"To the complaint, 'There are no people in these photographs,' I respond,
There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer."
Ansel Adams
Today's agenda was simple: Take some beautiful photographs, enjoy our last tour of the La Foce Gardens, and cook dinner at Sassaia for our Week 3 guests!
POPPY PHOTOGRAPHS: The Foldesi Group and I were determined to find our way back to those amazing fields of poppies we saw on Sunday so that Palmer (& the rest of us) could get some great pics of them. We headed down the route towards Bagno Vignoni, at first disappointed to see that many of the poppy fields had been mowed down. But then we rounded a corner ... and there they were in all their beautiful, flaming red glory.
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| Palmer's photo ... it gets my vote for the BEST photo of the entire five weeks! |
LA CAPPELLA DELLA MADONNA DI VITALETA: For years I've seen photos in books and on calendars of this hidden away, quintessential little chapel and knew it was located not far from La Foce. After her trip to Tuscany last fall, my friend Kathy O'Brien told me she'd found it and shared with me its exact location (SR-146 between San Quirico d'Orcia and Pienza). Jerry drove and I navigated (!) ... we spotted a little brown sign marked "Madonna di Vitaleta" ... drove down a long white road ... and spotted the chapel waaaaaay in the distance. Palmer used his zoom lens to get some good shots and we headed back to the SR-146 road, discussing where to have lunch. About a mile along the road, we were surprised to spot ANOTHER little brown sign for our elusive chapel. At the end of THAT long, winding white road, we arrived at a parking area and a road blocked by a large metal gate. We all walked around the gate and were delighted to find a footpath (about 1/4 mile long) leading all the way to the "CAPPELLA." (Can't even estimate how many photographs all five of us shot that afternoon, but there were many!) There is mention of this chapel in a document dated 1590; the present building was restructured in 1884 and is flanked by two very tall, very stately cypress trees. Its location, overlooking nothing but rolling green hills of olive trees, vineyards and bright yellow broom is breathtakingly beautiful. So happy we found it! Thanks, Kathy O'Brien.
LUNCH: Since we were close to the pretty medieval town of San Querico d'Orcia, we decided to stop by there for a quick lunch. I suggested returning to
Trattoria Toscana Al Vecchio Forno where our 2015 Week One'ers had enjoyed a delicious lunch. Maybe because we were groups of five guests both years, they sat us at exactly the same table where I'd eaten in 2015! Food was excellent, especially Jerry's BBQ'd roast suckling pig shank and my eggplant rollatini. After lunch, we visited one of the town's ancient churches, some nice shops (Brenda found another new wine accessory, a device to measure a correct measure of wine) and, of course, an outstanding gelateria, Golosi!
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| The La Foce Villa overlooking the Gardens at sunset |
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| Sibylla |
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| Margie & Amy |
LA FOCE GARDEN TOUR: Every time I take the beautiful La Foce Garden Tour with groups of friends, I learn something new. Chilean guide Sibylla Holtz does a wonderful job explaining the history of the La Foce Villa and Gardens and makes the nearly 100 years of history of the estate come alive. It was pretty cloudy when we began this evening's tour, but towards the end, just as Sibylla invited us to go down the travertine steps to the lower garden, the sun popped out and made Cecil Pincent's boxwoods' shadows dance on the floor of the garden.
(Lots. More. Photographs!)
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| See Cecil Pinsent's shadows? |
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| Francesca & Bella |
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| Snapped this shot on our way back to Sassaia ... one of our favorite views of the Serpentine Road! |
When we all returned to Sassaia, it was time to finish preparing our Wednesday evening group dinner: Margie & Amy made a delicious and beautiful Caprese Salad; I made Chicken Francese (again!), roasted asparagus and roasted potatoes; Kathy and Fred provided a beautiful fruit tart for dessert and, along with Allyson & Richard, did a fabulous job of cleaning up our big, farm kitchen! It was great fun to once again sit around the long, wooden table in Sassaia's dining room, surrounded by fun friends and delicious food! Everyone's heading in different directions tomorrow, but we'll plan to gather together again on Friday evening for our Farewell Dinner at Dopolavoro.
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Week 3 Ladies: Amy, Allyson, Kathy, Brenda & Me
(Where's Margie??)
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| Week 3 Guys: Palmer, Jim, Fred, Richard & Jerry |
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LUNCH: Since we were close to the pretty medieval town of San Querico d'Orcia, we decided to stop by there for a quick lunch. I suggested returning to Trattoria Toscana Al Vecchio Forno where our 2015 Week One'ers had enjoyed a delicious lunch. Maybe because we were groups of five guests both years, they sat us at exactly the same table where I'd eaten in 2015! Food was excellent, especially Jerry's BBQ'd roast suckling pig shank and my eggplant rollatini. After lunch, we visited one of the town's ancient churches, some nice shops (Brenda found another new wine accessory, a device to measure a correct measure of wine) and, of course, an outstanding gelateria, Golosi!
2 comments:
I love how you just walked around the large metal gate that closed off the road! As I read your blog, I picture the rolling hills, ancient little towns, and beautiful flowers of Tuscany. I feel like I am strolling or riding beside you. You need to publish your blog as a book!
So happy that you found the chapel... one of my favorite sights in Tuscany!
Enjoy the rest of your stay. I can’t wait to see your photos!!
Kathy
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