Villa Florence

Florence: According to statistics produced by UNESCO, 60% of the world's most important works of art are located in Italy and approximately half of these are in Florence! The city lies on the Arno River and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; in fact, it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. It was long under the de facto rule of the Medici family. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. The historic centre of Florence continues to attract millions of tourists each year and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Strolling through the centre of Florence is a pleasure, the characterful narrow streets which are mostly closed to traffic are full of surprises and temptations.
Florence, the capital city of Tuscany, will make you swoon with its art, architecture, culture and history. Some favorites are Michelangelo's David in the Accademia, the Duomo, Campanile and Bapistry, the museum of the works of the Duomo, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello, San Marco with Fra Angelica's frescos, Santa Croce, and San Miniato, not to mention the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. Think of Florence for leather, lace, linens, Florentine paper and paper products, wine, food and monthly rentals off season. Famous festivals are Easter and San Giovanni June 25. 
Do you wish to whet your appetite for Florence? Visit our culture website and browse through the 70 museums of Florence: http://www.museumsinflorence.com.

Siena: This is perhaps one of the most magical cities in Tuscany. The narrow streets and squares are grouped into sixteen different neighbourhoods or 'contrade' around the shell-shaped main square, each of which has a colourful flag depicting a different symbol to which the 'contradaioli' are fanatically devoted. Each contrada sends a horse to the race, run twice or three times yearly, which is held in the main square when life in Siena comes to a standstill and the hearts of its citizens are held in thrall.

The Chianti area: The hills of Chianti, criss-crossed with vines and crested with cypress trees have become the hallmark of Tuscany, the beauty of the landscape married to a quality of life which would be rare anywhere in the world. Chiantishire, as the English call it, has an infinite variety of hilltop villages where you can sip a cappuccino in one of the outdoor cafe's in the medieval squares, of cellars where you can sample the local wines from the barrels, of little trattorias serving robustly satisfying Tuscan food with its hams and salamis and delicious pastas and wild boar stew with white beans and salads growing wild in the hedgerows. The back roads wind uphill and down, between old stone walls crested with pale violet irises past Romanesque cloisters, sandstone farmhouses and shepherds with their flocks of sheep producing the famed 'pecorino' cheese.

You are in the heart of Tuscany and the list of excursions half or a whole day away is long: Arezzo, famous for its Piero della Francesca frescoes and its monthly antique market, the walled city of Lucca with its 99 churches, the leaning tower of Pisa, the Val d'Orcia with the Renaissance town of Pienza and the wine-making meccas of Montepulciano and Montalcino and the awe-inspiring abbey of Sant'Antimo are just another few...