Assisi — Spirit of Italy

Before 1926 Assisi hadn’t received much international attention for a few centuries. 1926 was the 200th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, the most beloved of Italian saints and the patron saint of Italy. The anniversary brought two million visitors and pilgrims to the city and created a renewed interest in the spectacular Venetian city. Much of that interest has translated to increasing revenue for the vacation rental owners.

The lack of attention may be what has contributed to the beauty of Assisi. The town is medieval grandeur at its finest and best maintained. There are several amazing structures that no one should miss whether staying in, or passing through, Assisi. Among these are two medieval castles. The bigger one is the Rocca Maggiore and it still serves its original purpose: intimidation. The most popular attraction, and rightly so, is the Bassilica di San Francesco. Intricately designed and decorated, and painted by the finest artists of the era, the basilica is the mother monastery of the Franciscan order of monks.

Being a part of Veneto, Assisi is more than just an important Christian pilgrimage. Assisi has all that Veneto has; romantic gondola’s plying rolling canals and Venetian style villas. Originally intended for the royalty and officials, Venetian villas were designed for luxury both in comfort and image. These images are not just a facade, and the style is popular to this day.

Palace of beautiful strategy

There are some things, which simply can’t be found in America. A palace is one of those things. A palace fills minds young and old with images of faerie tale weddings, ultra-luxurious homes full of intrigue and happenings and lavishly appointed royal parties. In Castigliano Del Lago there is a palace that was the center of all those things and still looks as though it could continue to do so in modern days.

Castigliano Del Lago was considered such an important strategic position during the middle ages that is was hotly contested by Perugia, Arezzo, Sienna and Firenze. Eventually, in the 12th century, Perugia won out and ordered the reconstruction of the medieval town. It remains now much as it did after that reconstruction, the big difference being that beyond the historic area’s walls (area storico) there is a modern residential zone. The Palazzo Ducale (duke’s palace) is the best example of that reparation.

The palace was actually built from 13th century tower remains in 1563, but those towers’ components dated back even further and would not exist to this day if it weren’t for the medieval reconstruction. The palace is as much a luxurious villa as a defensive structure, and houses as many gorgeous frescoes and paintings as it once housed paranoid royalty-on-the-run.

If you plan on staying in Umbria, stay like royalty in your own palace–figuratively speaking. Check out a villa with Interhome and see what they can offer you.

Castigliano Del Lago, Tuscany

There are some areas that do not lend themselves to the sanitized, impersonal experience of a hotel. Then there are places where a hotel seems to simply be out of place. After that, there’s Castigliano Del Lago.

Castigliano Del Lago hotels are no doubt as fine as what you’d expect from a reasonably popular resort town. The hotels in Castigliano Del Lago are what you’d expect from any modern Italian town, and that’s exactly why they are out of touch with the spirit of this historic and charming town. They’re too up-to-date, too fast paced, too ‘modern.’

The essence of Castigliano Del Lago is in its ancient stone walls, its frescoed old buildings, its smooth stone paved streets and murals depicting the famous swordsmen and saints who called the town home. A hotel room will find you outside of this historic area and seated squarely within the kitschier, touristy modern town. Rent a villa for a week and your whole family can step out your front door and into the medieval city the hotel visitors have to trek to.

The only riverside town in all of Sardinia

Bosa Marina is, rather surprisingly, the only riverside town in all of Sardinia. Typically, rivers have been the locations for important cities. Bosa Marina is located where the Temo River spills into the sea on the western coast of Sardinia, where the fertile soil and strategic position has ensured its continuous occupation since ancient times.

Proof of its habitation is everywhere. Scattered about like the chess pieces of a drunken god are ancient and medieval monuments giving testimony to Bosa Marina’s rich history. One such monument is Serravalle Castle, the home of the XIIth century Malaspina family.

On the 15th of August there is another testimony to Bosa’s long and storied traditions. Our Lady the Protector of the Sea is honored by a procession of boats meandering down the river carrying singers and a statue of the Virgin Mary to the sea.

Bosa Marina is a beautiful and civilized place to explore and an enchanting base for a slow travel expedition around the entire island. Take a few days to discover all the ancient ruins and restorations before trekking out across the flatlands toward Alghero. Stop on the way with a bottle of the Bosa’s local wine in any of the multitude of hidden coves for a picnic treat you won’t soon forget.

Engelberg-Angel Peak

Two things became apparent to me a fine morning of a recent Sunday. The first revelation came when I found my attention once again arrested by a view that amazes me each time. Gazing down at the amazing panorama of a powder frosted Swiss valley I once again realized how the town Engelberg got its name–Angel Peak, in English. No bluer skies, no crisper winds–like the breath of Gaia–exist on earth.

My second revelation was simply how lucky I was to work for once of the most established vacation rental companies in Europe. I know not everyone can just pack up and head out to the Swiss Alps, so I’ve decided to share my good fortune with my readers and describe the experience as best I can.

My father and I set out at the crack of dawn, just as soon as we noticed the weather would be favorable for skiing. Being Swiss and skiing go together like being American and lusting after a first car at sixteen years old. The difference is that while most twenty-somethings can out race their fathers in a car, at 67 my father is still better on the slopes than I am. Naturally he won’t take the same risks I will, but by easing back a little and concentrating on form skiing is a sport he’ll be able to enjoy virtually his entire life. A life longer than mine may be if I don’t do the same!

I’m proud to say it was I who called a lunch break. It’d been more than a year since my last Ski session and my legs were as weary as my senses were energized. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Engelberg and, all of them being of refined quality, we weren’t picky. Out of practicality as much as tradition we dined on a hot and hearty soup before heading out for a chair lift to take us to one of the runs we had not yet explored. The lift took us over Lake Truebsee, frozen solid. There was something else frozen solid, or rather a series of somethings. I was not sure at first, but then my memory fired on an old magazine article or advertisement and I realized I was looking at a commercial Igloo village. If you want to spend a cool night on the rocks, that’s definitely the place to do it.

After a few more great runs on slopes groomed the way only the Swiss would even try the wind made further skiing unviable. At the peak above us entire clouds of snow were being blown from one ridge to be deposited against the next. There are few words to describe such a spectacle, something so epic that can be seen on a regular basis. The site of something so cold can inspire anyone to seek warmth, so the rest of the night was spent with whiskey, fire and food and the memory of a day well spent with Dad.

Rental on the French Riviera

The French riviera has been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times. Some of the oldest cave paintings in the world have been found in this area which remains a hub of artistic innovation as much as the subject of art itself to this day. The Cote D’Azur has attracted and inspired people for so long for reasons that become obvious to any visitor: an amazing climate, spectacular sunrises leading to bright days followed by enchanting sunsets and glittering nights. Even without the resort amenities–of which there are a great and many–the coast provides one of those serene natural wonders that seem to draw people to them like children to a dessert table.

These days the French Riviera is known not only for its beauty but also for the Cannes film festival–the Palme D’or–which is known not only to attract, but to create, stars. Producers, writers, directors and glitterati of all stripes come out to see the independent films on display. Some will win awards and some will be chosen to be produced into full length features, in this way many a hollywood legend has been born.

One of the towns by the famed coast is Montauroux. Known by canny locals and visitors-in-the-know for its location (central to a ski resort, the coast and a nearby picturesque village) and relaxed atmosphere it generally sees most visitors in the summer months. Montauroux is blessed with an abundance of sunny days and small population, and retains its quaint village routes, preferring to cater to a vacationer looking for relaxation between excitement.

Attractions in Villa Hotspot–Sorrento

Sorrento will host its annual ‘Summer of Music’ festival again from this July until the following September. The festival will take place within the venerated halls of the local Monastery of Saint Francis. The festival is led by its honorary President, the famous cellist Uto Ughi. The Summer of Music Festival gives classical music fans a real treat and even plays a part in raising the local real estate value; both rented and fixed. Each year the festival gives emerging musicians the opportunity to play with established and even world-renowned musicians. The effect, for classical music fans, is like a a two month long Woodstock, albeit admittedly much more reserved–and Woodstock didn’t have the backdrop that the Summer of Music does.

Sorrento is well known for its beautiful buildings and picturesque harbor. There are plenty of open-air cafés, local trattorias, nightclubs and concerts held in villa gardens and let’s not forget the Amalfi Coast. Stretching languidly from the peninsula of Sorrent to Salerno, this gold and azure coastline is reputed as retaining more of its natural beauty than any other in area in Campania. The villas and hotels blend seamlessly into the fabric of the seaside towns which perfectly bridge the space between the sea and the Lattari mountains. The entire coast is beautiful and completely navigable by a winding mountainside road that affords a view unlike any other on earth.

The view of Sorrento from the sea might be as impressive as the view of the sea from Sorrento. There are several noteworthy and majestic monuments in the old town. The Basilica De San Antonio was built around the 10th century in honor of Saint Anthony, patron saint of navigators, and in c.1300 it became the home of the “Confraternita dei Battenti”, an heretical confraternity from Naples. It was splendidly restored in the by the Theatine Fathers in the 17th century. The crypt is believed to hold the tomb of Saint Anthony, where thousands of votive offerings have been lit by sailors and fishermen throughout the ages. The Basilica welcomes pilgrims, holds special masses and houses a museum with a limited, but impressive, collection of artifacts.

Another attractive museum is the very well appointed Correale di Terranova. This museum’s 18th century paintings, inlaid furniture, Capodimonte majolica and porcelain ware and lacework are certain to fascinate. It’s almost impossible to find a comparable exhibition outside of a medieval Italian villa. The museum palazzo is a work of art unto itself, its bleached stone and wood structure surrounded by lush wood overlooking the Gulf of Naples.

Undoubtedly there is little I need to inform any travel interested party about the glorious setting of Campania. It is an area seemingly crafted out of romantic possibility, mixed out of sand and emerald on a painter’s palette and brushed onto the nearly tropical south western coast of Italy. Sheltered from fierce weather by Sicily to the south and Corsica and Sardinia to the west, Campania’s rare villas are a vacation renter’s paradise and are snatched up pretty quickly.

Fun in Switzerland? This is Zermatt.

What you can take away from the first thirty seconds of this video is that there are few places in this world where you can wake up, look out your window and see one of the largest and most storied mountains in the world, and impulsively decide it’s time to go rocketing down it. One of those very select resorts is Zermatt.

For me to lecture on the allure of Zermatt is redundant. Everything good you’ve heard about Switzerland comes together in this resort, and most skiers–heck, most people who’ve ever looked at a skiing magazine–already know it. What I’m going to tell you is that if you’re staying in Zermatt, stay in a rented vacation home.

Staying in a vacation home you get much, much more bang for your buck. Or Euro. You get storage space, privacy and enough room to walk around with your skis on without tripping over every other tourist in the country. Most of the better villas, and all the villas offered by Interhome fall into the ‘better’ category, have an amazing view from which to enjoy a beer and a sunset and a door that leads pretty directly to a ski lift or down to the center of the resort. If this video doesn’t convince you just check out some of Zermatt’s press and this villa. See you on the slopes.

Provence–The Perfect Vacation Spot

France is known for its liberal and engaging population, avant-garde arts community, storied history, fine food, aesthetic beauty and superior wines. In Provence, you will find all this and more. When one imagines romantic France, it is usually Provence they picture.

The people of Provence are known for being friendly but reserved, simultaneously warm and elegant. What else could one expect from residents of an area where world-renowned frescoes, universally revered architecture and lush rolling hills soften the spirit and refine the palate? The region is so famously beautiful it would be hard to occupy it with any unsmiling face.

Occupied continuously from at least 27000 BCE, Provence is home to some of the most magnificent and best preserved structures to have survived from the Roman Empire through the reign of Louis XIV and all the periods in between. Standing out is the single best preserved Roman theater in Europe, the Roman Theater In Orange, Vaucluse. Orange is also home to a particularly complex and fine triumphal arch, the Arc de Triomphe D’Orange. The theater would have been the center of the town during Augustus’ reign, but the new center of this lush agricultural community is now the Rue Saint-Martin, a white brick road with picturesque stucco shops and lined with tall conifers.

Vaucluse warrants a few days exploration in and of itself, and the area deserves your undivided attention. To get the total experience one simply must rent a vacation property and take advantage of the local hospitality.