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Interestingly, Tuscany has been en-vogue in England since the 16th century, when famous writers and artists discovered its rustic beauty and passionate way of living. So much that in the Eighteen hundreds the British community living in Florence was so numerous that the famous Florentine steak was actually an offspring conjugating the English passion for meat and the huge Chianina cow breed.

It was also during these years that the care for Tuscan homes started to become present even among Tuscans. However, it would only be during the 1970s that Italians really got the matter into their hands to deeply transform abandoned farming lands and their farmhouse into beautiful gardens surmounted by Tuscan villas.

While on one side new owners invested into these rural properties, on the other tourism development boomed, starting to offer a variety of services and options that made Tuscany ever more attractive. As a result, in Tuscany tourists can find some of the richest museums and galleries. The Uffizi in Florence should ring a bell, but it is just one of hundreds. Restaurant owners moved away from being tourist traps and started giving real value to visitors, making Tuscan cuisine famous worldwide.

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Speaking of food, when you visit Tuscany you have to dive into its great variety of genuine gourmet foods. Aged cheese with delicate preserves, cold cuts that melt in your mouth, crunchy bread to go with them, and wonderful Chianti and Brunello wines to wash them down. This is just a glimpse of all that awaits you during a visit in Tuscany.

The best way to enjoy the region is to stay in one of the many Tuscany villas that you can rent with other family members and friends. Just relax by the pool of your rental home, then take advantage of your location to discover the tasty culinary realities that lay near your vacation spot. Do not cram in one daytrip after another. Take your time to savor your stay, plan one or two outings per week to the places that interest you the most, cook a lot at home, and just do as the Tuscans do!

Matt lives in Tuscany and loves this land so dearly that he decided to start his own business to help travelers get the best Tuscan villas at the best price.

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The largest and most visited monument and landmark of the city is Nitra castle (Nitriansky hrad) built on a rocky hill over the Nitra river. It is a huge building and was the seat of many princes and bishops. Today, visitors can admire its newer form, because it has undergone frequent repairs, the last of which changed its look to a Renaissance-Baroque style. Nitra castle contains of the cathedral, the episcopal residence and a system of fortifications. The interior is full of paintings from the 18th century, there are also the tombs of bishops, marble altar and baptismal font. Nitra Castle is currently the seat of the bishop’s residence and the Archaeological Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The so-called Lower Town (Dolné mesto) is now a lively center of Nitra. From the Theatre of Andrej Bagar which is located at Svätopluk’s Square leads the pedestrian zone. You can find here also a Romanesque St. Stephen’s Church from the 12th century, the Baroque Piarist monastery and the church of St Ladislav from the 18th century. On the hill in the southern part of the city you can walk up to Nitra’s Calvary and enjoy a nice view of the Old city.

Botanical Garden in Nitra is currently a place of Slovak University of Agriculture and its competence is a research and cultural-educational activities. The garden was founded in 1982 as a facility of the Agricultural University in Nitra. The actual area of ​​the Botanical Garden has an irregular shape in the middle of which is an artificial lake and several walking paths.

It boasts over 6,400 kinds of tropical plants. There are over 2,000 botanical species and 3,000 orchids, which come from all tropical regions of the world.

Besides the major attractions and institutions in the city like Nitra’s Public Gallery, museum of Nitra, Slovak Agricultural Museum, and others, tourists can also visit many places in the neighbourhood. Nitra is also the starting point for the tours around Ponitrie Protected Landscape Area, where is the network of marked hiking trails.

Directly from Nitra you can take the first part of cognitive Zobor pavement with 8 stops with a length of almost 4 km. The trail leads along the ruins of Zobor castle, Svorad’s cave and spring, which proves the presence of St. Svorad in this area.

In almost all parts of Nitra and its surroundings you will find a wide range of accommodation.

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