from june 14th-23rd i had the very fortunate opportunity to join my sister and my two nieces on a trip to italy. we stayed at a wonderful 12th century castle in the central region of tuscany out in the countryside near the village of greve in chianti. castello di colognole was a fabulous place to stay. page, kathryn, caroline, and i shared a 3 bedroom apartment on three levels with breathtaking views of the olive groves, vineyards, gardens, and the rolling hills central tuscany is known for. we had access to the gardens and two courtyards. our hostess rosita and her sister rita and brother-in-law were wonderful and made us feel right at home. we also enjoyed the company of the two dogs, bacco and gemma. though we traveled into the village of greve pretty regularly and to the cities siena and florence, i enjoyed being at the castle the most. another favorite was our day trip to castello d'albola located in nearby radda in chianti. more on that in a future post, as this is just part one of several posts that i will be adding little by little to the blog. please stay tuned!
the entrance to the front of the castle
love the colors of these glass bottles
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| From Italy part 1: castello di colognole |
part of the massive stone wall which surrounds the castle and its gardens
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| From Italy part 1: castello di colognole |
the meal rita prepared for us upon our arrival. it was to die for! and what a sweet gesture after 24 hours of travel. i wish i'd had the chance to take a cooking lesson from rita, as she offers them. cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs picked from their vegetable garden.
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| From Italy part 1: castello di colognole |
the cherries were freshly picked from the garden and tasted divine!
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| From Italy part 1: castello di colognole |
artichoke... a favorite of mine!
our sitting and dining room in our apartment. the big red plush velvet chairs were so comfy.
flora
the view from our apartment
the stone wall. love the miniature "windows" and the flowers.
my bedroom faced this courtyard and the sweet smell of jasmine filled the air at all times.
the main entry and courtyard to the castle.
more cherries!
the red door to the barn.
typical scene from the gardens
one of the wines we enjoyed. the rooster is a symbol of the region.
my niece, kathryn, giving bacco the beagle a scratch on his head. he was the perfect italian gentleman :-)
rita's son-in-law and grandson taking in the views.
bacco and gemma hanging out in the garden with us
gemma likes to fetch anything, including rocks. she never tires!
white oleander and the wall.
another favorite view from the garden.
where we dined many times al fresco and enjoyed sipping on wine.
the tower.
the giant volkswagen-sized rosemary bush... it smelled so good and was perfect for cooking with.
rita's grandson, 8th month old cosimo. what a sweet face and a very happy baby!
evening light in tuscany is simply gorgeous. a photographer's dream come true!
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3 comments:
Elizabeth.....
Not only are your taking outstanding photos with an excellent eye, you are taking them with your heart as well. This is when your style begins to reflect the quality of your imaging. Congratulations! Keep up the good work!
With love and respect...
DAD
Great photos! I visited the same castello with my grandmother in 2007. You can see some photos here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=504753937559&set=a.504753897639.2015882.65800233&type=3&theater
Cory, thanks for your comment and sending a link to your photos. I immediately recognized Gemma the sweet pup who loves to fetch, who lives at the Castello. I hope to get back someday. I still keep in touch with Rosita who lives there (and Gemma's mother!). Lovely photos of a lovely place - Tuscany is so special.
Cheers & best wishes,
Elizabeth
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