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.
“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 Butteri in the Maremma area, on the southern Tuscan coast
At first, the scene looks more like something from the American West than the south-western Tuscany area known as Maremma, which merges with the Mediterranean coast. Cowboys gallop across a scrubby plain, a hazy cloud of dust trailing behind them. Rough hills rise in the background. Nearby fields are carpeted with wildflowers that send up a faint fragrance of sweetness. The cowboys wear heavy boots and wide-brimmed hats. Their calloused hands belie their long days of hard work.
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!
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.
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”
Italy is home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites to date with 44 sites inscribed on the list. On Wikipedia you will find a complete list of the sites.
Villa Rotonda, designed by Palladio
By the way Italy is UNESCO’s most notable donor in terms of voluntary contributions. In 2007, Italy donated over USD 56 million on an extrabudgetary basis to UNESCO
Read more on the Unesco website
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
Corzano e Paterno
Italy Tutto
Lospicchio
Memorie di Angelina
Truffle Pig