Beyond the Yalla Dog

Vincigliata - Sir John Temple Leader's castle in the air

Sir John Temple Leader was an English peer , a University friend of Gladstone and a fairly mainstream English eccentric. Having made his fortune in India with the east India Company he put his money to use restoring two destroyed Tuscan properties -the Villa Maiano and the Castle Vincigliata – to their medieval splendour and the surrounding lands to productive cultivation.

Our visit to the castle included a trip into the turret, where they house ancient instruments of torture, and from which there is an amazing view – plus a wine and cheese tasting with the new owners family.