Exclusive Places to Visit, Things to do and Experiences in Italy, Greece, Spain and Croatia

Barga is a locality in Garfagnana which has been rewarded as “città slow”, “bandiera arancione” and one of Italy’s best “borghi”. It’s one of the most important and biggest villages in the province of Lucca and it stands out on the top of its mountains, surrounded by green woods, fields and beautiful natural lakes. As well as being a noteworthy historical, cultural and artistic center, Barga grants you a relaxing stay during which you’ll be able to take part to some organized activities in its nature, such as trekking or horse riding excursions. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO SEE IN BARGA? You probably didn’t know that a well-known Italian poet called Giovanni Pascoli lived here: that’s why you can’t skip the visit to “Casa Pascoli” in Castelvecchio Garfagnana, a village in the surroundings, where he stayed for about seventeen years and where he decidied to be buried. The house is now a museum that can be visited, as it conserves some Pascoli’s works and its original home furnishings. Moreover, its garden is the location of special events, shows and exhibitions, like the “Festival dei bambini” in August (Museum opening hours: from October 1st to March 31st: Tuesday 2 pm-5:15 pm, from Wednesday to Sunday 9:30 am-1 pm and 2:30 pm-5:15 pm; from April 1st to September 30th: Tuesday 3:30pm-6:45pm and from Wednesday to Sunday 10:30am-1pm and 3pm-6:45pm). Another place linked to this poet is the “Teatro dei Differenti”, where he pronounced his speech in 1911 in favor of the war in Libya. Th theater was built in 1795 over a pre-existing 1689 structure and it still preserves the original architectural elements. In Barga, you also need to see the magnificent Dome or “Collegiata di San Cristoforo”, built between the XI and the XVI century in Romanic style. Inside there are some ancient frescos, sculptures, stoups and a wooden statue dedicated to the city patron. Furthermore, don’t forget to discover Palazzo Balduini, Palazzo Angeli, Palazzo Pancrazi, Caffè Capretz, Loggia Mercanti, Palazzo Podestà, Chiesa del Santissimo Crocifisso, Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata and the “Museo Civico del territorio di Barga” in Palazzo Pretorio (Museum opening hours: from June 1st to September 30th 10am-12:30pm, 2:30pm-5pm. Booking is needed)! LOCAL FOOD AND EVENTS During your holiday, also remember to taste some local delights, like lake trouts, mushrooms, chestnuts and vegetable soups: all the ingredients are found in this area and they’re totally natural. What are you waiting for? A vacation in Garfagnana is a must-do in Tuscany, so check our villas in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (LU) and choose your favorite between Villa il Nido and Villa Saida!

December has begun and you can already smell the scent of Christmas in the air! It’s time for people to take out their scarves, their wool hats, their colored decorations and their small firs to trim them in the sitting room with their family. Even the main Tuscan cities prepare themselves to Advent period with some wonderful initiatives you cannot miss during your holiday Tuscany: one of these is the “Weihnachtsmarkt”, the German Christmas market in Piazza S.Croce in Florence. From November 30th to December 21st, the square in front of one of Florence’s best churches fills up with dozens of small wooden houses, among which you’ll be able to buy objects to garnish your crèche, Christmas tree or your house. However, it’s the culinary itinerary between international flavors that will really be worth the visit and that will astonish you for the variety and the quantity of different foods! They come from all parts of Europe and they’re outstandingly reunited in just one place: taste Italian, German, Hungarian, Polish and French specialties like the famous brezels and wurstels! The atmosphere is made even more magical by its amazing scenery, the ancient buildings and the peculiar beauty of Florence’s old town center surrounding it: now, you just have to visit yourself renting a property in the city to discover it! Moreover every Sunday “Bianca Natale”, Santa Claus’ daughter, will get to the market to meet the children while Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th the lyrical choir “Light Gospel Choir” and the “Bandierai degli Uffizi” company will perform in the square and will offer incredible shows to its visitors.

New Year’s Eve is a magic moment that deserves to be lived in the best way. In Italy, there is almost an embarrassment of riches: some people decide to spend it on snowy mountains, some go to the seaside, some celebrate it in private houses with their relatives and some visit the centers of Italy’s best cities. Innumerable places organize parties, open-air concerts and pyrotechnical shows that fascinate thousands of people who come from all over Europe to make their night unforgettable. Here's a list of the cities we suggest you to visit on the next 31st December’s night: 1. ROME Take advantage of this opportunity to visit this amazing city and to admire its spectacular monuments, like the Pantheon or the Colosseum. Each year, thousands of tourists crowd into the illuminated streets and participate to the “concertone” in Circo Massimo and Fori Imperiali, where many Italian singers perform. Even many clubs like "Spazio 900" propose special parties to celebrate the new year. Are you interested in renting a property for your holiday? Choose one of our villas in Rome! 2. ALGHERO Even Sardinia gives the possibility to spend a New Year’s Eve in the name of fun, good music and breathtaking seaside panoramas. As well as photographic expositions and theater festivals, the touristic harbour presents Pago &Stefano Nosei cabaret, fireworks and a hilarious concert by Elio e le Storie Tese. Are you interested in renting a property for your holiday? Choose one of our villas in Sardinia! 3. NAPLES The celebration will have its heart in Piazza Plebiscito, where you cannot miss the amazing concert with Enzo Avitabile & Bottari, Max Gazzè, Nello Daniele and many other artists. Fireworks will start to light Castelo dell’Ovo at 1:30am and you’re then invited to participate to Lungomare Caracciolo entertainment, where djs and various kinds of music will animate your night. Are you interested in renting a property for your holiday? Choose one of our villas near Naples! 4. VENICE Venice is the perfect destination for those who dream about a romantic night and fairy tale atmospheres. Some of the many events in this city are the classic “mass kiss” in Piazza San Marco and the traditional concert in Teatro la Fenice. Are you interested in renting a property for your holiday? Choose one of our villas in Venice! 5. FLORENCE Florence's atmosphere becomes even more magic and spectacular than usual, thanks to its decorations and to the light that reflects into Arno’s waters. As well as being the right occasion to visit the city and its museums, life the Uffizi or the Accademia, you will be able to enjoy the concerts in Piazza della Signoria and Piazza Pitti, where singers like Alessandro Mannarino and Irene Grandi will perform. Are you interested in renting a property for your holiday? Choose one of our villas in Florence! 6. ORVIETO This city is perfect for those who want to spend a New Year’s Eve in the name of music! From December 28th to January 1st, Orvieto transforms into the “Winter Jazz Capital” and it hosts international guests in historical palaces, theaters and restaurants, while street bands perform in its streets. You can take part to one of the numerous initiatives which are organized in these days and you can take advantage of its special atmosphere and beauty more than ever. Are you interested in renting a property for your holiday? Choose one of our villas in Orvieto! 7. VERSILIA Versilia transforms into a single welcoming locality that guarantees absolute fun to all-aged people, especially to younger ones, who are welcome in some of Italy’s most important disco clubs to shout the countdown. The sea will be coloured by firework's bright colors at midnight and the atmosphere will therefore get even more charming. Are you interested in renting a property for your holiday? Choose one of our villas in Versilia! 8. CATANIA The Sicilian city will be animated by a lot of good music on its longest night! Piazza Duomo will host a special concert, while on January 1st you’re invited to take part to the traditional concert in Teatro Lirico Vincenzo Bellini. It’s an unmissable opportunity to admire the typical landscapes, the colorful sea and to taste the traditional flavors of this Mediterranean island! Are you interested in renting a property for your holiday? Choose one of our villas in Catania! 9. OTRANTO If you’re looking for a different place where to spend your New Year’s Eve, then choose Otranto, in Apulia, where you’ll get the opportunity to watch the first dawn of the year. Punta Palascia lighthouse is actually Italy’s eastern spot and it separates the Ionian sea to the Adriatic one. As well as admiring the natural beauty of this place, you'll be able to reach Otranto’s center and to take part to its “Alba dei Popoli” festival, a party until dawn. Are you interested in renting a property for your holiday? Choose one of our villas in Apulia!

It’s true: Niagara Falls are unique and almost unbeatable by any other natural feature. However it’s here, in Italy, that we have a waterfall that can compete with Canadian beauties and that can maybe surpass them under some viewpoints. Who’s been to Niagara Falls can confirm that, yes, the panorama is wonderful, but the chute has been transformed into a touristic attraction that looks fake and artificial. The skyscrapers, the casinos, the restaurants and the dazzling lights clash with its natural beauty and they actually ruin it. On the other hand, "Marmore Falls" is plunged in a huge, green natural park that gives it a picturesque charm. It’s near Terni in Umbria and, thanks to its 165-m height (divided into three steps), it’s one of Europe’s highest ones. It was built by Romans to sluice the Velino river and its stagnant waters: Consul Curio Dentato decided to dig a canal until the Marmore cliff, from which the water would have fallen into the underlying Nera river. There is also a legend telling that the nymphaea Nera fell in love with a shepherd called Velino and that she was punished for this by gods, who transformed her in a river. Velino, believing that she was drowning, threw himself down from the cliff but he was saved by Jupiter, that turned him into water. This allowed Velino to rejoin its beloved for eternity. It’s up to you to choose which story you prefer to believe to! Since 1600, the waterfall struck sketchers, painters and poets and it became a fundamental step of “Grand Tour” for nobles and intellectuals. It was portrayed by many “vedutisti” and its rainbow was defined as an Italian wonder alongside Pompeii and the Vesuvium. This fall can be visited and discovered through four paths, which have different lengths and difficulties. I suggest you to reach the “Balcone degli Innamorati” with the path n°1, because it’s found “inside” the spout of water and it’s definitely a very romantic place! You can visit it all year long, but it’s better to check the timetable because the spout of water is often closed and used to produce hydroelectric power. On November, the waterfall is open from 11 to 17 but the water flows on weekends from 12 to 13 and from 15 to 16. The full ticket costs 10 euros while the half-price costs 7 euros . Are you looking for a place to sleep? Choose one of our properties for your holiday in Umbria!

A paved streets’ labyrinth, brick houses and huge defensive walls are the features of one of Italy’s best and most visited “borghi”: Anghiari (AR). In this small center on a hill, tourists fall in love with the colors of landscapes they were just used to see captured in postcards and they discover Tuscany’s real soul and history. Walking along the narrow streets of this “città del buon vivere”, it seems that time has not been passing since Middle Ages, when some ancient buildings like San Bartolomeo Apostolo Monastery (the Cassero), Badia church and the city walls were built. The main square is Piazza Mameli (in the past it was known as Piazza del Borghetto) and it hosts two of Anghiari’s most important museums: the “Museo statale di arte figurativa” in Palazzo Teglieschi” and “Museo della Battaglia e di Anghiari” in Palazzo del Marzocco. Don’t forget to visit even “Museo della Misericordia” “Teatro Ricomposti”, “Torre dell’Orologio” and “Giardini del Vicario”. Stop a few seconds to admire the wonderful panoramic view over the Tiber valley, the village of Sansepolcro and the “Piana della Battaglia”, which is the valley where a famous battle took place in 1440. On June 29th, the single clash day, Milaneses and Florentines fought to control Tuscany’s southern region and only one man died falling from his horse. As they won, Florentines decided to celebrate commissioning the “Battaglia di Anghiari” fresco to Leonardo da Vinci, which was painted in Palazzo Vecchio’s Salone dei Cinquecento. Unfortunately, the masterpiece ruined itself because of a wrong drying technique and Vasari covered it with one of his frescos afterwards. In memory of the battle, a “Palio della Vittoria” is organized every June 29th and it consists of a running competition starting in the Piana della Battaglia and ending in Piazza del Mercatale. There is also another curious tradition in this village: the Scampanata. Every five years, one May 5th, the “Società della Scampanata” members must present themselves in the main square before 6 o’clock in the morning. Those who arrive late are picked away from their houses, thrown on a frilled cart and carried along the crowded streets, where people throw flour, eggs and other kinds of food to them. Anghiari is in an area full of touristic attractions and “città d’arte”: a couple of minutes are enough to reach cities like Arezzo, Cortona, Siena or Perugia. Less than ten kilometers away from the center you will also find Monterchi, a small medieval locality where there are some beautiful villas rented by Posarelli Villas: Palazzo Rosadi and Torre del Cielo. Each property belongs to Rosado Rosadi and offers an exclusive position on Tuscan hills, a breathtaking panorama, a private swimming pool and a relaxing holiday to its guests.

One of Autumn’s most typical dishes in Tuscany is the “castagnaccio”, a cake made with chestnut flour, raisins, pine nuts, nuts and rosemary. Its story is linked to the city of Lucca, as Ortensio Lando wrote in his book “Commentario delle più notabili et mostruose cose d’Italia ed altri luoghi”(1553) that a certain Pilade da Lucca invented this recipe. As well as being easy, this recipe is also very fast and it has a peculiar flavor, thanks to the sweetness of its flour. In Autumn, many popular celebrations and “sagre” are dedicated to chestnuts and castagnaccio: I suggest you to make a visit to “Castagne e Vino Novo” in San Gimignano (SI) on November 13th, 20th, 27th and December 8th, 9th, 10th (discover our vacation rentals in San Gimignano) or to “Festa della Castagna” in Lupinaia (LU) on November 13th (discover our vacation rentals in Lupinaia)! INGREDIENTS: ◾ 300 g sweet chestnut flour ◾ 40 g shelled pine nuts ◾ 40 g shelled nuts ◾ 70 g raisins ◾ Rosemary ◾ Salt ◾ Olive Oil 1. Wash raisins over cold running water and leave them soaking for 10 minutes in a bowl with cold water to rehydrate them. 2. Sift the chestnut flour and put it in a large soup bowl, then gradually add cold water and blend with a whisk. In this way, you will obtain a semiliquid batter without lumps (you will need about half a liter of water). 3. Add two tablespoons of oil, a pinch of salt and softened raisins, then blend again. Slightly toast the pine nuts in a pan and add them to the dough alongside the nuts, setting aside a small quantity of them to be put over the cake’s surface. 4. Pour the dough in a baking pan (use a rectangular one) greased with oil. Its dimensions must consent to the castagnaccio to reach a one-finger height. 5. Sprinkle the surface with pine nuts, crushed nuts and some rosemary leaves: before baking it in a pre-heated 200° oven, cover it with a bit of oil (about 2 tablespoons). 6. The cooking will need 30 minutes. However, you can consider the castagnaccio ready when its surface becomes golden, crunchy and cracked.

You often hear talking about the Tuscan red wine as one of the best in the whole world, without really knowing why. Same story when we think about “Chianti” wine or all those bottles with “DOCG” initials, which you never remember what they refer to. And which is the difference between a Merlot, a Sangiovese and a Colorino? And why are some wines called “Annata” and others are “Riserva”? Unfortunately, we’re not all enology experts and we may not know the answer to these questions. But you can maybe find some of them in this article! First of all, what is Chianti? Chianti is an area of more or less 70.000 hectares between the cities of Florence and Siena. No less than 7.000 hectares are covered with vineyards used to produce excellent quality red wines. Cosimo III De’Medici established this area’s borders in 1716, when he made an announcement to the four regions that produced “good wine”, which were Chianti, Pomino, Carmignano and Valdarno di Sopra. In this way, he introduced the concept of “territorial labelling” and wine production’s checkings for the first time. What does DOCG mean? DOCG is the acronym of “denominazione di origine controllata e garantita” (label guaranteeing the quality and origin). In fact, DOCG wines are severely controlled, subjected to organoleptic tests and recognized as DOC since more than ten years. The 96% of DOCG wines in the market are produced by the Consorzio Chianti Classico. What’s Consorzio Chianti Classico? The Consorzio is the association of some Chianti companies that controls their production and that highlights “Chianti Classico” label in the world. Born in 1924, its brand is a Black Rooster and it’s the only one able to produce “Chianti” wine since 2010. Its companies’ wines must be produced from sangiovese grapes for more than the 80% and by other red-berry kinds like canaiolo nero, colorino, merlot and cabernet sauvignon for the remaining percentage. Three types of wine can be distinguished (Gran Selezione, Riserva, Annata) depending on their ageing or their chemical/organoleptic properties. One of the Consorzio’s properties since 1948 is Fattoria di Bibbiano, a splendid agriturismo in Castellina in Chianti. Plunged in the green Tuscan countryside and on the top of a hill surrounded by cypresses and vineyards, the estate is formed by some luxury farmhouses which are managed by Posarelli Villas: Villa Sodi Exclusive e Villa Bibbiano Exclusive.

The small village of Monterchi is located on top of a hill called “Hercules Mountain”,in the middle of Tevere Valley. From its highest spot, the center offers a wonderful panorama with green gardens, sunflower fields and some abbeys, churches and ancient city walls that pop out here and there. Here, you can admire the famous Piero della Francesca fresco “La Madonna del Parto” dating back to 1450/1465 when the artist stayed in this center for a while. The painting portrays the Virgin in a central position with a swollen belly, next to two angels who hold the edges of the curtain over them. The masterpiece is conserved in the “Museo Madonna del Parto” in Via della Reglia and its tickets cost €6,50 (full price) or 5€ (reduced price). With the same ticket, you can also visit the curious “Museo dei Pesi e delle Bilance”, a unique and original place where more than 150 ancient scales are conserved. This museum has been recognized as one of the most important in the world in its genre for its singularity. Monterchi still looks like a medieval village: although some earthquakes rattled this area n the past, the city walls and the age-old stone buildings in its center haven’t shown structural failures. Visitors can then take advantage of its beauty walking along its narrow street, smelling the lavender fragrance and tasting the local delights. There are also some villas near Monterchi which are just perfect for your stay in Arezzo: “Casale Tiziano” or “Torre del Cielo” or “Gellino”. Choose your favorite and book it now!

We all know that every country has its own customs: this is why each part of Europe celebrates October 31st, November 1st and November 2nd in different ways.

Some weeks ago, Montegufoni castle suddenly transformed into a car meeting location. And those weren’t ordinary vehicles, but cars with capital “C”: dozens of red, gray and black Ferraris were parked along the streets and the unmistakable sound of their engines started to spread in the air. All their lucky owners came from England and stayed in the Castle for one week: everyday, driving their four-wheelers, they’ve visited a different area in Tuscany and they’ve fallen in love with its beauty more and more each day. And who can blame them? The unique colors of Tuscany’s countryside and its art cities are the treasures that the whole world is jealous of. Montegufoni, the ancient castle in Chianti where innumerable events and weddings take place, is situated 20 km far from Florence, 70 km from Pisa and it is surrounded by a breathtaking panorama. No doubt that a vacation in this luxury property is absolutely out-of-the-common and guests experience unique emotions.