In light of the terrible tragedy in Syria where children are being bombed, terrorized and forced to leave their homes – here is a little angel promoting peace. If only all war mongers could watch this. Jackie Evancho – a voice from heaven.
podcast
Choosing a Villa in Italy
Location Location Location! This old real estate adage also applies to renting a holiday villa in Italy! Here are four factors to consider when renting a villa in Italy!
A wonderful Italian friend of mine once offered me her beautiful Tuscan villa for a holiday rent free for my family and of course I readily jumped at the chance to work for two months from Tuscany.
The historical villa was magnificent – a three story, five bedroomed palace on acres of land with frescos on the ceiling. I had previously seen it in summer but in winter it was a completely different story.
However the greatest drawback we came to discover was the location. It was near the most boring and ugliest village in the whole of Italy with no decent shops and to go anywhere interesting for the children, took 1.5 hrs to drive and we spent over 3 hours driving each day which proved to be exhausting.
Being winter, firewood was in short supply in the village and we nearly froze to death. It snowed and eventually had to leave because all the pipes froze over and we had no water. The villa was also haunted (however I did not tell my children that.!!)
Do you have a group of friends who all want to book a villa in Italy together?
There are hundreds of beautiful Villas on the net. Location is probably the most important factor as eight people will not wish to be in an isolated area where you have to drive miles to a restaurant every day and night. Remember the cheaper places often are quite remote.
1. Nearest Town
What part of Italy do I wish to be in – there are 21 regions – e.g. don’t go to a region just because it is a lovely house – find out what the nearest town is like and the surrounding towns are like.
2. Activities and Things to see
Do you like the coast and lakes for swimming or country and mountains for walking – e.g If you all get bored in the country make sure you are near a busy tourist town.
3. Shops & Restaurants
Do you want to be near a pretty village or easy access to eating out and shops e.g. make sure the nearest town is a not an industrial center. Find out how long it takes to drive to some of the famous tourist centers as well as the nearest supermarket.
4. Driving and Transport
Will driving be difficult in the area if you are not used to driving on the Italian roads eg in the Chianti area – there are some very windy hilltop roads – Amalfi coast & Cinque Terre driving is not for the faint hearted or inexperienced drivers ( Amalfi can be a nightmare due to narrow cliff edged roads and hairpin turns).
Passion for Italy Travel knows our villas and their owners. We can tell you what it is like, where it is and how to get there.
Let us do the research for you or phone us to enquire about one of our villas and we will describe it.
Travelling when the Earth is in Conflict
With all the bad news about the wars happening in the world, with their insane suicide bombers and brutal horrific pictures on the news every day – this can make us travellers a bit hesitant about jumping on a plane to a foreign country.
The way I look at it is …that this is not going to go away. These wars are not going to be finished for a very long time as they are recruiting pyschopaths from all over the world. It seems that some people who have never known war or suffered the horror and slaughter of war want to experience this! Maybe because their lives are just simply too boring!! However it is insanity to wish to murder your fellow human being for any cause. If only they could see that we are all one…
However back to travelling – If you sit around and wait – well the time might simply go and in ten years time you will look back and say – I should have gone then…
World conflict is not going to go away unless we all adopt the following practice promoted by Martin Luther King Jr.
“…that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
Martin Luther King Jr. said that, and he was right. And his wisdom holds true not only for peace in our world, but for peace within ourselves.
All of our spiritual traditions teach the same thing. To achieve peace, be peace. Yet how does one be what one is wishing to experience? By a sheer act of Will. If only the people at war could see that….
The Italians are peace makers – they have never liked fighting in wars. They prefer to make love than war and that is the way it should be.
May you find peace in the countries that you travel.
Onward ho we go.
Travel in Italy
Some clients come to me and say ‘I want to go to Italy but I do not know where”…! They have heard how wonderful it is but do not know where to travel other than the famous spots in Rome and Venice. When travelling, the things you like as a person, do not inherently change.
Choose the things you love as this then will be a real holiday. Catch the train if you are worried about driving in a foreign country. However to visit the country villages a car is somewhat necessary unless you have a lot of spare time to catch the country buses.
If you love the sea and want an apartment high on the cliffs looking out over the islands go to the Amalfi Coast. If you love food and red wine rent a villa in Tuscany or the Valpolicella Wine Region near Verona. If you love art and fine architecture go to Florence. If you enjoy trekking go to the Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast or follow the footsteps of St. Francis in Umbria.
If you love ancient history and old buildings go to Rome; Explore archaeology in Campi Flegrei, High fashion and trendy bars and design furniture – Milan; Skiing – the Dolomite Mountains in February.; Pristine beaches – Puglia.
In Italy there is something for everyone. You only have to ask us!
Shopping in Milan Italy
Milan is the fashion center of Italy as well and also in Europe competing with Paris for the Fashion Runway of the year to which buyers flock from all over the world for the new season designs. When visiting Milano these are the main areas to go for fabulous shopping.
Piazza del Duomo
Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II – a beautiful glass-roofed arcade – is just off the piazza – here you’ll find Prada and Gucci stores, Diffusione Tessile (Max Mara outlet), as well as restaurants and bistros – walk out the other end and you will be at La Scala.
Walking away from the piazza along Corso Vittorio Emanuelle II you can make your way to Piazza San Bibila – along the way it’s worth wandering the surrounding streets for their range of stores and galleries – it’s also a nice evening passegiata.
From Piazza San Bibila turn left to Via Montenapoleone (see Quadrilatero D’Oro section).
Palazzo di Brera & Surrounds
After visiting the Palazzo head along Via Brera towards Via Fiori Chiari, taking time to explore the back streets; from Via Fiori Chiari take Via Madonnina for designer boutiques and antiques.
There is an antiques fair held on the third Saturday of each month on Via Fiori Chiari.
Quadrilatero D’Oro Shopping District
Fashionistas make a beeline for these streets north of the Duomo known as the Golden Quarter – Via Spiga, Via Manzoni, Via Sant’Andrea and Via Montenapoleone – home to prestigious fashion designers such as Prada, Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, and Valentino.
Even if you’re not planning to make a purchase, watching people parade up and down makes for an enjoyable couple of hours. You can also enjoy the fabulous window displays which are always of exceptional stunning design.
Rome Baths of Caracalla Summer Concerts
In the charming and enchanting scenery of the open air theater of the Terme (Baths) of Caracalla, Rome – music and history come together for a magical Opera festival experience for summer in the Eternal City. 
June has an incredible line up of amazing performers and it is well worth booking to experience this historical setting that only the Italians can do so well. Previous Concerts have included wonderful operas of Giacomo Puccini – Madama Butterfly, Turandot and La Boheme – as well as international artists such as Elton John, Bob Dylan, and Ludovico Einaudi .
The baths were originally called the Termae Antoninianae build by Caracalla in 216 BC. It originally had huge marble columns, coloured Oriental marble flooring, vitreous paste mosaics and different varieties of marble sheathing the walls, painted stuccoes and hundreds of colossal statues and groups, both in the niches of the walls and in the more important halls, as well as in the gardens.
For supplying water, a special branch of the Acqua Marcia aqueduct, the Aqua Antoniniana, was created.