The collection of works in the Uffizi Gallery cannot be compared to any other world collection and is probably the only one to have just masterpieces of exceptional value.

The Uffizi Gallery, (1560-1580) designed by Vasari in 1560 and built by Cosimo I of Medici. The Uffizi was meant to be an officio (office) for magistrates as well as judges, technicians and merchants of Florence, were turned on the top floor into a private gallery for the pleasure of the ruling family of Florence, the Medicis, and their guests.

Vasari, who sadly died that same year, could hardly have imagined that inside that building, born to house the Magistracy, almost all the major painters (not just Florentine) whose biographies he had written in one of the most interesting documents on the history of art, Lives, would have been on show.

In addition to paintings, statues, jewelry, scientific instruments, even weapons, were displayed there. This unique situation made the Uffizi one of the most interesting and precious collections in the whole world.

It was based on an idea of Vasari, who had put the portrait of each artist with his biography, that Leopoldo de’Medici started the rich collection of artists’ self-portraits.

Since 1865 it became a museum, nowadays with 50 rooms housing paintings ranging from 13th century to the 18th century. Highlights are the famous “Madonna enthroned” by Giotto, the “Battle of San Romano” by Paolo Uccello, the double portrait by Piero della Francesca, “Federico da Montefeltro”, the “Birth of Venus” by Botticelli , in addition to 3 works by Leonardo, 1 by Michelangelo, a few by Raffaello and many by Tiziano.

All of the gallery’s paintings have been displayed chronologically, so it is possible to fully appreciated all the innovations in art throughout the centuries.

Photo: Villa Laura / Doorways, LTD.

Under the Tuscan Sun was a 2003 movie starring the beautiful actress, Diane Lane.  Lane’s character buys a lovely villa while on vacation in Tuscany, hoping to change her life after a divorce.

The villa from Under the Tuscan Sun is named – Villa Laura and just completed a four-year long renovation.

The newly restored Villa Laura is actually located in Cortona, Italy and is now available to rent.

The amazing Italian villa was purchased by the owners of California winery – Cline Cellars.

“As I made my way through the brambles to explore the ancient, crumbling villa for the first time, I felt like I was stepping into a fairytale, says Kit Burns, President of Doorways Ltd. “The villa lay in ruins, but I could see that it had great potential.”

The kitchens and bathrooms were custom crafted by a Tuscan artist, using marble surfaces and restored original stone walls. The wooden beds were replaced by wrought ironed hand-crafted frames from a local artisan. The bedding was made from the finest English linens.

The landscaping at Villa Laura is beautifully done, including an extensive rose garden surrounding a new in-ground pool, jacuzzi, and spectacular Roman fountain.

Photo: Villa Laura / Doorways, LTD.

The goal of the restoration was to maintain the villa’s original charm and magic. The interior is decorated with a combination of contemporary and antique furniture, found across Europe, by designer Jane Thompson.

Adjacent to Villa Laura is a rustic farmhouse that accommodates a total of 18 guests. The size makes it perfect destination weddings, families or large groups. “This is the perfect opportunity for guests to step into a movie set and live out their own adventure,” says Burns.

To rent Villa Laura and other luxurious European villas, please visit www.villavacations.com

There is little dispute that Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and contains canals, gondolas and amazing architecture.

If you are planning a visit to this romantic Italian city, try and visit it in spring or fall to avoid the heat and tourist crowds.

While in Venice Italy, there are many sightseeing activities such as going to churches, museums, and other tourist attractions. You can also attend many events and other activities that are unique to this city built on the sea.

The Voga Longa is a local rowing competition which is held annually on the last day of May. This particular rowing race originated as a protest against the power boats that were once taking over the Venice canals. Now this rowing event has turned into a water festival. The racetrack passes through most of Venice, and crowds of people gather along the canals to cheer up the participants.

The Regata ‘Storica takes place in September on the first Sunday of the month. This event celebrates an occasion that took place in 1489. It’s an exhibit displaying almost one hundred types of Venetian boats.

While in Venice, do not forget to take a ride on the Water Bus called Vaporetto during sunset. The gorgeous sight is filled with the soft sunset light providing a mesmerizing picture. It is one of the best ways to remember Venice.

Although a ride on a Gondola is costly, you can save money by negotiating with the gondola operator to bring your price down. Taking a gondola ride down the majestic canals is a true Venetian experience. It doesn’t hurt to ask but the discounted rate might get you less time, and fewer sights. Work this out with your gondolier before you begin your trip.

If a gondola ride isn’t for you, then you try crossing the Grand Canal via traghetto. These are very cheap and are essentially gondolas that are too old to be used for that purpose. You can also visit the Rialto Bridge and the open air markets near it along with the Pescheria (fish market).

Another memorable experience, is spending a day on one of the nearby Venetian islands (like Murano or Burano) which you can reach via the many boat services. The Glass Museum in Murano offers a terrific visitor experience as well as the Lace Museum in Burano.

Venice is a such a beautiful city.A place that everybody should experience at least once in their lifetime.

For a very long time, Italy has always occupied a place of pride in the ancient European culture due to various reasons and one of them is the Italian cheeses.

Although Italy has never really ranked among the best dairy industries in the world, the country’s Italian cheeses have always enjoyed a high status in the world in terms of quality and variety.

Italian cheeses have been a part of the rich cultural heritage of the nation when they were relished by the famous Julius Caesar, devoured by the invincible Roman armies and served as important constituents of many of the traditional dishes.

The most popular culinary delights which are associated with Italy are the pizzas and the lasagna preparations both of which make use of the legendary mozzarella cheese. This cheese is white in color since it is a product of buffalo’s milk and its soft and chewy texture is one of the main reasons for the immense popularity of the dishes in which it is used.

The region of Lombardy in Italy boasts of having given the world its only blue cheese named gorgonzola in form of two main varieties namely gorgonzola mountain and gorgonzola dolce. While the former serves as an accompaniment for white wines, soups and stews due to its sharp flavor, the latter is served with fruits and desserts because it is comparatively sweeter. The special feature of this cheese is that it is mild when it is young and becomes progressively sharper in taste as it becomes older.

Mascarpone is a rich, creamy and mild-flavored Italian cheese which is often used as a replacement for whipped cream in many dessert preparations likes cake, rolls and pastries not only in Italy but throughout the world.

Grated parmesan cheese or sliced parmesan cheese is a well known delicacy all over the world and it happens to be a full flavored Italian cheese which has been matured for two-three years. This cheese is distinguished from others due to its hard rind and cheese gourmets claim that it tastes best when it is absolutely fresh.

The Scamorza is distinct among all the Italian cheeses because of its shape which it acquires during its maturation. This cheese is prepared by hanging the fresh and unpasteurized cow’s milk by a string and it is usually served with fruits.

The Pecorino is the only one among the Italian cheeses which is prepared from ewe’s milk and therefore salty to taste. This cheese comes in a number of varieties namely the Pecorino Romano, the Pecorino Toscano, the Pecorino Sardo and the Pecorino Siciliano and it is served as an accompaniment with desserts after having gained maturity.

Italian cheeses have been an inevitable part of the country’s tradition and one particular variety which surpasses others in this regard is the Grana Padano. The main characteristics of this cheese are that it is prepared from unpasteurized milk, is pale yellow in color, is surrounded by a thick natural rind which is smooth as well as hard to touch and tastes like a pineapple.

A trip to Italy is simply amazing. Italy is simply an unforgettable and beautiful country, with wonderful landmarks, museums filled with priceless works of art, and a rich culture that goes back thousands of years.

Due to the long list of sites to see, you can visit the large cities of Rome, Venice or Florence or just relax and soak up on the sun on a beautiful Italian sandy beach.

Here is a list of some of the very best locations to visit in all of Italy.

The world’s economy may be in shambles, but in some corners of the art world …. it is thriving. Center stage is Venice’s Punta della Dogana.

In Venice Italy, a large art exhibition is now on view in two historic buildings. June marked the opening of a new museum in Venice, dedicated to contemporary art, at Punta della Dogana.

Punta della Doganais a historic complex that was built back in the 17h century. Many years ago, it once served as a the Venetian Republic Customs House, but recently redesigned by famous architect Tadao Ando.

Punta della Doganais was envisioned as a single artistic journey. The exhibition presents approximately 300 works of art from French magnate, Francois Pinalut’s art collection.

The collection is presented as dialogues between artists of various generations, of various artistic forms of expression and sensibilities.

Included are a variety of artists such as contemporary art luminaries Jeff Koons, Sigmar Polke, Rudolf Stingel, Cindy Sherman and Richard Price. Also participating are new emerging talents and artists who have been unjustly ignored by the art World.

This event marks the second year in a row that the personal art collection of the Francois Pinault. Pinault is well known as the man behind the Gucci Group – which is the luxury conglomerate that includes such luxury brands as Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney.

Last year, Francois Pinault’s collection was displayed at the Palazzo Grassi. This year, the Punta della Dogana is proud to host his collection again.

The Punta della Dogana is located at the center of the Venice lagoon on the Grand Canal – across from Piazza San Marco and San Giorgio Island.

Most of us have heard about Rome’s catacombs at some point in our lives. These are ancient underground burials, dug into the rock under the city of Rome itself. There are more than forty of these catacombs, some of which have only come to light in recent years.

These catacombs are known best as burial places for Christians, but they have also hosted pagan burials as well as Jewish tombs. The catacombs came about around the second century, since there was a minimum of available land for burial and cemeteries were growing overcrowded.

The land in the general vicinity of Rome isn’t enough for regular burials, but the soft volcanic rock the city is located on is easy to tunnel in. It’s softer before the air touches it, hardening later. The city has many kilometers of tunnels, and in some places, they’re up to four stories deep.

Anyone with an interest in early Jewish or Christian art should take a trip to the catacombs. The incredible frescoes and sculptures located here represent the majority of artistic examples of the cultures prior to the fourth century.

Romans originally cremated their dead. However, at around the second century, it became popular to bury the burnt or unburnt remains of loved ones instead. In addition, Christians preferred this method, as burial was considered important for bodily resurrection.

The first big catacombs were carved through the rock outside the city, since laws at the time forbade burials inside the city limits. These were originally used not just for burial, but for memorials and religious celebrations of Christian martyrs, although they were never used for other regular worship.

In and around Rome, there are forty known catacombs, all built along roads such as the Via Ostiense and Via Appia. The catacombs often are named after saints such as Sebastian and Calixtus, who are believed to be buried in them by some.

Enormous systems of passages were built by these early Christian excavators, all between seven and twenty meters below the earth’s surface, taking up an area of about two and a half kilometers square. The levels are joined using narrow stairways, with passages about three feet wide and eight feet tall. Burial niches are located in the walls of the catacombs.

These relatively small niches contained bodies. Special burial chambers were also built for wealthier Christians. Frescoes and carvings in these tombs made them look much like mainstream Roman ones.

With the rise of Christianity to a status as a state religion, the practice of burial in catacombs declined, though this did not happen right away. As the dead were buried increasingly in churchyards, the catacombs became used only to celebrate the martyrs.

When Rome was sacked by northern invaders, these catacombs were ransacked, and by the tenth century, they were scarcely used, and all holy relics had been moved above ground. After this point, the catacombs were forgotten until the late sixteenth century, when they were rediscovered.

Over the centuries, these excavations were intermittently explored, though professional studies weren’t published until the nineteenth century. They now act as an important early Christian monument, and are maintained by the Vatican.  Author: Larry Pocobor

Photo: Vatican (Catacombs of Latium)

Roman Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum is the most famous Classical structure of Rome and one that virtually every visitor comes to admire. The structure is easily recognizable with its distinct design and architecture. When the elliptical stadium was first built, over 2,000 years ago, it was the first permanent amphitheatre of its time. It was marveled at for its grand size and structure and remains a template for the stadia that we see today.

A huge ellipse with tiered seating, the Colosseum was able to seat 50,000 viewers with standing room for an additional 10,000. There were 80 exits that allowed for efficient entry and exit of the large masses of people attending events. Gladiator events were most common, but the stadium was also used for other games or to watch criminals being attacked by wild animals.

No battle was neglected; at times the arena was filled with water to present naval battles. Entertainment at the Colosseum lasted for an impressive 450 years until the Roman Empire started weakening. The emperor Honorius ended the gladiatorial duels in 404 CE and animal shows ended by the sixth century. There are several theories to explain why the activities had ceased, but most likely it was due to lack of funding as games were expensive to produce.

The Colosseum was abandoned by the tenth century and soon became a home to houses and shops that were built within. Pieces of tufa, or stone, from the stadium were hacked off and used to build these new structures.

During the Renaissance, when Rome became more vibrant again, more stone was removed and used to build the new palazzis and numerous buildings around Rome. This constant breaking down of the walls and removal of stone is the reason that only half of the outer ring remains today. It wasn’t until restoration began in the eighteenth century that halted the destruction of the building and the focus moved to preserving the site’s remains.

The Bauer Il Palazzo in Venice, Italy was awarded one of the world’s ten best romantic hotels by Five Star Alliance.

An intimate boutique hotel within the heart of Venice, Bauer Il Palazzo is a truly authentic, Venetian-style palazzo overlooking Venice’s Grand Canal. More like a sophisticated home than a hotel, it is both elegant and luxurious.

Bauer Il Palazzo, with its stunning Gothic facade, reflects Venetian opulence at its best, with lavish decor and furnishings designed for the ultimate in comfort for visitors to Venice.

Benefiting from the most spectacular vantage point in Venice, Bauer Il Palazzo is conveniently located just steps from St Mark’s Square, and is close to Venice’s finest shops, museums and sights.

With its own private boat dock on the Grand Canal, guests arriving at Bauer Il Palazzo are greeted by the hotel’s sumptuous lobby, decorated in wood paneling and antique veneered Venetian panels, a lasting impression that is reflected in the unique decor and attention to detail in each of the hotel’s guest rooms and suites.

Experience the real Venice in the most elegant, romantic, private Venetian palazzo at Bauer Il Palazzo. Full article