Archive for 'Books and Movies'

  

Florence

While the Hannibal television show (2013-2015) was ultimately cancelled, it has since become a major cult classic and has been long recognised by critics as one of the best television shows in recent history. Fans of the show are of the especially passionate variety and if you are among their number and considering a villa in Florence for your next vacation, then you may be interested in learning about the filming locations that were featured in season 3, much of which takes place in the city. 

     Read More

  

If you are a movie-lover, then the cinematic beauty of Tuscany is very appealing and makes it a perfect place for a vacation but so, too, does its history as a destination where famous films have been set and made. Fans of Roberto Benigni's beloved 1997 Oscar-winning masterpiece, “La Vita è Bella,” can head to a villa in Arezzo to see many locations from that movie, those who have always wanted to see the heavenly land from the end of the Russell Crowe vehicle, “Gladiator,” can wander it themselves with a vacation rental in the Orcia Valley, and Hannibal can be followed around Florence. In fact, we have a whole section of articles based around films and books set and made in Tuscany that you can browse and use to plan all sorts of adventures and holidays in Tuscany. However, if you have been considering a luxury villa in Florence, in particular, but are in search of somewhere to actually go and see some films while you are on holidays, then you will find yourself very much in luck. Florence happens to be home to a rather exceptionally beautiful and special cinema called the Cinema Odeon Firenze that any self-respecting movie buff will tell you makes for a magic place to relax and see a film while on vacation.     Read More

  

Arezzo
Arezzo is a name that many international tourists may have heard of before but is likely far less familiar with than other beloved Tuscan holiday destinations such as Florence, Pisa, or Siena. It is, however, no less wonderful a place to spend your next vacation, with plenty of incredible things to see, do, and eat in the area. Read on to learn about why you should choose Arezzo as your next holiday destination and, once you have fallen in love with this stunning city, then be sure to go on and browse our beautiful vacation rentals in Arezzo and our villas with swimming pools in Arezzo to get planning your trip ASAP.     Read More

  

La Vita è Bella
Roberto Benigni's 1997 Oscar-winning masterpiece, “La Vita è Bella” (“Life is Beautiful”), is an incredibly famous movie that is set during WWII and tells the story of a Jewish Italian man named Guido Orefice, who meets and falls in love with the beautiful Dora and they have a son, Giosue, together.

Their incredibly ideal and happy family life is turned upside when Guido and Giosue are separated from Dora and are taken to a concentration camp. While there, in order to shelter his son from the horrors of his surroundings, Guido weaves an elaborate story that their time in the camp is merely a game. Filmed across several sets, the centrepiece of the beginning of the film, however, is the lovely Tuscan city of Arezzo.

So, if you're a fan of the movie and are thinking of holidaying in Tuscany, just browse our vacation rentals in Arezzo and get planning a trip!     Read More

  

View over Livorno
Film and Tuscany have a long and rich history. In Florence, in 1895, Filoteo Alberini, born in Orte, had the idea to create a tool for projecting film on screen. While a member of the Military Geographical Institute, in 1894 in Piazza della Repubblica he had the chance to see the Edison Kinetoscope, which shows moving images when you look inside a special wooden box. The next year, he created the kinetograph, a precursor to cinema projectors. Sadly, it was only patented a few months after the Lumière brothers patented their projector and went on to become much more famous and rich than Alberini ever did. However, he did go on to open the first Italian movie theatres in 1901 and founded the country's first film company, Cines, in 1905. He then made the first Italian movie "La presa di Roma," about the entry of Garibaldi's troops into Rome during the Risorgimento. He made the film in Livorno and it was the first of many to be made in the city. So began Livorno's long relationship with cinema, continuing to this day. Find a holiday rental in Livorno, wander her cinematic streets and you'll understand why.     Read More