The day I went to visit Frassanelle, the owner, Francesca Papafava, took Katharina and I for a leisurely late lunch at the Parco delle Colline Ristorante located on the Golf Club of the estate.
Having lunch at the Frassanelle Golf Club with the owner Francesca Papafava
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.
Why not meet Chris Goodhart and let him guide you skillfully through a tasting of Potentino’s four fine wines? Piropo; Balaxus; Lyncurio . . . . named after precious stones, they conjure up haunting beauty. Sacromonte is a tribute to Monte Amiata, the Etruscans’ Mount Olympus, whose fertile volcanic soil nurtures the vines which produce these prize-winning wines.
The wine tastings at Castello di Potentino are held under the loggio in the courtyard
“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
Piazza delle Erbe in Padua with the Palazzo della Ragione in the background (skyscrapercity.com)
Visiting La Montecchia, the owner, Giordano Emo Capodilista, told me of his family’s long-standing commitment to supporting and promoting the arts. In addition to the impressive Quadreria donated in 1864 to the Musei Civici degli Eremitani of Padua, nearly thirty years earlier, in 1837, the Emo Capodilista family wished to share another of its treasures with the city: a wooden horse sculpture. Technically, the sculpture still belongs to the Emo Capodilista family but it has been entrusted “sine neglexerint” to the Patavini, the citizens of Padua. Giordano’s description of this artwork triggered my curiosity. I decided that this horse was not to be missed.
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.
The Emo Capodilista collection was donated to the Museo degli Eremitani in Padua
I admit I got lost the first time I went to La Montecchia Estate. Street signs in the Veneto region are often posted in an arbitrary fashion. But when the landscape is beautiful, even driving around in circles takes on a special charm. And besides, Italians are always friendly and eager to help when you stop and ask for directions. They actually want you to find your way!
In this video homeowner Donata Origo talks about her interesting restoration project. Before and after pictures show the transformation of Chiarentana.Giving beautiful old buildings like this one a new life is one of our strong motivations!
Italian Wedding
Towards the end of last month Villa Emo Capodilista in the Veneto, about 45 km from Venice, became the backdrop to one of the most beautiful weddings we have had in our villas. Giordano Emo Capodilista the owner of the villa was thrilled: “it was like in a dream…we were all floating”
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