The Sky Lounge is the veritable cherry on the cake at the Hotel Continentale in Florence, according to the Guardian.

From the top of medieval Consorti Tower, you can see views of the River Arno, and in October the special water festival, from this rooftop level.

The Arno Festival is held every year to raise money for the river defences after it burst its banks in one of the worst disasters the city had ever seen in 1966.

Thousands of people lost their businesses and homes and were forced to move to higher ground until the city came to their rescue.

Now high land is only salvation for those that want a breath of fresh air and a chance to meet the super trendy locals.

An example of the opulence that greets you at this city bar can be seen from the hotel packages.

There's the chance to sample the cocktails in one of the relaxing mental spaces on the mezzanine level, claims the hotel, after private transfer from the airport or railway.

This is followed by a full buffet breakfast, included with complimentary healthy snacks in the three-night special luxury deal.

It is located near many of the other best hotels in Florence in the Ponte Vecchio part of the city.

Opening hours are from 11:00 local time until 00:00.

Restaurants have been known to bid thousands of pounds for these special shoots from shrooms, but come to Tuscany's truffle fair to try them for a fraction of the price.

Gastronomes are invited to try the underground fungus in a village just west of the best hotels in Florence.

In November the capital of Tuscany erupts into a pool of visitors who come to watch hunters dig out the best of the bunch.

On the second, third and fourth weeks of the month medieval San Miniato hosts food and craft stalls, entertainment and restaurants which have special truffle menus.

Last November, a London restaurant paid a record $52,000 (£29,200) for a 2.4-pound Italian white truffle at a charity auction.

A town official from San Miniato said the truffle was in particularly good shape, according to the Aolmaia Tuscany Society.

Tuscany is one of the major truffle growing regions of Italy.

It is great sliced over first course dishes like noodles, gnocchi and polenta or served with main courses like omelettes, veal or chicken.

Truffles are also common in salads, with celery and artichoke bringing out their special flavours or served as antipasta with toasted bread.

Tuscany has six Unesco protected sites, which include Florence whose historical centre was listed in 1982.

Other truffle festivals go on in the Piemonte region and Umbria as well as some smaller localities in the autumn.

A festival to mark the anniversary of one of the worst floods Florence has ever seen takes place in October.

The Arno Festival, named after the river that burst its banks, is held to raise money for city defences.

It was estimated the flood destroyed 5,000 families' homes and ruined 6,000 businesses when it hit on November 3rd, 1966.

Millions of books and thousands of works of art were irrevocably damaged in a city that was ill-prepared for a disaster.

More than 40 years later, Florence citizens are trying to improve the banks and quality of the Arno.

Last year townsfolk decided the Italian government should pay half of €200 million-plans to strengthen the city's defences, with the region contributing the other half.

Although Arno campaigners say they have received €34 million from the region, nothing has come from the government.

The festival ,which includes canoeing, walking, cycling and a parade of horses, is held every year to raise a little towards protecting the Arno.

Organisers would also like to see an improvement in the environment around the Arno, with a bike path from the source of the river to its mouth, and have urged tourists to stay in affordable accommodation in Florence for the festival.

Tuscany's Arno is described as the most important river in central Italy after the Tiber.

It is 241 km and passes Empoli before joining the sea at the Marina di Pisa.

Contests, creativity and chocolate make up Florence's Festival of Creativity in October.

Eurochocolate is a partner of the event, while passenger group IoGiro and unique t-shirt company Feeldude run competitions.

Festival Della Creativita takes place at Fortezza da Basso between October 23rd and 26th.

IoGiro is looking for funky fingers to design a new skin for its website while Feeldude plans to judge the best unique t-shirt slogans and designs.

Other exhibitions include influential UK designer Jonathan Barnbrook who has worked with artist Damien Hirst and Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.

There are theatre, tours, book presentations, workshops, craft and readings as well as an expo of art from people with mental health difficulties.

More activities have been put on for children this year, which is all the more reason to bring the entire family along.

Fortezza da Basso is four km away from the centre of Florence which is also known as the cradle of the renaissance.

Famous figures like artist Leonardo da Vinci, philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli and astronomer Galileo Galilei came from this part of Tuscany.

Next year is the 400th anniversary of the birth of telescope, which was improved by inventions from Galileo.

Book some affordable accommodation in Florence and spend time wandering around renaissance architecture pondering your creativity.

Travel News brought to you by Eurobookings, the experts in cheap hotel bookings for all major European cities including Florence.

Rare treasures have been imported by Italy to facilitate a unique get-together of art work for a special exhibition.

Art fans have until September 28th to see paintings by impressionist pioneers, such as Monet, Cezanne and Gauguin, at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence.

The name of the movement comes from the title of Claude Monet's ''Impression, Sunrise'', a painting which uses the colour of the sun over water.

Impressionist paintings are typified by visible brush strokes, open composition and their use of light alongside movement.

Some of the paintings have been gleaned from overseas especially for this meeting of impressionist work, many from the Corboud Foundation in Germany.

The aim of the exhibition is to scrutinise the techniques employed by the artists and post-impressionist movement.

Wondering how the scenes in films fit the bill? Go to the Odeon Cinehall for Germaine Dulac's La Coquille et Le Clergyman on September 9th and Vincent and Theo by Robert Altman on September 11th for a taste of impressionist cinema.

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Hundreds of years ago men on horseback would joust for an "arm of purple satin" at the weekend.

The Jousting of the Saracens may have become more of a rarity, but contests still take place in Piazza San Francesco, Arezzo, within travelling distance of Florence.

The colourful event, which sees the men and women of the town dressed in medieval costume, occurs next on September 7th.

Competitors fight it out for the chance to knock into a Saracen puppet wearing a shield, gaining points for riding skills and accuracy.

The Jousting of the Saracens is free to watch and the locals certainly know how to party.

Townsfolk ride battle horses, dress as flag bearers, trumpeters and medieval people.

The Joust is believed to date back to 1200 and was most certainly influenced by the crusades.

Contests were used by knights bearing axes, daggers, lances or swords to knock one another off horseback, often resulting in death.

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