Sleep with history

HOLIDAYMAKERS can plunge into the past with Tuscany Now & More, and have the chance to sleep with history, be it in a castle, a country residence, or an old farmhouse.  Guests can lay their heads in the homes of important historical figures and discover Italy’s history and heritage.

The agency has compiled a shortlist of some of their most historical properties:

The Historical Charm: Visentium – Steeped in history, there are stones in the walls of Visentium which were cut more than 3,000 years ago. 

The villa has a dining room for 20 and an arched loggia overlooking the swimming pool. The 10-bedroom property sleeps up to 18. From £4,784 a week.

Live like a king or queen in Castello di Tizzano – The historical home of an important Florentine family, the villa is surrounded by uninterrupted views of hills and Florence. It has a walled garden and a large swimming pool on a lower terrace with views of the Duomo. The nine-bedroom property sleeps up to 18 people. From £7,999 per week.

Villa Zambonina – Built in the early 17th century, Villa Zambonina is a manor house set on a farming estate close to Verona. The property is decorated with frescoes and trompe l’oeil paintings. It has 12 bedrooms and costs from £3,839 a week.

 www.tuscanynowandmore.com

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Picture Credit: tuscanynowandmore.com

You’ll love this …

#VERONA IN LOVE (February 14-16) takes place in the city’s main squares as a tribute to St. Valentine and Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. 

There will be concerts, food and wine, handicrafts stalls, tours of what the guides will tell you was Juliet's house … and all sort of romantic nonsense.

And on Sunday, February 14 there’ll be Romeo and Juliet half marathon!

www.veronainlove.it

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Views from a train

#TRAINholiday company Railbookers shares its top picturesque routes in Europe:

Swiss lakes and mountains – In the summer months, verdant pastures roll from the edge of the tracks into the horizon, and in the winter, the country unfolds. Travel from Montreux to Interlaken on the Golden Pass Line. Rise up over Lake Geneva, gaze at the Swiss Riviera, plunge through a mountain tunnel and coast through resorts such as Gstaad and Châteaux d'Oex. Perhaps stop-over in Interlaken and take a trip to Europe's highest railway station at the summit of Jungfraujoch.

Norway in a nutshell – This is a route with no off season: snow-dusted in winter, set ablaze by autumn hues, verdant and sleepy in the spring and sparkling in the summer. Norway in a nutshell combines the Bergen Railway, the Flam railway, the Aurlandsfjord, the Nærøyfjord, and the Stalheimskleiva road. Hard to pronounce, easier to enjoy, the route is possible in a day but turning it into a holiday with a night or two in Oslo is worthwhile. From Oslo, it’s full steam ahead over the Flam railway, descending deep into the fjord along the world's steepest regular-track railway line. You drop hundreds of feet in an hour as the panorama shifts from mountains to waterfalls.

London to Fort William – Arrive at Euston after work, doze off after a dram of whiskey and wake up the next morning across the border. It is civilized, time-effective and harks back to a different, more romantic era. Fall asleep through London’s suburbia and wake up seemingly in the middle of nowhere, the sun glinting through the blinds and deer bounding past the window. After exploring Fort William, the treat begins. Often voted one of the world's most picturesque rail journeys, you will catch glimpses of crofter's cottages, tiny churches, the pristine coastline, and mountain panoramas, before crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct famous for its starring role in the Harry Potter films.

Germany's Rhineland – Catch the train from London to Brussels and change onto a high speed train to Cologne before moving on into the German countryside. Board a train winding down the Rhine Valley through greenery to Koblenz, abundant with palaces, churches, and fountains. Cruise down the river or take a daytrip to historic Rudesheim, before heading up the Moselle. The tracks trace the river bank along the Moselle Stretch from Koblenz to Trier, Germany's oldest city.

Munich to Verona, via the Brenner Pass –Combine some of Europe's most stunning cities with rail travel as scenic as anything the continent has to offer. The Bavarian capital of Munich plays host to every delightful Alpine cliché imaginable. There are fast trains that will take you from here to the Austrian skiing capital of Innsbruck, but why sacrifice scenery in favour of time when you are on holiday? Skirt around the bases of the Alps, meander past lakes and glide through the resort town of Garmsich-Partenkirchen on the regional train instead. Lap up the mountainous views before taking to the tracks once more, this time past the vineyards and mountains of the Brenner Pass to Verona.

Railbookers has offices in London, Los Angeles, and Auckland. www.railbookers.com

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Picture Credit: www.railbookers.com

City of love

WHERE better to be on February 14 than the Italian city of Verona, the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?

Verona in Love (February 12-15) comprises concerts, tastings, handicrafts events, markets, tours of Juliet's house … plus what’s described as a Romeo and Juliet half marathon.

www.veronainlove.it

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Picture Credit: "Julia balcony" by Uwe Hermann via Wikimedia Commons.

Italy lights up for Xmas

 ITALIAN CITIES light up for the festive season, with Christmas markets combining Mediterranean flavours and German traditions.

Here are some of the best:

VERONA – The city hosts a Nuremberg Christmas market in the central Piazza dei Signori. The German–style market will have all the traditional huts serving specialities such as mulled wine, Stollen and Lebkuchen cakes, and bratwurst.

TRIESTE – In Trieste, you can feel the charm of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire empire in its Christmas market in Piazza Sant'Antonio and the surrounding streets. There’ll be Trieste food and wine, songs and music.

ROME – The Piazza Navona (Pictured above) is swamped by a bustling market, selling cribs, decorations and sweets.

VENICE – Christmas fairs in various piazzas. 

FLORENCE – Mercato Tedesco di Natale, Piazza Santa Croce. This market (pictured here) is inspired by the tradition of the German city of Heidelberg. Wooden huts and stalls selling Italian and German delicacies, decorations, and handicrafts.

NAPLES – Via S. Gregorio Armeno. The Christmas market in this narrow street is famous for its handcrafted nativity crib figurines, from the traditional to the most sophisticated, and for traditional Neopolitan food and cakes. 

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Picture Credit: From Top: 'Piazza Navona (Roma) - Mercato Natalizio 05' by Nicholas Gemini (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons; 'Piazza Santa Croce with german market' by Freepenguin (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

Opera in Verona

NOW in its 101^st year, Verona’s international opera festival runs from June 20 to September 7. 

The operas to be performed this year are: 

Aida, 

Romeo et Juliet, 

Un Ballo in Maschera, 

Carmen, 

Turandot, 

Carmina Burana, 

Madame Butterfly, and 

Placido Domingo's Verdi Gala.

The operas are staged in the city’s sonically perfect 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre.

www.arena.it

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