2.5.12
Preparing for Tuscan Garden Tour – 12-18 May 2012
View from La Foce
Katie tells me that when she does Garden Tours for other Travel Businesses she usually does fewer gardens and less activities – so I hope that we don’t rush any one with the very busy schedule that I have planned for these tours – essentially four gardens a day, with one of them also showing us the inside of a historic villa and providing us with a taste of their own wine – that seems to me a worthwhile use of a day?
John Werich, new owner of the BM Bookshop has offered to host our opening talk at 16.00 on Saturday 12th May – Katie is going to give a presentation linking the premiss of her book Paradise of Exiles – Anglo-American gardens of Florence to the gardens we have already visited and also to the excellent Americans in Florence exhibition currently on show at the Strozzi Palace.
We look forward to meeting both Florentines and “Exiles” in Paradise at the newly refurbished bookshop and hope to have some late joiners on the forthcoming tours.
La Foce
Outline of Tuscan Garden tours for 12-18th May 2012
Saturday 12 May – 16.00 – Katie will give a presentation, Q&A and refreshments at the newly and beautifully refurbished BM Bookshop on Borgo Ognissanti.
Monday 14 May
private tour to gardens in and around Fiesole
10.00 Sybil Cutting’s Villa Medici with garden redeveloped by English landscape gardener and architect Cecil Pinsent
11.00 Le Balze – home of American Philosopher Charles Strong
12.30 Vincigliata – visit to castle and gardens + wine and cheese tasting at this extraordinary medieval castle rebuilt by English peer – Sir John Temple Leader. NB This castle is not generally open to the public but used for weddings and conferences so we are very privileged as a small group to be allowed to visit.
Lions at Vincigliata
16.30 Il Palmerino – a glimpse of the home and garden of prolific author Vernon Lee – and maybe a cup of tea while Katie introduces this interesting character!
Cost per head – tour in private Mini-van with professional driver + private professional garden historian guide + entry fee to gardens
=€99
Castle + wine tour + wine and degustation lunch at Vincigliata = €30
Cost for day €129
Tuesday 15 May
09.30 Villa Schifanoia – in San Domenico – one of the many reputed sites of Boccaccio’s Decameron
11.00 La Pietra – a garden stuffed with statues at the home of the Actons
13.00 Lunch near Fiesole – la Casa del Prosciutto
14.00 – Villa Gamberaia – retreat of Romanian Princess Gyka and English Miss Blood
a bathing pool for Princess Gyka
16.30 Villa Maiano – for wine tasting and antipasti – this is another villa redeveloped by Sir John Temple Leader – now used for period films such as A Room with a View and Tea with Mussolini.
17.30 -if we are in time we hope to drop in for a quick visit to the Iris Gardens of Florence – only open in May with the beautiful view of the City under the setting sun.
Cost per head – tour in private Mini-van with professional driver + private professional garden historian guide + entry fee to gardens
=€99
Visit to Villa Maiano + wine tasting and antipasti €15
Cost for day €114
Wednesday 16 May
11.30 Palazzo Picolomini – in Pienza – home of the humanist Pope Pius 11
1.00 lunch in San Quirico d’Orcia – plus a visit to Horta Leonini another small public garden in the village
3.00 La Foce – home of author Iris Origo
Last year's group at La Foce
drive to Montipulicano – trying to follow the route taken by Iris and family when they had to move their school and hospital from La Foce during the Allied attack – we will stop for a glass of wine there before returning to Florence
Cost per head – tour in private Mini-van with professional driver + private professional garden historian guide + entry fee to gardens
=€109
lunch and wine at cost but we have a fixed price menu c€20
Thursday 17 May
a walking tour of gardens in Central Florence
10.00 Boboli Gardens– Grand Duke Cosimo 1 and Eleanor de Toledo’s garden behind the Pitti Palace provided entertainment for their growing family and inspiration for Marie de Medici in Paris
11.30 Bardini gardens – Stefano Bardini – another great collector who sold to the Anglo-American expats – before we visit the gardens we will also visit the other art Exhibition of paintings of Florentine gardens and other works from Grand Tourists and Macchiaioli done in late 19th – early 20th centuries.
12.30 Tuscan lunch in San Niccolo area
14.30 Giardino Corsini
16.00 possibly Giardini dei Torrigiani,
17.00 Optional taxi up to Bellosguardo for a glass of wine at sunset in the gardens of Torre di Bellosguardo – once home of the formidable Lady Paget
Cost professional guide + entrance to Boboli and Bardini gardens and exhibition of paintings at the Bardini €60
Friday 18 May
a day trip to Lucca
11.00 Villa Reale aka Villa Marlia – home of Napoleon’s sister when she was Duchess of Tuscany
12.30 Villa Torrigiani, family of the guy who broke Michaelangelo’s nose – at Camigliano
13.30 lunch in Lucca at Rusticanella 2 – as recommended by Todo
14.30 Palazzo Pfanner a setting for a the Jane Campion film A Portrait of a Lady
16.00 – Gardini Garzoni in Collodi
17.30 return to Florence – arrival about 18.45
Cost per head – tour in private Mini-van with professional driver + private professional garden historian guide + entry fee to gardens
=€109
lunch and wine at cost
NB The Cost fluctuates daily to cover costs for private travel in air-conditioned mini-van and do have garden historian, playwright and author Dr Katie Campbell as our private tour guide.
I will be signing up for all 5 days because: all of Penny’s adventures are great fun and top quality; I’ve heard raves about Katie; I love that this is a bit of a combo package intertwining the doings of 19th/early 20th century expat artists, architects, writers, collectors, socialites all showcased around Tuscan villas and gardens!! And with food and friendship– what fun!! (I’m even delaying a week of language classes to fit it in!!)
Dear Barbara – I do hope you get better soon – you are truly my heroine for the way you make light of every new health tragedy that attacks you! One in a Million – Take Care of Yourself – we all love you!