The Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta on the road from Pienza to San Quirico d'Orcia

In 2001 I came to live in Italy. I had some fun, wrote a journal and this is the blog of my story...

"Tuscany is a state of grace. The countryside is so lovingly designed that the eye sweeps the mountains and valleys without stumbling over a single stone. The lilt of the rolling green hills, the upsurging cypresses, the terraces sculptured by generations that have handled the rocks with skillful tenderness, the fields geometrically juxtaposed as though drawn by a draughtsman for beauty as well as productivity; the battlements of castles on the hills, their tall towers standing grey-blue and golden tan among the forest of trees, the air of such clarity that every sod of earth stands out in such dazzling detail. The fields ripening with barley and oats, beans and beets. The grape-heavy vines espaliered between the horizontal branches of silver-green olive trees, composing orchards of webbed design, rich in intimation of wine, olive oil and lacy-leaf poetry. Tuscany untied the knots in a man's intestines, wiped out the ills of the world. Italy is the garden of Europe, Tuscany is the garden of Italy, Florence is the flower of Tuscany." Irving Stone from my favourite book " The Agony and the Ecstacy" A fictional biography of Michelangelo



165. Villa Petraia

Another nice sunny Sunday afternoon and one of the joys of living in the city is the number of Medici villas there are to visit. Florence's first family were not shy about spending their money and had dozens of these beautiful, huge villas and gardens built in and around the hills around Florence in the 15th century. We're slowly working our way round them and today is the turn of the Villa Petraia.








This sumptuous country mansion was built around a central tower and changed ownership several times, originally being bought by the Brunelleschi family, then Palla Strozzi in 1422, the Salutati family and then finally transferred to the Medici.





Cardinal and grand duke Ferdinando carried out a radical transformation in 1587, turning the villa into a princely residence. He built around the tower, but also the grounds were divided into three magnificent terraces.




The views over Florence are stupendous and we enjoy strolling amongst the Italian style gardens with countless fruit trees, flowerbeds and little lemon trees.







Then we head inside and are treated to a guided tour of some of the rooms, some of which are covered in colourful pastel frescoes, these are scenes featuring the exploits of the medici family and were executed by Cosimo Gaddi and Volterrano.

Finally we are back outside to admire this beautiful fountain representing Venus, one of the masterpiece bronzes by Giambologna.






All in all a very pleasant visit and all for free!


                                                      (Original journal entry 3/10/04)








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