The breakfast chamber in our hotel, with the now-expected beautiful Venetial glass chandelier. Marilyn is on the left, and Mom on the right.
Breakfast room mural.
A fine close-up. I told Marilyn she should just order one at the next shop we passed, and have it sent to Bainbridge Island.
Slightly different lighting.
Our hotel. It really is a villa; has 13 rooms. Each room has a magnificent view (in theory; I didn't inspect each room.)
From the front. Our room was room #1, which is one flight up, two windows to the left from the balcony (I think).
From the fields. They do grow and harvest grapes. Many grapes.
The hotel with the mountains. You can see the lines of the vineyard going up the hill.
Noch ein mal.
The grapes are ready.
Clouds moving in.
The pink is perfect.
Villa Godi Malinverni:
They make it look so easy.
La Villa Godi, designed by Palladio, 1538-1542.
A neighboring villa, up the hill a bit.
Rita and Dick (always in the lead) charge up the steps.
A little Vesuvius.
Hey! Arches!
Securitas. Who knew Security was female?
Mutti in the warmly-lit enormous kitchen.
Rita is shorter than the clock.
Egads! Three Heads of a Lizard, By Jove!
Through the top arches - the Venetian windows.
Probably a VIP. He has a placard. I believe this statue is in Petrarch's house, but I don't think this is Petrarch. Then again - who knows?
Next to arches, my favorite: the round glass windows, and in Venetian style, to boot!
Could it be the view from Petrarch's house?
A tree laden with ripe giugiolle - a sort of fruit that is not like a nut and not like an olive but sort of like either of those, and, from which people make a strong sweet liquer.
My google search on "giugiolle" fails me - Rita, help! How are these little nuts spelled?
A romantic painting.
Villa Barbarigo's Garden: Armando, Elisa & Ricardo
Black swan with red beak.
He ruffles his feathers at the enormous mass of a stone thigh. It is not so easy to shoot swans as you might think.
Mirror, mirror ...
The statues are swamped by the enormity of the gate.
The swans are, in fact, more real and more alive than the winged figure they ignore. But there is a nice little fountain here for them.
Villa Barbarigo in late afternoon.
Time for an Art Shot(tm)! The lady flees the fountain while the brushes sway.
Armando appears with swaddled baby. Faithful companion (Armando's Best Friend) keeps guard. You can tell by his body language he isn't sure which threat to confront - stranger at the baby, or a whole horde of people over this way.
The maze of boxwood that is higher than your head and that you can get lost in easily, believe me.
Dick waves from a corner of the maze! He was determined to conquer this maze, too, and he did!
Now, correct me, but I think this winged creature bears a representation of Time. Very odd that time is a sort of polyhedron.
Look! Quick! There! Rabbits! On the Rabbit Island. Dozens, actually.
Elisa and Ricardo, who is 27 days old on this day.
Mother and child.
Armando, Elisa and Ricardo.
The future triathlete and his proud parents.
Dinner at our hotel. We had a private host, a private translator, a private waitor, a private cook. We were temporarily nobility.
Queen for an evening.
An elaborate, sumptuous all-seafood five-dish appetizer layout that none of us touched. I gave up octopi after Japan.