Carnival Capers at Half-Term

If you've ‘done' Venice and Rio and are looking for a colourful new   carnival experience, head for Acireale where Sicily's oldest and most spectacular carnival takes place on the island's east coast.

Dating back to the 16th century, the Acireale Carnival (19 February-8 March)  is best known for its spectacular floral displays and floats.  Today, celebrations include street parades and entertainers and fortunately, the former egg and orange-throwing has been replaced by marching bands, dancers and masked performers.

Acireale is a seaside city at the foot of Mount Etna, just a few miles from   Taormina and with some fantastic Baroque architecture.  Stay at one of our properties (http://www.solosicily.com/), either in the heart of Acireale at the Melaverde apartment or in an independent cottage at The Queen's Jewels, a farm estate in the stunning Taormina countryside.

Just you and Michelangelo

Being one of 17,000 visitors that trundle through the Vatican in the hope that by the time they reach the Sistine Chapel, the crowds would have thinned out, thus providing a much awaited spiritual moment, is a soul destroying process.

We have the answer.

It may be an expensive option but afterall, how often do you plan to visit Rome's magnificent centre piece?

Take an exclusive tour, one that is usually reserved for Royals and celebrities, now open for the public to book.  They take place before or after opening hours and yes, they are expensive costing around £230 pp (as opposed to £15 pp for standard admission) but if you don't invest in anything else in your life, this one is a no brainer.

Entering a mysteriously quiet Vatican City before all the crowds have assembled is already a privilege. To have your own private guide to navigate the 1,400 possible viewing rooms of the Vatican Museum is positively luxurious. The guides are of course extremely enthusiastic, knowledgeable Italians who illuminate all that you view.

And then when you truly believe it cant get much more exciting, you finally reach the piece de la resistance, the chapel itself. Michelangelo spent four and a half years painting the chapel by himself, and this is the closest one can get to being alone in it as he was. There are no guards loudly asking you to be quiet, no banging into thousands of other tourists who are also looking up, just pure magical silence to savour the experience and soak up the vivid blue restoration of the Last Judgment and the Separation of Light from Darkness.

Ask our ABTOI operators who can help you with your city break in Rome : http://www.loveitaly.co.uk/regions.php?id=8&r=Latium

New Year

A new year brings with it new experiences and an entire 12 months in which to explore Italy from top to bottom.

Art & Culture

2011 will see the celebration of 150 years since the unification of Italy. The Scuderie del Quirnale in Rome showcases an array of paintings reflecting political change throughout the past two centuries.
Stay in one of our beautiful properties within the Eternal City, or on the outskirts in Southern Lazio for a more peaceful vacation.

Sport
The world's top female skiers hit the slopes of Cortina d'Ampezzo in January, for the FIS World Alpine Skiing World Cup and is the most glamorous event in the skiing calendar. Stay in one of Cottages to Castles' wonderful properties on Lake Como or within Varese, just an hour drive from the cityscapes of Milan and ideal for a short visit to the ski resorts of the north.

Festivals
Italy is home to the Festa and every month is full of celebration and tradition.  This month sees the Il Palio di Sant Antonio Abate in the Tuscan town of Buti, near Pisa.  The Palio is an exciting, competitive and colourful day where a large horse race takes place representing each neighbourhood, the winner takes away the much coveted Palio.

For a full range of self catering accommodation throughout Italy visit http://www.cottagestocastles.com/.
To view this ABTOI member's profile, click here.

ITALY: Essential Tourist News You Should Know!

If you are thinking of visiting one of the great Italian cities this year, there are plenty of developing/renovation projects that may help you decide which city will be your choice for 2011.  Here are some helpful tips.

One of the most visited sites in Italy, the Colosseum, is being cleaned from top to toe as well as given permanent lighting for spectacular night time visits. The ambitious project could also open up new areas which were previously closed to visitors.

Great news that the Vatican Museum is running a very smooth online reservation system  http://mv.vatican.va/  Now you can even visit at night from April to October from 7 – 11 p.m. And after a long renovation, you can finally see the museum's Etruscan Rooms.

And not just at the Vatican Museum are visiting hours getting longer.  This year, it's getting even easier to buy Ferragamo shoes (and anything else) on Rome's fashionable Via Condotti.  No longer are shops closed for a long lunch break -  many are now staying open throughout the day — generally 10 a.m. to 7 p.m!

In Florence, the streets around the Duomo have recently been pedestrianized which is fabulous news. However, beware:  The Uffizi Gallery, famous for its fabulous Renaissance art, is undergoing a renovation, scheduled for completion this summer. Until then, its Tribune Room (with Venus de' Medici) will be closed. When it reopens, you'll view the precious marble statue of Venus through glass panels.

Again, more late opening with the Leaning Tower of Pisa opening late on summer evenings, making it possible to tour the landmark and survey the Field of Miracles from above after dark. The system for making reservations and sorting out the huge crowds that come to see and climb the tipsy tower is working well:  http://www.opapisa.it/

Venice has a new museum: The Punta della Dogana, housed in the former Customs House at the end of the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro neighborhood. It features cutting-edge 21st-century art in spacious rooms. This isn't Picasso and Matisse, or even Pollock and Warhol — those guys are ancient history. But if you're into the likes of Jeff Koons, Cy Twombly, Rachel Whiteread, and a host of newer artists, the museum is as impressively contemporary as Venice is Old World. The displays change completely about every year, drawn from the museum's large collection. In fact, the art is spread over two locations — the triangular Customs House and Palazzo Grassi.

The Dogana traghetto, (or ferry gondola), is back, shuttling passengers across the mouth of the Grand Canal, between Harry's Bar (near St. Mark's Square) and the new Punta della Dogana art museum.

Venice's new People Mover monorail, a shuttle train fixed to a circular cable, opened in 2010 and carries passengers from the parking lot at Tronchetto to Piazzale Roma. It departs every few minutes, makes the half-mile trip in three minutes, is completely automated (no crew on board), and drops you a block from the Calatrava Bridge on Piazzale Roma, where the town center is an enchanting walk away.

For help to book the perfect fabulous Italian getaway, check all ABTOI members http://www.loveitaly.co.uk/

Our Top 10 Italian 'Hit List' To Visit In 2011

We have decided to kick off the new year with our Top 10 Italian destinations which we think are really going to excite you in 2011.  We want to introduce you to some beautiful places in Italy which only a few people know about and which I am sure will be a great distraction for you this week and allow you to plan your Italian Escapade.   Without further ado, here is our Top 10 hot list of Italian destinations to experience this year, Italian Connection and Spirito Italiano stylee !!!!

To view this ABTOI member's profile, click here.

Italy Voted Best Holiday Destination!

Travel Weekly, the main travel industry newspaper has just revealed the World's best holiday destinations in its 8^th annual Reader's Choice Awards programme.

Italy received the title of best destination, beating France and Spain in the European battle.

South Africa, Australia and Jamaica took the top awards in the categories covering Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Caribbean.

Arnie Weissmann, Travel Weekly's editor-in-chief, said: 'The professionals who read and rely on Travel Weekly have the expertise to select those businesses, destinations and hotels that provide a higher level of service to their clients.

'Our readers can be confident that these winners represent the best this industry has to offer.'

Find your perfect Italian holiday and an operator to help you:  http://www.loveitaly.co.uk/discover_italy.asp

A bit of Wedding Luxury....

I decided that this weekend and this week I would concentrate on organising the office, putting everything in its rightful place, clearing up and try to get everything computerised so that everything is in its rightful place, fully recorded.  There is just so much to do and I do not think I will get it done by Christmas!

However I came across this photoshoot we did a while back for the Swarovski complimentary members magazine, where we organised for them to go to a beautiful Tuscan castle in the San Casciano area and this was produced.  I have tried to get a little technological and have updated it onto YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ktukJO6PEc

This is a great venue for an Italian wedding as it has a range of lovely spaces which can be used for the ceremony, a small chapel, a garden/vineyard, a large courtyard..... and it is also the ideal location for a reception.  For further details just get in touch.

 

 

To view this ABTOI member's profile, click here.

Home of the Pesto Sauce

The finest, most delicious pesto sauce can be found in its home region of beautiful Liguria where basil grows in abundance and the secret Pesto recipe has been passed down through generations.

One of Italy's tiniest regions, Liguria is the long thin coastal strip that curves round to the West, (towards the South of France) at the top of the ‘boot', also known as the Italian Riviera. It is here you may well spot many A list celebrities, particularly in the beautiful town Portofino, a constant feature in ‘Ok' Magazine.

Despite the major publicity constantly surrounding some of these glamorous resorts, the stunning landscape, the medieval hill towns, the tiny fishing villages, the crystal clear sandy coastline and the gourmet restaurants are still mainly only frequented by Italians (another advantage!).

That said, the Unesco World Heritage site of the Cinque Terre National Park contains the famous once isolated five villages that are now connected by well trodden paths hiked by travellers from all over the world. And rightly so because these five stunning Cinque Terre villages are picture postcard perfect, where pastel coloured houses cling to green vine-clad cliffs, sloping down towards the glittering blue bays, harbours and tiny cobbled piazzas. The lovely coastline with its stunning views continues towards the glorious capital, Genoa (a highly recommended city to be visited in its own right), and includes the fabulous Portofino.

We can't recommend this region highly enough as having everything for the most wonderful reasonably priced holiday, for families, couples and definitely, honeymoons!

For more information on Liguria, where to go and renting villas: http://www.loveitaly.co.uk/regions.php?id=9

Hidden Gems

Here at Cottages to Castles we are always looking for those hidden gems and our quest takes us far and wide throughout Italy to find the most wonderful of holiday homes.

So when we found Apartment Rosita we just had to announce its arrival.  There are very few places in the world that afford such breathtaking turquoise views of the Sardinian coastline and being just a short walk to the elegant marina, its really a hot property.  

We can give you lots of advice on other hidden gems http://www.cottagestocastles.com/.

To view this ABTOI member's profile, click here.

Top walks in Le Marche

If you are looking for picturesque, breathtaking walks then Le Marche is the destination for you. There are walks suitable for all levels of fitness, from rolling hills to sandy beaches to mountains over 1500 metres high.

Just walking this landscape you'll discover hidden gorges, lush pastures and stunning valleys, which we believe make for some of the finest landscapes in Europe.

Even more exciting is the knowledge that when setting off on a walk you are more than likely to stumble across historic Italy, passing through prehistoric settlements as well preserved castles dating back to the Roman times and middle ages. Just don't forget your camera!!

We can highly recommend a specialist trekking company run by Daniele Petrucci, a man who knows the area like the back of his hand. He has a created a broad range of different hikes, so all you need to do is work out which one suits you best. Our favourite is the Torricchio Natural Reserve walk, an area of unmatched beauty (we think) and located amongst Mt Ferma, Mt Cetrognola and Mt Torricchio – the area is of scientific interest and will leave a permanent positive impression on all who explore it. Daniele shares historical facts and knowledge as you go.

Daniele has created 12 walks, all offering something different and all well worth looking at. He welcomes groups and prices vary dependent upon numbers, but are extremely reasonable.

If you are looking for more information and Italian holiday tips please check out the Vintage Holidays blog.

To view this ABTOI member's profile, click here.