Fenice

As we all get through January post the fun and celebrations of the festive season, it is nice to have something exciting to look forward to and, if you are considering a vacation in Italy in the new year but are not sure when to visit, then an Italian adventure to enjoy carnival might just be the thing! 

Carnival – or carnevale in Italian – is an annual period of parades, parties, and celebrations that is held in various Catholic countries between the religious holidays of Epiphany and Easter, at some point between January and March (depending in when Easter falls that year). Italy is still a very Catholic country and, therefore, is home to some of the most renowned carnevale celebrations in the entire world. So, book a holiday rental in Italy this February and come join in on all of the fun!

When temperatures rise while on vacation in the summer months, there are plenty of ways to cool off. Firstly, choosing the right rental is a great place to start. For example, you can rent one of our villas in Italy with a pool so that you can take a dip whenever you want. Or you can choose one of our villas in Italy with air-conditioning so you can always escape to cool air indoors. Or you could decide on a location like one of our villas on the Amalfi Coast, our villas in the Cinque Terre, or our villas on the Tuscan Coast to have both the sea breezes and waters to help you stay cool. 

Planning your dream holiday in Italy? Well, that has to include delicious food and we've been putting together a guide to the unmissable culinary delights that you should make a point to try in a previous post. Book your villa in Italy, read on for the rest of our picks, and start looking forward to some of the best meals of your life...

Milan

If you find a vacation rental in Lombardy then be sure to pay a visit to the region's cosmopolitan capital and fashion hot-spot. Explore Milan’s endless chic bars, restaurants, and coffee shops and you will find not only endless tasty Italian delights but wonders from all over the world. However, if you’re after something distinctly Milanese, then we recommend their minestrone (using rice unlike the pasta used throughout the rest of Italy), ossobuco (the city’s signature veal dish prepared with vegetables in white wine and broth), and gorgonzola, which hails from the nearby town of the same name. If you’re about at Christmas? Try the panettone as Milan is one of the places that claims to have been its birthplace.

Venice is famously beautiful for her iconic canals but also for the incredible buildings reflected in the waters of the lagoon and set against this unique landscape. Those who find a vacation rental in Venice should take time to really pay attention to the sumptuous architectural gems that abound throughout this magical part of Italy...

Not only are many buildings in Venice constructed in strange and specific ways to fit the topography of the city but they are also a wonderful blend of styles and influences due to its location, which was once the, “gateway to the East”. Peoples from all over the world have come to, and passed through Venice, for centuries upon centuries and brought ideas and knowledge with them.

The simple but utterly refreshing Aperol Spritz is a perfect drink for beating the heat and cooling down during your vacation this summer. Originating from Venice and now popular all over the world, this tart and tasty cocktail is best enjoyed while soaking up the incredible surroundings and atmosphere of its homeland during a stay in one of our perfect vacation rentals in Venice...

Dating back to the 19th century and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Spritz can trace its origins to the Austrian Spritzer, another simple drink that is a blend of equal parts white wine and water. It was concocted by the Habsburg Empire's soldiers, merchants, diplomats, and personnel who had found the Italian wines too potent and requested a spritz (spray) of water to lighten the wines. This practice soon gave birth to an entirely new beverage.