150th anniversary of Italian unification

March 17th 2011 marked Italy’s 150^th birthday; this surprisingly young nation being unified in 1861 when Victor Emmanuel II was crowned King of Italy. Prior to this Italy consisted of disparate autonomous regions and experienced insurrection and uprising as inhabitants rebelled against independent rulers that included the Roman Catholic Church

"Campanilismo" reinforcing the identities of small Italian communities

Despite the unification of Italy, “campanilismo” or loyalty to one’s “campanile” or bell-tower, to the local community and traditions is alive and well. Initially, this “localism” may appear parochial but in essence it is a positive force, such as pride in local history, culture, folklore, games, political thought, cuisine and creativity. The ties that bind communities together ensure that every area is unique and whilst it may sometimes restrict 21st century advances, it ensures that when embracing these changes, the baby is not thrown out with the bath water.

Villas in Italy

We scoured the rolling hillsides of Tuscany, Umbria and Le Marche before buying our Villa in Italy and looked at all the other wonderful places that appeared when you searched for "villas Italy" and what they were offering.

Low cost late deals on 2011 Spring holidays to Le Marche Italy

At Villa San Raffaello we have excellent reviews on trip advisor italy and late availability for Easter and Spring 2011 and are currently offering cheap last minute deals in Italy to coincide with a number of low cost flights to Italy that land at the 7 airports within striking distance of the villa. Email us now and take advantage of the 10% discounts on April and May bookings, that bring rental prices down as low as €20 per person per night

Driving yourself mad in Le Marche Italy

Rather than listen to us blathering on about life in Le Marche, listen to the irreverent and funny views of one of our recent guests. Surviving the driving on holiday in Le Marche Italy

Summer 2009 - Burning the candle in Le Marche

After a hot and exhausting day doing nothing at the beach or around the pool, what better way to rejuvenate yourself than by partying at one of the many festas and events that are being held throughout the region during the Spring, Summer and Autumn months.

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Hiking, Walking and Eating your way through Le Marche

Summer is in full swing here in Le Marche, the cherries, plums and pears have been and gone, the first fig harvest has just been devoured (try fig, chilli and marcaspone pasta- sounds weird but its a real pick me up!) and we are now picking an abundance of herbs, salad, rocket tomatoes, squash, aubergine and zucchini for guests at the villa. Much of our time has been spent pickling and bottling the produce into jams, chutneys and pickles.

The hurly-burly of Le Marche life

Delve into the "Marchigiana" way of life on your holiday to Italy's Le Marche and uncover some hidden gems with guided tours to local artisans crafting handmade italian shoes, truffle hunting in the woods or shop for a stylish summer hat in the hill top town of Montappone where the hat industry dates back to the 17^th century.

This is the Conrad family's fifth year in Le Marche, Italy, having moved there from south London. After several years of holidaying in Italy and the need for a challenge, they decided to make a drastic change and come to Italy to start a new life.

Last minute travel deals for late bookings on holidays in Le Marche Italy

It's the end of June the sun is dazzling and the crops are finally thriving, the pool is open, glistening and reflecting the mountains and the rolling Marche countryside.

The local medieval town of Sarnano is starting to gear up for the many Summer festas and the balmy evenings are becoming more musical.  At Villa San Raffaello we still have late availability for 3 of our apartments from the 11th to the 18th July, despite top reviews on trip advisor italy, and are offering cheap deals for last minute bookers. The remaining travel deals and holidays are being discounted by 40%.