Travel in county Florence

The Easter holidays are rapidly approaching and if you're looking to book a break, it could be the perfect time for a train adventure. 

It’s difficult to calculate how many works of art are exhibited in the UNESCO-inscribed historic center of Florence – compiling a comprehensive list of things to see and do would be an encyclopedic endeavor. The collection of world-class museums such as the Uffizi and Galleria dell’Accademia draw in thousands of people daily, but these comprise only a fraction of the Tuscan capital’s heritage. 

With summer just around the corner, thoughts turn to planning the perfect vacation. When it comes to finding an indulgent retreat, one key factor that often dominates everyone’s must-have list is a breathtaking swimming pool. If you’re deciding where to take the plunge, then check out these 7 hotels with outstanding pools. From the serene beauty of a countryside manor, to the historical charm of a reinvigorated convent, each of these accommodations offers a unique guest experience that epitomizes luxury and features an amazing pool. Let’s dive in!

Touristitaly comment on the differences in visiting Italy among the generations.

“We could combine this with a trip to Leonardo da Vinci's birthplace,” suggests Paola Donato, a shore excursion expert in Italy for Windstar Cruises. It's a January morning, and I'm standing on the tree-lined grounds of the 16th-century Villa Dianella winery in Tuscany with Donato, project manager Melissa Witsoe, and destination manager Gonzalo Mones as they choose locations for new shore excursions for their Legendary Winter in the Mediterranean sailing. This year marks the first time Windstar will sail the Med in the colder months, but the trio is already planning for 2025.

Under the ownership and personal care of the Babini Family and hotel General Manager Claudio Meli, THE PLACE Firenze, a beloved boutique hotel in Florence, Italy, has reopened after an extensive redesign by Luigi Fragola Architects.

Italy has long been the darling of American travelers, ranking at or near the top of the most popular European destinations for folks traveling from the States.

Want to travel from Rome to Tuscany on a day trip? Lonely Planet writer, Paula Hardy, tells you how to make that happen.

For many travelers to the Philippines, Manila is a gateway to the country’s beautiful islands and exotic beaches. But as the editors of Forbes Travel Guide point out, the Philippine capital has plenty of beautiful luxury hotels offering unique experiences. From an immersive art tour at Raffles Makati to a speakeasy at Shangri-La at The Fort, where visitors can create their own gin, here is the FTG guide to Manila’s best hotels.

The launch of new luxury trains shows no sign of slowing down, thanks to an obsession with slow travel, an appetite for nostalgia, and a taste for lavish interiors that harken back to the golden days of rail travel. Nothing epitomizes that better than the unveiling of the Orient Express La Dolce Vita later this year, a new “vintage-style” train that will travel around Italy on one—and two-night journeys.

The luxury hotel brand Rocco Forte Hotels recently combined its world-class hospitality with sustainable slow travel to create a modern-day “Grand Tour” of European cities by rail. The scenic vacation train package connects two of the most romantic cities in Europe: Edinburgh, Scotland, and Palermo, Sicily. It’s designed to let travelers indulge in an inter-rail experience while taking a deep dive into local cultural experiences at each stop.

Close your eyes and picture Tuscany, and chances are hazy romantic landscapes, cloud-grazing cypress trees and billowing hills laced with endless grapevines will spring to mind. A haven for oenophiles, the region is renowned for its prestigious wines, from Chianti and Bolgheri to Brunello di Montalcino—travelers headed to the Tuscan territories are, more often than not, ready and willing to spend their holiday taste-testing their way through bottles (crates?) of the region’s finest.

Florence's transformation over the past two decades may not be visible at first glance – the red roofs, stone-paved alleys and Renaissance monuments have remained largely intact for centuries.

If you’re planning a solo trip, look no further than Italy for your next independent getaway.

Social media is a great way to plan for and dream up future vacations; the aesthetically pleasing images and trip inspiration on platforms like Instagram allow us to get an inside look at other travelers’ holidays while sorting out exactly what we want our own trips to look like.

Scores of travelers trek to Italy each year in order to experience the country’s majestic landscapes, fascinating culture, artistic treasures and renowned cuisine. Visitors flock to Rome, Venice, Milan and Florence for a true taste of Italian flare.

To hold Dolce Vita—the new silk-swathed hardcover released by luxury publisher Assouline—in my hands feels as though I am embracing the essence and sensuousness of Italy itself. Sweet Life! Written by Italy connoisseur Cesare Cunaccia, this hefty (10-by-13-inch, 6.4-pound, 320-page) coffee-table tome showcases almost 200 expressive and evocative photographs that invite lovely lingering perusal. If you’re seeking an armchair traveler’s page-turner for yourself to kick off 2024 or a Valentine’s Day gift for a dreamer of things bellissimo, thispleases aplenty. Dolce Vita is a visual joy ride, chic and engaging. Indeed, gazing at its images fuels my fantasies of sliding onto a Vespa or into an Alfa Romeo, breezily wheeling from Venice to Milan to Genoa to Florence to Rome to Naples to Sorrento and beyond, through undulating verdant landscapes and glistening seaside ports, savoring fantastic cuisine, then sailing to Sicily for more. Prego!

Vialattea, the leading Italian-French international ski region, and one of Europe’s largest ski resorts, has announced a new commercial and promotional partnership agreement with Trenitalia, the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia has been named as the as the ‘Official Green Carrier’ of Vialattea, entering into a new partnership strategy with the international ski area, with a collaboration aimed at carrying out joint commercial activities in order to promote the services of both organisations.

Eating, drinking and embracing la dolce vita in Florence has honestly never been so tantalizing or diverse.

Add a new must-see to Florence’s staggeringly rich cultural offerings—the refurbished Fashion and Costume Museum in the Pitti Palace, part of the Uffizi Galleries complex. Closed for three years for restoration and from the effects of the pandemic, the Museo della Moda e del Costumemakes news by highlighting the recent past, debuting 12 rooms focused on 20th-century fashion, while remaining an important repository for historic pieces dating from the time when the Medicis ruled the town.

Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.