Italy Vacation Rental

Italy hosts more than half of the worlds monuments, art and masterpieces and these are varied as they cover nearly 2800 years of history. Italy has some of the most beautiful and varied towns in the world. Most are completely unspoilt and steeped in history. The towns of Rome, Florence and Venice are renowned throughout the world and attract millions of visitors every year and the stunning lush countryside with medieval towns such as Umbria are inspiring. Italy also has varied seaside regions such as The Amalfi Coast, Sicily and Sardinia with magnificent beaches.

Italy has 21 regions most have their own regional language. Each region is famed for a specific cuisine which is an absolute passion. Italy is famed for its tasty healthy cooking and delicious wines. The Italians are extremely welcoming to tourists and this coupled with excellent weather makes Italy the ideal holiday destination.

Architecture, Monuments and Art

Italy is home to more than half of the world’s architecture, monuments and art! It has many famed monuments such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, The Roman Colloseum and of course no visit to Italy is complete without a visit to the seat of the Catholic church, The Vatican in Rome!

Italy has been blessed with many great architects and sculptors such as Leonardo da Vinci and was the birthplace of the Renaissance movement during the 14th and 15th centuries which had a great impact on the Western world. Italy has also been home to some of the world’s finest composers such as Monteverdi and Vivaldi and Opera flourished under Puccini and Verdi. Today, Italian musicians and filmmakers continue to make a great contribution to Western society.

Food and Wine

Cooking is a national passion and eating out a favourite pastime. All of the Italian regions are famed for specific dishes. The food is generally simple but retains its variety of flavours and eating out is usually excellent value for money. The Italians reputation for food is certainly well deserved and dishes such as pasta, pizza, Osso Buco (Oxtail) and Risotto are the basis of the Italian diet. Italy is apparently the headquarters for the slow food movement which is dedicated to eating in a relaxed slow fashion.

Italy is famed for its superb wines and has over 20 wine regions from Valle d’Aosta on the French border to Sardinia and Sicily in the South. The most known wine is the Chianti group which is produced under strict quality controls so is usually a superb wine to drink.

Events

Many of the Italian towns celebrate historical events with costume parades and flag throwing. Italians are passionate people and they really throw themselves into enjoying the many festivals in their calender so this makes for an excellent party. In Arezzo, they have a festival to highlight medieval jousting where everyone dresses up in costumes. In Lucca they have La Luminera where the streets are lit up by candles. In Panacale during early September they celebrate the grape harvest and many towns in Italy celebrate the Feast of Corpus Cristi where the streets are scattered with flower petals resulting in a very fragrant carpet to walk on.

One of the most renowned festivals is the Venice Carnival which is a huge street parade that takes place in February. This is a very colourful event and thousands attend. There are also many food and wine festivals which occur throughout the year all over Italy.

The People

Italians have a population of over 58 million people and are the most passionate nation in Europe so you are guaranteed to receive a very warm welcome! Italians are far less inhibited then other nations and hugging and kissing as a greeting even with strangers is extremely common. The family is central to Italian life with the ‘Mama’ being the Queen. Many Italians live at home until well into their 20’s and much of their free time is spent dining with the family.

Italians are extremely proud of their artistic heritage and will be more than happy to provide information you may require. Their homes are often simple from the outside yet beautiful on the inside and reflect the things they treasure most colour, beauty and camaraderie. Italian is a beautiful language and many visitors find themselves hypnotised by the sound.

The Climate

Italy has a very varied climate. In Summer, the Northern parts of Italy are warm with occasional rain. The central regions of Italy can become extremely warm during the Summer months. Most people tend to travel to Italy between June and August but infact, the best time to travel is between April and May and September to October when the weather is good and there are less tourists. Most Italians take their holiday in August and many shops and restaurants are closed during this period.

The Towns and Villages

Italy’s regions vary dramatically and you will find many beautiful main towns such as Rome, Florence and Venice in contrast to unspoilt medieval hilltop villages with stunning ruins and monuments waiting to be explored. Italy also has some of the most beautiful seaside resorts such as The Amalfi Coast and Sicily. All of the regions, of which there are 21 have their own language. Each is unique so you will never tire of sightseeing.