Palazzo Tornabuoni is one of the very few urban residence clubs in Europe, and the first in the world to occupy a site of such historic and artistic significance (this is still the only Medici home in private hands). This special status is reflected in its unique title of “Palace Residence Club,” and its unrivalled membership services and privileges.

The Palazzo is located on one of Florence most famous streets – Via Tornabuoni. This neighbourhood of Florence is today the vibrant Tuscan city’s ‘fashion central,’ lined with stylish boutiques of all major label brands. Only steps away from the famous Duomo and a five-minute walk from Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo is perfectly located to enjoy the bustling and vibrating city life of Florence.

The Awards for Excellence competition by the Urban Land Institute is widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program. ULI describes the program as follows: “The competition is part of the Institute’s Awards for Excellence program, established in 1979, which is based on ULI’s guiding principle that the achievement of excellence in land use practice should be recognized and rewarded. ULI’s Awards for Excellence recognize the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability.”

Quite a time ago, I was able to travel to Florence and was visiting Palazzo Tornabuoni. The city of Florence is fascinating for itself, but Palazzo Tornabuoni capped it all off. When I entered the door to Palazzo Tornabuoni, I could feel the historic significance and the history of the past. I was totally amazed by the high quality of the restoration. My experiences in Italy are not that great when it comes to quality of finishings, but the restoration of Palazzo Tornabuoni has been done with highest care into the last detail and the finishings are just perfect.

Dave Purpora, Director of Sales at Palazzo Tornabuoni, met with me at the library and invited me for delicious glass of vine at the palazzo’s courtyard. He told me all about the history of Palazzo Tornabuoni and provided a short background of the building’s restoration. It took the developer five years to restore the Palazzo into residences. All residences are designed by Michele Nonan, who is an award-winning interior designer. A blend of great care to historic details for example at the original 16th-century frescos or the exquisite fireplace adorned with beautiful micro-mosaics in a mixture with contemporary elements, the Palazzo features high-end living in an historic environment, but with all the modern comfort of these days.

Palazzo Tornabuoni is a perfect getaway for all Italian lovers, art enthusiasts and friends of fine living. There are several options to become an owner of one a few residences available at Palazzo Tornabuoni. Some residences are fractionalized into 1/8 shares, but there is also whole ownership offered. Whole ownership residences are part of the Palazzo Tornabuoni and each property is set among the various courtyards and terraced gardens. A few residences boast their own roof-top views of Florence and the Duomo. Whole ownership residences are between one and two bedrooms, with from one to three baths and range in price from 1.6M to 5.1M Euro. Various luxurious amenities and special offerings for its members are included and provide a perfect environment for a great stay in your own residence. Palazzo Tornabuoni will make you fall in love with Florence so you never want to leave again.

Posted By: Peter Rabitz

The Caribbean is a true paradise on earth. Turquise blue water, white sandy beaches, sunny blue sky and exotic vegetation lure thousands of tourists on its islands each year. But, it’s also known as a great place to buy a property either as a holiday retreat or even to become your first residence. Now, the Caribbean announced new residency rules – the Economic Citizen Partnership what allows purchasers to become islands residents.

This Partnership agreement states, that people making a minimum investment of US$350’000 in a property are now entitled to apply for island citizenship. Advantages of a dual citizenship provide the purchaser with better relocation alternatives, ease access to the destination and of course more likely much favourable tax conditions than in many major economies. The first Islands like St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic, Belize and Dominica (more to follow) who participate in this agreement quickly become sought-after destinations for this type of purchaser.

Posted By: Peter Rabitz

The Canary Islands are an archipelago of seven main islands and six smaller islands in the eastern central Atlantic approximate 100km to 500km western of Morocco. They form one of the 17 self-governing communities of Spain. All islands are of volcanic origin where approximately only 5% of the “Canary Mountains” tower out of the water. One of the main islands is Lanzarote, the most north-eastern of the main islands. The island became a biosphere reserve in 1993 by the UNESCO and measures 58 km from the north (Punta Fariones) to the south (Punta Pechiguera) and 34km in its biggest east-west dimension. Lanzarote’s biggest city is Arrecife with its international airport which connects to the European mainland and some big cities.

The island is dominated by two major mountain ranges. Southward of the Famarra-Massif extends the sand dessert El Jable which divide the Famara–Massif from the Timanfaya National Park. Just bordering with the reserve and in an absolute stunning and one-of-its-kind location you will find a rare Mediterranean/Moroccan influenced property in a commanding position with great views on its surroundings and the ocean. The approximately 450sq.m or 4’800sq.ft villa is located in a tranquil location with an unobstructed view and absolutely privacy. The owner, a Swiss, built the house with care to finishing’s and designed it in a Canary typically charm. He imported many of the features like windows from Switzerland to accomplish his own demand on quality and usability. The rural location and its complete privacy make this villa a great getaway to relax and to find oneself.

Posted By: Peter Rabitz

According to a recently published study by Forbes, European country of Austria is the best retirement haven. Forbes also states that there is no overall paradise and each country is unique. The ranking is based on a variety of criteria ranging from safety to retiree-friendly visa requirements to decent medical care. Earlier this year, Vienna already gained first place in a ranking for cities offering the best quality of lifestyle so the country’s ranking doesn’t come by surprise. Austria scores with high standards in lifestyle and medical service. The countries private clinics are world-class. The charming architecture in Vienna impresses thousands of tourists each year and some choose the city to stay there for a longer time. Thailand holds the second position for being the best place for retirees considering its comfortable warm climate and best buys for quality health care at reasonable cost within Asia. Thailand is perfect for living on modest budgets. Thailand also features great upscale living with exciting architecture. Dolce Vita in Bella Italia makes Italy come in third. Without a doubt, Italy is well known for its famous food with its olive oil, grilled vegetables and homemade pasta as well as all the beautiful cities with its old and charming architecture, but what is quite new to me, it also scored with the less known fact that it is supposed to have one of the world’s best health care systems. One of the most sought-after regions to life is Tuscany with its famous Tuscan style villas and farm houses. The unappreciated 4th place is taken by Panama. Well known for its low taxes, the country also offers year-round sun, massive discounts for seniors, quality private hospitals, a dollar economy and great accessibility from the US and Europe. Panama City is also considered safest of all Central American cities and last but not least it’s a great business centre in Central America not only because of the famous Panama Canal. Real estate is considered good deal with high standards. The list of the 10 Best Retirement Havens is continued by Ireland, Australia, France, Malaysia, Spain and Canada. I am just wondering what place Switzerland comes in, but maybe the overall quite higher cost of living are the fault to have Switzerland not making it in the top ten.

Posted By: Peter Rabitz

Como, especially Lake Como is well-known world wide not only because of its dream like setting, but more likely because of its very famous resident, George Clooney, who is living part-time in his beautiful period time villa in Cernobbio, a village right on the western shore of Lake Como and opposite the city of Como. However, the region of Lake Como is also known for its large period style mansions either direct on the lake or nestled on the hills surrounding the lake with beautiful panoramic views.

Just recently, I came across a fascinating remodeling of a former monastery located in the outskirts of the city of Como which has been converted into a residential complex where the young architecture firm JM Architecture connected two adjacent units into a stunning duplex apartment.

The shape of the original units is clearly enhanced by the different pitched ceiling direction as well as by their different heights. The architect and owner of JM Architecture, Jacopo Mascheroni, thought to keep the shell intact, maintaining the entire length of the unit open and invading the space minimally. In a result to that, he placed an enclosed box on one side containing a small bedroom and two bathrooms. The rest of the unit is dominated by a huge open space featuring all the main functions of the home. When entering the home through the main entry, the very small foyer creates a sense of compression before entering the main gallery where the spacious open living space features a grandiose living area, open kitchen and dining, all separated from the master bedroom by a lacquered block. A great gimmick is a video projector who is screening pictures on the wall above the kitchen. To allow the maximum projection surface, the upper kitchen cabinets are hidden behind the wall and slide down with a motorized system. An almost sculptural element of the home is the staircase, which is an assembled steel beam with open treads made by a cantilever steel plate covered in wood. Jacopo Mascheroni explains further characteristics and details of its work: “Canadian maple has been carefully selected for the hardwood floors, and since maple wood isn’t stable with radiant floor heating, the floor planks were custom built with 2.5mm Canadian maple top and back layers on a particle board. The 20cm width of the floor planks modulate the position of all the elements, from the walls to the millwork. The floor planks also run up the master suite wall, which is lit by an upper light cove.

All perimeter walls and ceilings hide an additional layer of thermal insulation and the bathrooms are equipped with radiant panels in the ceiling. The walls adjacent to other units have been covered with a led layer to give additional acoustical insulation. Glacier white Corian is used for counter tops and sinks in the kitchen, laundry room and bathrooms, for the bath-tub, showers and parts of the bathroom walls. The house is fully automated and is managed by a server located in the studio on the second level. Everything has been custom designed, including the entire kitchen, bathroom sinks, beds, dining table, desks and bath-tub.”

Without a doubt, this duplex is a great example of Italian design and architecture skills and is fascinating by its minimalistic style and ingenuity.

Posted By: Peter Rabitz

Marrakech is still a destination of interest and with the sale of Yves Saint Laurent former house in Tangier, the country is once again the focus point of many of the city slickers from around the globe. The country features a variety of country sides and fairytale like city living what makes it one of the most sought after it-destinations on the African continent. Besides Marrakech, the red city with its oriental style souks and colourful life throughout the whole city, with its medina and beautiful riads is only one attraction to many of us, but there is much more to explore and one of Morocco’s latest destinations is upcountry, in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. This part of Morocco is quite different to the bustling life of Marrakech’s ancient city, but still attracts foreigners who are fascinated by valleys, which are not dissimilar to rural Mallorca or Andalusia and which are only an hour’s drive out of the city. But, despite the increasing interest in locations outside Marrakech’s such as Ouirgane, Marrakech itself still leads the pole position for people demanding living like in the Thousand and One Nights. Although the proliferation of riads may be abating, but the city is still top of the wish list of many individuals such as iconic celebrities as well as many luxury hotel groups like Roco Forte, Gordon Campell Gray, Four Seasons, Banyan Tree and Park Hyatt who all have designs on the city.

I define two major areas within Marrakech where people looking for their dream oriental style hideaway. The Palmeraie, a 10-minute jaunt northeast from the city by air-conditioned 4WD, has been Marrakesh’s most salubrious and expensive area, with beautiful and huge sized villas. A bit more sought-after, but very rare to find are beautiful renovated riads within the Medina of Marrakech. The supply of top-end luxury riads within the Medina and right next to Marrakech’s famous souks and the Djemaa el Fna, the so called “meeting point of Africa”, is rather limited and mostly quiet marketed. Please click here to see two outstanding examples of fabulous Moroccan riads.

Posted By: Peter Rabitz

With 7 of 10 positions, European cities dominate the ranking for cities offering the best quality of lifestyle world wide. Swiss cities Zurich and Geneva almost retaining last year’s ranking and scores and hold position two and three while Vienna moved up one position from 2nd to 1st this year. The survey released by the Mercer consultancy last month cited not just Vienna’s affordability but also its improved political and social environment, its safety record, leisure offerings, cleanliness and excellent infrastructure as reasons for its top quality-of-life ranking, which put it ahead of Zurich, Switzerland, for the first time. The real estate market of Vienna is quite stable and in some city quarters prices are even climbed up. The quality of real estate belongs to one of the best within Europe. There are beautiful restored apartment buildings offering great living in top of the line renovated flats. Crown moldings, parquet floors, central heating and all modern amenities are only a few of the high standards to mention here. Neighborhoods like Grinzing and Hietzing are amongst the most sought-after living quarter in Vienna and feature beautiful mansions and villas offering the highest comfort and quality of life.

Source: Mercer Consultancy, Financial Times, Citymajors.com

Posted By: Peter Rabitz

Florence – a well known medieval town on the Arno River, right in the heart of famous Tuscany region. It often gets called the “Italian Athens” because of its cultural importance in art. The city – founded in 59 B.C. – got its name by Julius Caesar who named the city after the “Roman goddess of flowers and growth of plant”. A long time, the city didn’t play a role like Pisa or Lucca, but around the 14th and 15th century it became very important and set ne standards in European’s art and culture scene. Many famous artists like Donatello, Botticelli and later on Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilee moved to Florence and the cultural history epoch of the Renaissance emerged. Today, Florence still host numerous samples of its rich history what makes the city a must go to visit when you travel to Italy. The city is also home of HQ of Gucci (one of the few labels not headquartered in Milano) and of some important branch offices of Prada and Roberto Cavalli, just to name a few.

A beautiful, classic style Florentine country estate, built in the 19th century and designed by architect Poggi (one of the Florence’s greatest architects), just came on to the market. Situated in a very convenient distance to the city centre of Florence and the airport sits this estate on almost 100 hectares of private land with woods and olives groves as well formal gardens and a lake. The main villa, stretching over three floors, is beautiful restored and boasts awesome views of the gardens and the surrounding countryside.

Posted By: Peter Rabitz