Celebs loving Italy

What does Italy make so attractive for every kind of international celebrity? That is a question which can be answered both ways: quickly but also in a very detailed way.

Obviously are we talking about what those celebrities do for a living - and based on this, we also can figure out what makes them falling in love with Italy.

Actors for example: Italy has a great and wide ranged history in film making: the film industry in Italy started at the beginning of the 19th century mainly in Rome, Turin, Milan and Naples offering a good quality and becoming this way famous also abroad.

Cinecittà was the Italian heart of the movie productions and stars like Vittorio Gassmann, Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Sophia Loren were born.

During the last years there were many international films which were made in Italy like Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" with Hollywood stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cata Blanchett and Matt Damon which was registered mainly in Rome and on the Amalfi Coast. Or "Tea with Mussolini" in 1999, which was a semi-autobiographical film by Franco Zefirelli with the international singer and actress Cher in the female main part taking place in Florence and San Gimignano.

There would be an endless list to complete if we would go deeper into the topic, but what the actual question in this article is about: might that be the reason why so many international film stars fell in love with Italy? Many of them even decided to buy a home in the Belpaese - take the most famous example George Clooney who bought Villa Oleandra in Laglio, Lake Como in 2002 and who from then on very often has hilarious guests like his friend Brad Pitt, just to name one of them.

Or Woody Allen who owns a home in Venice together with his wife Soon-Yi? It seems that Italy has something very special to offer to the big stars of the international cinema world, both, for having a home or for only going on vacation.

The most desired destinations of the movie stars are Rome, Florence, Tuscany the entire region because of the beauty of its landscapes and obviously the great wines, Positano, Capri and the rest of the Amalfi Coast as being the classical jet set destination and Portofino for who likes it beautiful, nice and cosy but not overcrowded.

New Years Eve 2007 in Italy

Another year is over and we have to think about how we would like to say good bye to the year 2007 and how to welcome 2008!

After Christmas, this is the most special time of the entire year and every year we are put in front of the same question: What to do for New Years Eve? How to make it special this year?

Well, why not going to Italy
? One of the most beautiful countries in the world, with its world famous Tuscany, well known for its high levelled wines, its fantastic landscapes and its so romantic medieval cities and towns?

Wake up the first morning in 2008 in a real Italian medieval Castle like Castello di Vicarello near Grosseto, Castello di Tocchi in Siena or in one of the period residences as Relais Villa Petrischio in Cortona, Villa Marta in Lucca and you will feel like you stepped back in time for a few hundred years!
If not a castle, then a typical rural farm house: San Gimignano with its famous 14 towers, Siena, Arezzo, or a nice hotel in Florence!

Or Rome, where the city surely does not sleep this night in between two years? Where everybody is celebrating around the city in the piazzas, or in some typical restaurant or dancing club?

A special night could be organized in a Castle like Castello Orsini in Rocca Giovine where one has the choice between a
Gala Dinner including welcome drink with champagne for € 150,00 where the table is reserved all night long, a
Gala Dinner for € 130,00 where the table is reserved all night long, a
Buffet dinner for € 90,00 and the
Disco for € 40,00

Or at the Naif Cafè in the city center of Rome where you can choose between a

Gala Dinner for € 120,00 and a
Buffet Dinner for € 60,00

Otherwise, without wanting to organize too much in advance, just enjoy the Eternal City with its fireworks and celebrations throughout the city, having a walk and dancing through it.


Maybe better somewhere on the seaside? No problem: the Amalfi Coast has certainly has plenty of offers for this period. For instance the famous living cribs, outstanding in Praiano, Raito and Pogerola, or the sub pilgrimage to the ceramic crib in the Grotta dello Smeraldo (the cavern of the emerald) in Conca dei Marini.

If nothing of the above mentioned should be fine, there are so many wellness destinations in Italy. Just take some time to relax and book a beautiful spa hotel or some thermal accommodation as for example Abano Terme, Montegrotto Terme, Chianciano Terme.

Another great destination might be the Piedmont like Alba or Asti
. So many of Italy’s famous wines and truffles come from that region which offers a breathtaking landscape and many nice medieval villages.

It is not too late to look for a perfect New Years Eve 2007/2008. Many of the accommodations even have really interesting packages and special offers. Check out your best fitting accommodation for this very special night of 2007 with Dream Destination Europe and you can be sure to spend an unforgettable end of year in Italy!

Florence, the pearl of Italian culture

The wonderful masterpieces and great works of architecture enriching the everyday life of Florence, the capital of Tuscany. One of the most important collections of paintings in the world can be found in the Uffizi Gallery and other magnificent paintings can be seen in the Gallery of Palazzo Pitti, hosting among others Tiziano’s and Raffaello’s masterpieces.

The city is famous for its Duomo, the Baptistry and many other wonderful churches, for Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio and Ponte Vecchio, where you can still find fifteenth-century shops. Other important cities in the region are Siena, Pisa, Arezzo, Pistoia, Lucca, Livorno, Grosseto, Massa Carrara.

In addition to art, Tuscany offers outstanding natural settings, such as the National Park of the Argentario and the Isola d’ Elba. In the countryside, among the vineyards and olive groves, are wonderful villages and castles, a reminder of Tuscan life in the Middle Ages.

To make your stay in Florence unforgettable Dream Destination Europe will provide you with all the assistance you might need, from the moment of choosing where to stay, right through your holiday thanks also to our team in loco. Come and chose from our wide selection the ideal accommodation for you.

Medieval Italy

History in Italy goes back to ancient times and therefore it is very rich in archaeological sites and Etruscan, Roman and Romanesque buildings as well as many from other periods. Thanks to clever renovation and rebuilding some of these have become historic homes. Castles are now exclusive places for fascinating and exciting holidays.

Spending a vacation in a castle is a real magic experience. Sleeping, where once kings resided, in castles and manors all over Italy where their historic flair, style and charm turn Italian history and culture into a very personal and vivid experience.

Spending a holiday or a weekend in a castle means entering into a “World of Dreams”, stop the daily frantic rhythm by going back in time where to discover antique traditions, artistic architecture, interiors furnished with the most precious antiques, paintings and tapestries. These castles today offer the most modern comforts for relax, sport, health. A romantic break out, a going back to former times, a discovering trip of the Medieval Italy – simply a not usual vacation.

Tuscany for example is one of Italy's world famous regions with its enchanted landscapes from the mountain to the sea, with its towns with museums, cathedrals, historical buildings, streets, towns like Florence, Siena, Pisa and many more. Tuscany, full of ancient Etruscan and Roman ruins has a wide variety of castles and historic residences to offer.
But obviously not only Tuscany is famous for its medieval flair and period residences. Also Umbria, Veneto, Piedmont, the countryside around Rome and Sicily have a lot to offer.

If you have always dreamed of a wedding in an ancient castle then there is no reason for you to file those fantasies away. Your castle wedding in Italy awaits only your orders.
Most of those castles are very well organized for weddings and other kind of celebrations.
New Year as an unforgettable night back in ancient history?

The refined traveller desires new emotions discovering in period residences a world suspended in time, where luxury and tradition meld together into one, in ideal settings in which to appreciate the tastes and fragrances of authentic recipes, wines and products of the land and sea.


Relais Villa Petrischio, Castello di Vicarello, Castello di Lispida, Castello del Poggiarello di Stigliano, Castello di Camino, Castello di Spaltenna and Castello di Pavone are only a few of Italy’s many castles where to spend the perfect medieval holiday.