local groves. The air is filled with the sensuous aromas of olives, prosciutto, garlic, cheeses. The center of activity is the large table with several bowls of freshly pressed oil and heaping baskets of bread cut into cubes for dipping. Here, patrons freely sample and critique as they do their daily shopping. Everyone has an opinion, loudly expressed with much gesturing.

Our villas are situated in Luccas surrounding area.

Maremma is one of the most particular territories in Tuscany. It goes from northern Latium (Rome region) up until the Florence coasts and east until Siena and Arezzo provinces. It can be divided into three main areas: the coast, the ancient Etruria and the Mount Amiata area.
An important city in Maremma is Grosseto.
Maremma is known for its beautiful nature and locates a few national parks.

Montecatini is located between Pistoia and Lucca, also known as the Valdinievole valley. Is is situated in the deep and secret heart of Tuscany, and is a land where famous thermal localities, pure nature, parks and ancient medieval villages create an unique atmosphere. Between its hills and its forests of chestnut tree, between the olive trees and the thermal waters, you will find charming towns, unique landscapes of a corner of Tuscany absolutely not to lose. In Montecatini and Musummano you can relax thanks to the thermal establishments, in the territory you can visit the Park of Pinocchio, the Natural Reserve of the Padule di Fucecchio, full of animals and plants, and the little villages on the mounts.

Montecatini is therefore a place where it is wonderful to spent the vacations, thanks to the different situations that compose it form an only mosaic of art, well-being, nature and tastes.

Montecatini Terme, situated in Valdinievole, is one of Europe's spa capitals.

The Province of Pisa is situated in Tuscany, central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the Arno River on the Ligurian Sea. Its capital is Pisa. While the Leaning Tower is the most famous image of this city, it is one of many works of art and architecture in the city's Piazza dei Miracoli or "Square of Miracles", to the north of the old town center. The Piazza dei Miracoli also houses the Duomo (the Cathedral), the Baptistry and the Camposanto (the monumental cemetery). is known worldwide for its famous.

Beside a visit to this interesting city, Pisa also offers great possibilities for beach holidays. The beach of for instance Marina di Pisa is located within 10 km from the city.

Our villas are situated in Pisas surrounding area.

San Gigmignano is one of the best preserved medieval Tuscan towns. It was founded as a small village in the 3rd century BC by the Etruscans. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era it was a stopping point for Catholic pelgrims on their way to Rome.
San Gigmignano is mainly famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, which may be seen from several kilometers outside the town. These towers are built in the 12th and 13th century by rival families and functioned as a place to live as well as prestige object. At the height of its flourishment, the city had about 70 towers. Now there are only 14 left.
Beside the towers, the city hosts beautiful backstreets and frescos in the two main churches the Collegiate and the Santa Agostino.

The historical centre of San Gimignano is included in UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Our villas are situated in San Gimignanos surrounding area.

Sardinia is an Italian Island in the Mediterranian Sea. It is situated only twelve kilometers to the south of Corsica. Sardinia is the second largest island in Italy and has a character all its own. For natural beauty the island can't be beaten. The mountains of Sardinia are less tall than those of nearby Corsica, but the island is mostly hilly and sometimes mountainous. The tallest mountain measures 1934 meters. Because of centuries long foreign rule by various cultures this Italian province is also very interesting from a cultural and historical viewpoint. This expresses itself in the language, traditions, cuisine and architecture. Sardinia still has no high-rise hotels like along the Spanish Costas and is an ideal holiday destination for those who enjoy an area full of nature and history.

Sicily - one would think you couldn't get more Italian. But in fact it was the Greeks who were the first inhabitants. Throughout the whole of Sicily you can admire remnants from the Greek and Roman eras. This, in combination with beautiful beaches and a mild climate (it's an average of 13 degrees in the coldest month - which is January) makes Sicily a much loved holiday destination. You get to Sicily using the ferry from Naples or taking an aeroplane. There are airports at Palermo or Catania. Cerfalu is situated on the north coast, 60 kilometers east of Palermo, and is one of the most popular resorts on the island. A magnificent place, established in the 4th century befor B. C., with its impressive churches, baroque structures and charactaristic streets.

The province of Siena is located in the heart of the Tuscan area. Thanks to its very well kept medieval shape Siena is one of the main tourist attractions of Italy. Like other towns in the area, Siena is founded by the Etruscans. The city offers world famous architecture, beautiful views and delicious food and wine. Siena consists of 17 contrades (neighbourhoods). Each contrade has its own name, flag and church. The centre of Siena life is the Piazza del Campo where almost everybody makes his or her evening walk. The square also hosts the spectacular Palio, the horse races of all contrades against each other. This Palio takes place each year on July 2nd and August 16th.

Our villas are situated in Sienas surrounding area.

Tuscany is world famous for its rolling hills and fields of sunflowers, but there is also another, less well known side to Tuscany - the Tuscan coast. The Tuscan coast has miles and miles of long sandy beaches. The sea is safe for swimming and there are also lots of other sporting facilities including sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, fishing and sub aqua.
For those who'd rather take it easy, there are boat trips out to the local islands, like for instance Elba. Elba is, after Sardinia and Sicilia the third largest island in Italy. From 1814-1815 Napoleon lived here in exile. He carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life on Elba and he stayed for 300 days before he escaped and returned to France.
More recently, the island has become famed for its wine. It is today a renowned tourist resort.

Umbria, also known as the green heart of Italy, is a mountainous region in central Italy, in the valley of the Tiber river. Umbria is disected by the Apennines and is charactarized by its many valleys. The region has a relatively large lake: Trasimeno. One can find monuments of Etruscan and Roman origin, churches and monasteries in all Umbrian towns. You'll find the most beautiful squares in Norcia, Perugia, Gubbio and Todi.

Venice is without doubt one of the most romantic cities in the world. In this car-free city you can spend hours wandering along the canals, squares, palaces, churches and bridges.
Perhaps you wouldn't say so, because the postcard look of the city, but Venice is a very lively city. An important event is the famous art exhibition "Venice Biennale". This exhibition is held every 2 years in Venice. The last was in 2009. The Lido Beach was one of the first fashionable seaside resorts, here is the Venice Film Festival. And finally there is the Carnival of Venice, famous far beyond the city limits. The Carnival of Venice takes 12 days and ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday.

Follow in the footsteps of one of the many famous Venetian Marco Polo, and discover what secrets Venice has to offer!