Italy - Last Day at the Villa~

The Villa was an experience - staying in a time capsule - of a historic lifestyle - with plumbing!

Front Door~

 We slept in, tired from our late night on the town.  We'd had fog on a couple mornings during our stay, but it burned off quickly.

View of the entry from our room~

It was such an enjoyable feeling to rise, walk to the big window, open the shutters & admire such a stately view. Almost like a princess in a castle.

Old Planters & scented germaniums~

After a shower, my usual routine was to make my tea & head outside.  So nice to just sit & sip & drink in the beauty of the rolling hills.  There was a beautiful Villa on the far side of the valley with a tower.

Late afternoon~

 I had the zoom at it's maximum aperture, but the photo turned out looking almost like a painting with the evening haze.  I would have loved to have toured it.

Large meeting room~

This amazing room was down the first flight of stairs from our room & one flight up from the kitchen level. To the right was a large office, with an antique doll house on display.

Left, 3 steps up to a landing, then 15 more to our room.

The door on the far right, led down 15 steps to the kitchen.  I never did count the rooms in the Villa, but there was one more small level at the very top that must have had the best of views.  I think it was on the Saturday tour.

Etched glass~

I wandered around, looking in rooms that I hadn't checked out before. One was set up as a day room, which is where I found the ornate window panes.

Stairs to our room~

 The final flight of stairs to our room & our door!  I think originally the concrete must have been covered with a rug runner.  The entire Villa seemed somewhat bare & cold feeling.  The opulence that I'd hoped to see was probably there originally with more textiles & rugs.

Wall between the Villa patio area & the pool~

The large stone wall that supported the upper level from the pool, was impressive.  There was a path under a small grape arbor & through the gate below.

Iron Gate

 The craftsmanship again - was just stunning - highlighted against the colors of the old brick & mortar.

From the pool deck~

I think it must have been a very dry year, or maybe it's just typical for so late in the summer.  The grape arbor is to the right.

Hunting dogs~

The picture above was good sized & hung in our room.  I enjoyed it so much!  What a wonderful rendition of happy hunting dogs!

Crystal Sphere~

Courtney had bought the crystal sphere to try out on the trip.  They come in a variety of sizes.  I'd never seen one, but we sure had fun trying it out.  We also discussed moving on.  We'd paid through Sat. night - but really didn't have any interest in final events on the schedule.  When Stephania came to prepare dinner, we asked her about other places to go & she mentioned Livorno.

Late Afternoon view~

 Livorno was only a few hours south by train,  Courtney started searching for reservations.  No luck.  Everything four-star or above was full.  I started researching beaches to the south of Livorno & discovered a blue flag beach at Cecina.  Courtney in the meantime had thought of looking for an Air B&B.  We found one available only a ten-min. walk from the coast!

The plan was made, we'd leave in the morning & spend the rest of our time in Cecina!  We were really looking forward to seeing the coast on the western side of the Italian Peninsula!