Holiday Villa Rentals in Venice, Veneto & Friuli Venezia Giulia

Venice is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, with its 150 canals, 400 bridges and magnificent 16th- and 17th-century palaces and piazzas, it is no surprise that Venice is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Romantic in spring, startling in summer, noble in autumn and mysterious in winter, it is a popular city destination all year round.

The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance,  as well as a very important centre of commerce between Europe and the Orient (especially silk, grain and spice trade) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. It's called La Serenissima, "the most serene," a reference to the majesty, wisdom, and monstrous power of this city that was for centuries the unrivalled mistress of trade and the bulwark of Christendom against the tides of Turkish expansion.  Venice is also famous for its musical, particularly operatic, history, and its most famous son in this field is Antonio Vivaldi.

Built entirely on water by men who defied the sea, Venice is unlike any other town, which seems to be imperturbably floating on its calm blue lagoon. The city stretches across 118 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po (south) and the Piave (north) Rivers. You'll see Venetians going about their daily affairs in vaporetti (water buses), aboard the traghetti (traditional gondola ferries) that carry them across the Grand Canal, in the campi. Venice is Europe's largest urban car free area, unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks.

Tourism has been a major sector of Venetian industry since the 18th century, when it was a major centre for the grand tour, due to its beautiful cityscape, uniqueness and rich musical and artistic cultural heritage. In the 19th century, it became a fashionable centre for the aristocratic and wealthy, often staying or dining at luxury establishments such as the Danieli Hotel and the Caffè Florian. It continued being a fashionable city in vogue right into the early 20th century. In the 1980s the Carnival of Venice was revived and the city has become a major centre of international conferences and festivals, such as the prestigious Venice Biennale and the Venice Film Festival, which attract visitors from all over the world for their theatrical, cultural, cinematic, artistic and musical productions.

Today there are numerous attractions in Venice, such as St Mark's Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco, to name a few. The Lido di Venezia is also a popular international luxury destination, attracting the rich and famous. To enjoy Venice at its emptiest and most atmospheric, travel in November, season of mists and acqua alta (tidal flooding: but bring a pair of wellington boots). January is another good month, between the mini-peak of Christmas and the tourist-oriented revelry of Carnevale in late February or early March.

The different cities of Veneto are treasure troves that preserve precious historical and artistic relics. This regions land is rich, and the mountains in the winter are a skier's paradise with hundreds of kilometres of slopes for long-distance and downhill skiing. In the summer a paradise for sailing, windsurfing, paragliding and mountain biking.  The Venetian lakes apart from sports also offer interesting scenery and historical and cultural attractions. From the mountains to the sea, Veneto boasts six protected nature areas. Lesser known than the more visited tourist destinations, these environments continue to preserve natural wildlife. To be enjoyed in all its peacefulness

Veneto is also an important wine-growing area. Among the best wines can be remembered: Soave, Bardolino, Recioto, Amarone, Torcolato, Prosecco, Tocai Rosso,Garganega, and Valpolicella.  Like all other parts of Italy the Veneto has its own specialities such as aged salami, Radicchio rosso di Treviso bitter tasting salad leaf and a crunchy texture, Veronese Vialone Nano Rice used in risotto dishes, the Bean of Lamon which is particularly prized for its delicate flavour and extremely tender skin, white Asparagus, the San Zeno di Montagna (Verona) chestnut and the famous cherries from the town of Marostica.

Friuli Venezia Giulia in the northeastern corner of Italy is barely mentioned in most guidebooks and rarely visited even by Italians, which makes it a great place for those seeking to leave the beaten path. Whether you like snow-capped mountains, warm sandy beaches, lagoons teeming with water birds, remote alpine hamlets, Roman ruins, palatial country villas, rocky coastal cliffs, bustling international seaports or picturesque fishing villages, your tastes will be thoroughly satisfied in this versatile region.

History has marched back and forth across this relatively narrow strip of land. In Roman times it was a vital outpost, with Aquileia serving as a bastion against marauding Gauls. Later, the infamous Huns forced that fortified town's inhabitants to seek refuge by founding the town of Grado on an island in the lagoon, much as the less civilized tribes to the west had built the settlement we now know as Venice. For most of the ensuing centuries, shrewd local leaders managed to keep the region essentially independent.  However, a quick glance at the map shows why the Austrian Hapsburgs fought hard to change that status quo. Once under their dominion, Trieste was declared a free port and quickly became Mitteleuropa's gateway to the East. Immigrants flocked here from all over the Mediterranean, giving Italy's easternmost city a cosmopolitan air matched only by Naples at the time. Today, its spacious boulevards, handsome buildings and vaguely dowdy magnificence make it something of a Vienna-By-The-Sea.

The Hapsburgs ruled here through the 19th century, and all the while the friulani longed to see their region returned to Italy. But that was not to be until after the First World War, and even then it was short-lived, because a significant chunk of the territory to the east and south of Trieste was awarded to the state of Yugoslavia in recognition of its valiant fight against the Nazis in World War II. The region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia was not created until 1963, and many of its towns still bear vivid signs of Austrian and Slavic influence in their lifestyle, folklore and cuisine.