The Villas

20 years ago - #Tuscany

This area has several old villas that are not in use anymore, but allow visitors to tour the grounds. We got to the area a little late, and had to do a little convincing of the man and wife that let people in that we would be quick. They let us in and we were free to wander around. We were not the last to leave. The first villa that we saw was Villa Reale.

A small house on the grounds
A small house on the grounds

This must have been servants quarters
This must have been servants quarters

More servants quarters?
More servants quarters?

The "wet" house? Usually for cooling off in the summer.
The "wet" house? Usually for cooling off in the summer.

A garden
A garden

A line of shrubs leading to the orangerie
A line of shrubs leading to the orangerie

A fountain
A fountain

The orangerie
The orangerie

More gardens
More gardens

At long last, the main house
At long last, the main house

We weren't allowed in the main house
We weren't allowed in the main house

There were two other villas in the area. One was definitely closed. The other was perhaps not as nice, but the woman let us in to wander around. There were a couple of dogs that followed us. I made the mistake of petting one, and he decided he didn't want me to go and clamped onto my wrist and wouldn't let go. After a couple of minutes of trying to coax him into letting go, I started to get a little nervous, and we shouted for the woman that let us in. He did loose interest and we were free to roam the grounds.

A shot of the grounds
A shot of the grounds

A photo of the co-dependent dog
A photo of the co-dependent dog

A fountain
A fountain

There was some joke behind this photo. I can't remember it now.
There was some joke behind this photo. I can't remember it now.

This post is part of a series called...
Tuscany
As we came out of the mountains, we settled into an area called the Garfagnana. This is where I want my Italian home. It was serene, luscious, the homes were beautiful, and we were close to Lucca for shopping.
blog comments powered by Disqus
As we came out of the mountains, we settled into an area called the Garfagnana. This is where I want my Italian home. It was serene, luscious, the homes were beautiful, and we were close to Lucca for shopping.
Although I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite city in Tuscany, a couple of people told me that they thought Sienna to be one of the most beautiful cities they've ever been to. It certainly ranks quite high. We set today to be almost exclusively dedicated to Sienna. There's a breathtaking cathedral, wonderul shops, local cuisine, and great history.
After two days of touring Florence, we were ready to hit the road and see more of Tuscany. In general, I found the Tuscans drove quickly, but fairly. Of course, we wouldn't dare driving in the actual towns. Usually, the goal was to park just outside the medieval walls and walk in. San Gemignano is built on a hill and looks like a small mideival Manhattan with towering spires. They had one main church with incredible murals, but one is not allowed to take photographs.