Guests of Trust&Travel are given a private tour of the 19th century artificial grottoes every Thursday morning
Yes, it’s true. When Count Alberto Papafava, a 19th century Romantic painter set about redesigning the layout of his estate at Frassanelle, just outside of Padua, he did not want to have to choose between his favorite landscapes and so decided, as was typical of many Romantic gardens of the period, to put a little bit of each one in his own property.
Near Florence’s train station in Via della Scala, a long and imposing wall runs for at least a hundred meters. There is a gate, but it is completely closed and the wall is too high to be able to steal a peak at what lies beyond. Having lived in Florence for many years, I know that behind the wall is the Giardino Corsini, one of the most beautiful private gardens all’Italiano in the city.
The Garden of Palazzo Corsini is opended to the public once a year in mid may for this interesting show of traditional Italian craftmanship
“All that I can do is to foster within myself something that is not merely fear, resentment or bewilderment. Perhaps it might be useful to try to clear my mind by setting down, as truthfully and simply as I can, the tiny facet of the world’s events which I myself, in the months ahead, shall encounter at first hand.”
Antonio and Iris Origo at La Foce with their second daughter Donata
The Gioli family at their Villa near Pisa
Last month I was passing through Florence, and as it had been ages since I’d been to the Pitti Palace, I decided to take a stroll through the museum’s Modern Art Gallery. The word “modern” may be a bit deceiving, as the works shown there date mostly from the 1700s through the turn of the 1900s, but that’s Italy for you! As I took in the many beautiful works, I came across a lovely group of paintings with bucolic images of the country, and the landscape struck me as being somehow familiar. What a lovely surprise to discover upon reading the paintings’ labels that they were all the work of Francesco Gioli, one of the antecedents and former owners of Villa Gioli near Pisa. Of course I already knew about the Villa’s history and the famous Gioli brothers, but seeing the works there at the museum brought the reality of the Villa’s historical importance home to me, while also bringing that history alive before my eyes.
White Truffles can be found in various parts of Tuscany
Tuscans celebrate the rhythm of the seasons with an array of festivals and feasts adapted for each period of the year. Autumn is particularly colorful as the leaves change and the ordered rows of vineyards are speckled in hues of yellow and red. Fall brings a feast for the eyes as well as a feast for the table; the bounty of the season is enjoyed all over Tuscany at sagras that highlight the foods of the forest. Truffles, mushrooms and chestnuts have starring roles in these home-spun food festivals.
The amazing Villa Emo Capodilista
have been undergoing restoration under the aegis of the ministry of culture for the past two years. Count Emo Capodilista, owner of this remarkable piece of architecture – a Gesamtkunstwerk designed by Dario Varotari in the 16th century - has asked me to underline how important the rental incomes are for this project.
In fact this one of the deeper motivations of our work. We find it highly gratifying that our clients, while having a good time and getting to know a wonderful country, are contributing to the restoration and upkeep of our cultural heritage.
Link to Villa Emo Capodilista
Work on the frescoes
The restorers at work
Initially the idea of starting a blog frightened me. I didn’t see the point, what on earth could I write into a blog which might interest my clients or potential clients? Not to forget that anything I put onto my website has to be written in THREE languages… Was this worth the effort? However, slowly but surely I found many topics buzzing in my head . The possibility to tell people about the true motivation of our work – contributing to the saving of an outstanding rural cultural heritage – suddenly seemed exciting.
Corzano e Paterno
Italy Tutto
Lospicchio
Memorie di Angelina
Truffle Pig