Over the next few days, I will be completing a series on my recent trip to Italy. My first post covered Venice and the second was a day trip to Florence. Today, I am featuring the Agriturismo Petrognano, where we were delighted to stay for 5 nights in Tuscany. If you’re planning a trip, I highly recommend staying in an Agriturismo and in particular, the Petrognano.
In case you are wondering what an agriturismo is… In 1985, Italy began a tourism program that helps both tourists and local farmers. It “is a style of vacationing in farm-house resorts where agriculture from the farm is used in the resort. An agriturismo vacation is suitable for the whole family and some places can even be very romantic or luxurious,” according to goitaly.about.com.
Our hosts, Laura and Christian made us feel like family and when we return to Italy, we hope to stay with them again. One of my favorite nights of the whole trip was the night they prepared a genuine, homemade Italian meal for us. It was delicious, filled with laughter and hospitality.
I hope you enjoy the tour….
This is a view of the villa from the front. I loved all the planters around the patio for privacy. And with the world cup going on now, isn’t it fitting that a soccer net is present on the grounds at all times?
I found roses climbing on many places, but this was the most breathtaking. A view to the pool and the hillside. Where might I grow climbing roses in Fairhope?
I had to include this view with the Cyprus Tree on the right. They are pronounced “see-pris trees” in Italy and rest assured that I now want a row of see-pris in my back yard for privacy. They dot the landscape all over Tuscany.
The grounds were panoramic where hills were painted with villas on the north side, olive groves growing on the south, a new restaurant being built on the premises just west of our front door and a fire pit and picnic gazebo on the east.
As I toured the grounds to take these shots, I encountered one of the contractors building the restaurant on the property. He spoke no English and me… very little Italian, but with his extreme patience and my persistence to communicate with him, we understood each other. I was so excited to understand his encouragement to see the “vista dalla strada.” View from the street. (He wanted me to walk up the street for better photos.) Simple things make me happy.
Is it any wonder why they are called the golden hills of Tuscany? The sun-colored villa seems to grow with the sun and this rain barrel helps with the irrigation. It didn’t rain while we were here, but I can just hear the rain trickling down the chain into the pot.
Everything about the Agriturismo Petrognano was soothing. Click on the link to see interior photos.
I loved the olive groves as well as the vineyards.
The view from our patio.
And this lovely veranda was the location of our family dinner with Laura and Christian. She effortlessly put a table large enough for seven people here, complete with tablecloth, centerpiece of roses and greenery from the grounds and served us a five-course meal. Christian was cooking in the kitchen, serving us wine and helping with the clean up afterward. Laura complained that her Tiramisu was not her best, as we all swooned over it, as the best we’d ever had. They were perfect hosts and it was a perfect night. If you’ve never been, start planning. As I’ll say for the rest of my life, “Italy is the trip of a lifetime.”
We said Caio to Toscana in this early light. But as you’ll see in future posts, I made my wish in the Trevi Fountain to see my Italia again – no matter what the light. Are we absolutely sure that the Garden of Eden was in the Middle East? Surely it was in Toscano…
