San Felice is a dream

Entry by guest blogger: Lee Robinson
Skipping through the countryside north of Siena, we find ourselves in a neighborhood of elegant wine estates, each with an imposing villa with along cypress allee.  We pass endless rows of grapevines marching regimentally to the horizon, olive groves and a distant view of the Siena skyline backed by the cool blue mountains of the Val d’Orcia.  We are heading for the Borgo San Felice, an ancient hamlet which has been transformed into a seductive wine-estate hotel.

Just when it seems we might be on the wrong, road, a gentle uphill driveway appears, with an idyllic cluster of restored stone buildings beyond.  Allegra had emailed Dario Iaquinto that she had been in Siena University Ospedale, but we would be arriving as planned; and there is Dario to greet us.  The internet on this trip has been invaluable; and, so it turns out is Dario with a warm welcome and offering Allegra a pampering spa treatment after lunch, which is elegantly served by the pool.  Thanks to the warm fall guests are enjoying a swim and a nap or tray lunch while lounging on a chaise, by the pool.  I had an ethereal saffron risotto, and Allegra had a local pasta with ricotta, spinach and pignoli.  A generous selection of delicious tiny dessert samples was brought for tasting with our coffee.  Relais chefs are renowned for their inventiveness, elegant presentation; and their very high quality menus are odes to the palate.  The chef here is clearly outstanding in balancing flavors; and each plate is picture perfect.

doorway to the front office at Borgo San Felice

Terrace for lunch

I settle into our lovely suite while Allegra meets Dario to see the winery which is in full swing, processing the just-picked grapes from Borgo San Felice’s vast vineyards surrounding this little bit of heaven.

Our sunny suite has two large rooms, high ceilings, beautiful cotto floors, and truly comfortable furnishings.  The beds have thick and wooly extra blankets which are beckoning for an afternoon nap; and the bath is spacious with a brightly colored tile floor in a historic pattern.  The sunflower shower, deep soaking tub, and huge fluffy towels will definitely get use.  Opening the shutters I find a view of the piazza in one direction, and one of a village lane in the other.  Even the view from a window in the shower is flawless as it peeks through some stately cypress trees uphill to yet another tiny village.

My list of ‘musts’ on a Chianti vacation includes being able to hear church bells, which is easily satisfied here by one of two tiny Borgo San Felice churches which chime on the hour; and a quality of restful tranquility which exists here in abundance.

Later, we wander this charming village of 46 rooms and suites, as well as three apartments still occupied by original residents of the village.  The tiny pebble stone lanes are lined with large terracotta pots dripping with geraniums and plumbago.  Roses scream with color, and their scents fill the air.  The chef’s kitchen garden is bursting with robust rosemary and lavender hedges, and lots of herbs I’ve never heard of.  Vines are spare and artfully maintained, and an arbor outside the cantina is heavy with gorgeous bunches of bursting grapes.  Allegra’s visit to the spa turned out to include a massage with fresh grapes, and a red wine bath with very exotic aromas.  She returned to our room armed with goodies by Dr. Vranjes.

some of the chef's garden at Borgo San Felice

As we are leaving for a country dinner in Castelnuovo Berardenga, a vivid pink sunset is on display above the black silhouette of Siena and its twinkling lights.  Tuscany is a very magical place.

Our rental car is a diesel VW Golf TDI so our twisting, turning ride through the hills is exhilarating if you’re at the wheel; perhaps not so much if you are the passenger in the back seat.  Our destination is Del Pellegrino, a fun family pizzeria in Castelnuovo Berardenga, which we remember from a visit to Montebenechi in 1995. Happily, the restaurant is still there, and tonight is filled with families, all of whom seem to be celebrating something.  Welcome to Italy!  The menu is very large and interesting; and we settle on a pasta, a plateful of baby lamb chops and a delicious local wine.

Borgo San Felice’s attention to detail is unparalleled, every nook and cranny is manicured, every view is enchanting, window boxes overflow above the narrow lanes, and the excellent, professional, friendly and unobtrusive staff treat their new guests with the same sweetness as those who have obviously been there often.  They pleasantly anticipate and respond to every possible need.  Apparently, when Allegra misplaced her iPad the entire staff received a message; and within minutes it was located, and returned from the Cantina where she had left it.

Borgo San Felice offers a truly unforgettable vacation in an extraordinarily beautiful and interesting part of Chianti, and would be perfect for a destination wedding.  Siena is within a short drive, and the astounding rolling hills of Montalcino’s Brunello country and the val d’Orcia are within 45 minutes.

Achille DeCarlo and dear Dario, as all the rest of San Felice’s staff did an exceptional job of coddling us.

NOTE:  San Felice’s wine is excellent!

Living like a local at the Palazzo Antellesi in Florence

Entry by guest blogger: Lee Robinson

Florence on a hot day in late September is a little sticky when we arrive dragging our suitcases through the train station after a two-hour ride from Venice, but we get in line for a taxi and are quickly on our way to Piazza Santa Croce.  With Florence’s new policy of no cars in the Centro Storico, the driver skirts through part of via Tournabuoni at a good ‘clip’ and sends some pedestrians hopping back onto the sidewalks. 

The piazza is crowded and the two gelato shops and many leather shops are doing a brisk business as we arrive at the Palazzo Antellesi. Cecile buzzes us in, and we take the tiny elevator to the top floor apartment where we will stay in for just three nights.  The minute we open the door, my mind is calculating how we could stay longer.  It is so charming!!  Tile floors, beamed ceilings, two bedrooms, two baths, and a very efficient kitchen with a combination washer/dryer and a broad terrace overlooking the entire piazza…it is absolutely perfect.  The furnishings are comfortable with slip-covered chairs and sofa surrounding a fireplace.  The owners have thought of everything to make a stay here pleasant as well as providing good guidebooks and reading left by previous 'residents.'

our home for a few nights

We open the French doors and take in the view over the rooftops and church spires to the mountains beyond.  In the next few days we will have leisurely evening cocktails on this broad terrace; and I will imagine who lives in the charming apartments across the piazza.  Oh, for a telescope!  The Duomo, Santa Croce and others will sing a chorus of bells on the hours and minutes.  The bedrooms, baths and kitchen have windows which open in, and wooden shutters we open out to take in yet another view, this time of the gardens of hillside villas and the Belvedere and still more mountains beyond.

the view of Santa Croce from our terrace

A reserved first thing in the morning tour of the Uffizi is on the calendar, gifts we are hoping to find in the San Lorenzo market, a lunch at Za Za, a visit to the Mercato Centrale for some  salumi, wine and staples for our kitchen and dinners at Baldovino are all on the schedule, and Allegra will have a three-hour tour of the City highlighting her artistic interests.  For now, we relax and breathe in the sights and sounds of glorious Florence.

lunch after the mercato centrale

The first evening we walk and walk through the Oltrarno neighborhood peeking into decorator and artisan shops, we try for a reservation at Olio & Convivium with no luck. The shops are still open so we do a little shopping, visit a cafe at the Piazza della Republica, and stroll back through the Duomo neighborhood finally sharing two delicious thin crust pizzas at Simon Boccanegra, right around the corner from our home in Florence.    

rowing in the evening on the Arno River

        Returning each night to Piazza Santa Croce, subconsciously we are pretending this is our life – we live here.  When we slip the key into the lock on the huge palazzo door, tourists watch to get a peek at the hallway beyond. We are usually the ones doing the peeking!

view out the back windows to the Belvedere

The apartment looks like home, feels like home – I don’t think most travelers realize how easy and how much fun it is to rent for a week!

A Venice Idyll - September 26, 2012 - Day 1

This year's trip was a whirlwind - we visited 27 hotels in just 13 days - and we stayed in 10 of them!!! hard work, but someone has to do it!  Now that we are back and starting to feel rested and have been able to digest all we saw and experienced, we have compiled it for you in the blog. For this year's trip, I asked that my travel companion, (and mother) Lee Robinson, (who is a fantastic writer and lover of Italy) to help with my blog entries. She has never done this before and this is her first try. Please let us know what you think - but go easy on her :) Enjoy!

Arriving jet-lagged in the fairyland of Venice, the Londra Palace is a very welcome sight.  Our large and luxurious room and bath exude the promise of comfort; our the balcony overlooks the Grand Canal; and the Lagoon which is alive with an array of vaporettos, ferries of every size and type, as well as gondolas navigating the busy ‘chop’. 

The Londra Palace welcomes us!

 Looking down on the crowded Riva degli Schiavoni with its waves of tourists can be daunting; and the ‘toot’ of a tugboat brings us to the window as it gently nudges a vast cruise ship down the channel to its berth at the Port – a scene which is a other worldly with the ancient back drop of a virtually unchanged ancient Venice.

The staff is friendly and attentive as we settle into the hotel’s sidewalk café for our first gelato and Campari soda and a Bellini while we watch the passing parade.

The next morning, after a refreshing deep sleep we are awakened again by a tug as yet another floating city gently glides by.  After a few hours of exploring the intriguing back streets, alleys and climbing the many arched bridges over the canals we buy some funky and beautiful Murano glass jewelry and return to the Londra and change hotels.  Most of this trip will be just one night in each hotel; and as much as we hate to leave the ‘cushy’ Londra Palace, we pull our bags two doors down the Riva to meet Jacapo Derai at the front desk of the Hotel Savoia and Jolanda .  Again our new junior suite ‘digs’ are light and bright with a balcony and luxurious bath with a carwash-like shower.  I could get very used to this.

View from our suite at the Savoia and Jolanda

Our lunch today is at a neighborhood fish restaurant for pasta with a mountain of baby clams (in their shells) in a delicious garlic and olive oil sauce; and a baccala with polenta.  We stop to see the Palazzo Priuli, a really beautiful palace with lots of Venetian stained glass.  Located in the maze of canals the Pruili is a step back in time featuring lots of original architectural detail including some beautiful stained glass windows and where at the front door gondolas are creating a bit of a traffic jam with competing singing gondoliers.  How’s that for atmosphere?

 And on we go to visit the very charming Locanda Vivaldi which is also on the Riva with rooms fronting the lagoon, as well as its own canal gondola entrance.  One can easily picture a gondola collecting you in a ball gown for a costume ball at one of the Grand Canal palazzos.  The manager, Stefano, graciously suggests we take their vaporetto to see their recently restored Palazzo Stern…what a treat!  We incur stares from passing ferries as the vaporetto is sleek with lots of mahogany ‘bright work’, shiny brass, and is outfitted with easy chairs slip-covered in off-white canvas.  A short ride down the Grand Canal brings us to an understated but grand palazzo with a charming terrace right on the canal.  The hotel’s manager, Emanuel, who joins us on the terrace for an espresso and a sweet shares his impressive knowledge of the history of Palazzo Stern.  We are then joined by Roberto, whose family has recently completed a multi-year restoration of this lovely family villa.  The palazzo is located in the Accamdemia neighborhood of Dorsoduro, perfect for ‘culture vultures’ who want to visit the Guggenheim and other museums.  As it is away from the hustle and bustle experienced by hotels fronting the busy lagoon, this sophisticated yet understated hotel where ‘no corners have been cut’ in this restoration, is truly an elegant property with generous-sized rooms, and a roof top hot-tub overlooking the Venice skyline which is chock full of church spires and views into charming canal-side gardens, as well as the distant mountains.  The hotel has no restaurant, but the surrounding charming neighborhood of tiny piazzas offers many good choices.

Palazzo Stern from our private boat

Our last night, we walk along the canals to the Rialto bridge, which is more spectacular at night.  We pick an anonymous restaurant and have a good dinner of roasted pork and fegato di Venezia and then wander Rialto’s tony shopping street and find our way back to the Piazza San Marco, which is a reverie at night.  Always populated, this warm night two orchestras are giving a concert of popular European classics, with San Marco’s gorgeous uplit façade as a backdrop.

San Marco - during the day

Planning Allegra's Idylls annual Italy trip

This year's annual trip to Italy is still in the "design phase". It started out including Venice, Florence, Chianti, Umbria, Anacapri, Positano and Rome in less than 2 weeks with MANY different hotel changes and visits. What it is finally looking like is Venice, Florence, Chianti and Rome. My favorite hotel on Capri is booked when I would be there and that is one of the main reasons for going. So, I will have to revisit the Amalfi Coast and Capri on the next trip. I will be staying in some new properties and will be trying some others which are new to me. As with last year's trip, I will be updating Allegra's Idylls blog and will be posting photos to the website as well as Facebook. If there is somewhere you would like for me to check out, please do not hesitate to send me an email with your requests.

Currently, I am assisting clients with trips to Croatia, Vienna, cruises to the Caribbean, Chianti, Rome, Florence, Turks and Caicos, Germany and Cape Cod.

If you know of anyone who is looking for a custom designed getaway to Italy, Maui, the Virgin Islands, St Barth or anywhere your heart desire, please have them contact Allegra's Idylls.

St Barth to Anguilla - for some R&R - MAY 2012

After spending 3+ weeks on St Barth for my "day job" I planned to spend 3 nights on Anguilla. I had never been to Anguilla before but had always heard it was a perfect island to relax, sleep on the beach and read- these are all things I had on the agenda. Plus, it was easy to get to from St Barth. Now, before you start asking - "she spends 3+ weeks on St Barth, why on EARTH would she need to go to another island to relax?" - well, when on St Barth, I spend my days in the on island office working as well as spend 3-4 days a week going from villa to villa doing my annual inspections (NOT on the beach) - it's 90+ degrees and humid and it IS work. It may not sound like WORK, but believe me, I am not sitting on the beach during those 3 weeks. So, a break which entails sitting on the beach is very much welcome. On St Barth, I saw approx 90 villas and toured one of our partners around the island introducing them to St Barth and a good cross section of our villas on the island.

Anyway, it came time to leave my adorable 1 bedroom villa on Lorient Beach in St Barth (see the view outside my door above), say my 'au revoirs' to my friends and colleagues in the office and to board the quick flight to St Martin. I checked my bag and entered the departures lounge. When I arrived, there were 4 other people in the petite one room waiting area. As we neared the departure time of the Winair flight, others joined us. About 5 minutes before the flight's departure time, a man opened the door from the runway and pointed to me and motioned with his finger to follow him. I assumed the man surely meant a bunch of us from the waiting area and to my surprise, as we walked around the back of the small prop plane, he told me I was the only passenger!!! I had the whole plane to myself and positioned myself right behind the pilots for the 10 minute ride to St Martin. I always love flights to this island - small plane, short ride and sort of primitive feeling - no overhead compartments, clip on fans, tight seating, phenomenal island and ocean views and  of course, the death defying landings and take offs (see a You Tube video below)- it's also like stepping back in time. As soon as the pilots were comfortable and all the checks had been made, they made the announcement "Good afternoon Madame and welcome to flight # 652 from St Barth to St Martin -Flight time will be 10 minutes- sit back and enjoy." There would be no sitting back for me but certainly enjoyment - a cheap thrill for sure. Flying into or out of St Barth is not scary for those of us who like to fly. It is fun. However, if you do not care for flying, especially in small planes and landings on very short runways, you can also take a ferry from St Martin. It adds more time to your trip, but is also a fun way to arrive on St Barth. That was how I arrived on the island on this trip and it was nice, especially with the complimentary Planter's Punch in hand :)

After landing in St Martin, the plane was met by the shuttle which would take it's passengers, (me- :)) to the terminal and drop me at the arrivals hall for Immigration and Customs. For the very first time in my life, I was the ONLY person in an international arrivals hall - no hassles- got my stamp and out to the curb I went. I quickly loaded my belongings into a taxi and was whisked to the ferry dock in Marigot. The driver was very informative as I have never spent any time on St Martin - she pointed out all sorts of things along the way. When we pulled up at the ferry dock 15 minutes later, the ferry to Anguilla was waiting. In typical island style, there was not very good signage but I quickly followed the crowds and got my tickets and paid the taxes and was ushered onto the awaiting passenger ferry and found a seat.  The ferry was a great mix of Anguilla island people and tourists. Some locals had been working on or shopping on St Martin and were very smart about loading their goods on the small ferry - some had put their St Martin purchases in a new trash can and others loaded up a suitcase. 

After the 20 minute (very rough) and not air conditioned ride, we arrived in Anguilla. Time to line up again (slightly soaked from the rough seas) for Customs and Immigrations - this time around, it was more crowded than my experience at the St Martin airport but took only about 15 minutes. Once through, I was assigned  a taxi to take me to the hotel. 10 minutes later, arrival at the Anacaona Hotel in Meads Bay. 

This hotel was recommended to me by someone I work with as a great affordable boutique hotel offering breakfast and dinner with lunch service on the gorgeous Meads Bay beach. It sounded perfect. After check in, I was escorted to my large room overlooking the main lawn of the hotel with hammocks scattered around, the main building and one of the pools. The room was located on the ground level with a large terrace. It had a good sized bathroom and large bedroom area with mini fridge, sitting area and a very comfortable looking bed with Frette sheets AND US TV!!!1 I had not seen any US TV in weeks and embarrassingly, was missing it, especially my guilty pleasure- anything on Bravo. 

After quickly settling in, I grabbed a towel and went in search for the beach. A quick swim was needed. The beach at Anacaona is about a 5 minutes walk (slightly downhill) through the property - passing another pool, more rooms, many hammocks and a massage tent onto a dirt road and along the edge of the hotel's property and the Viceroy's property. When I had arrived at the beach , I knew this was the best decision I could have made. Let's keep in mind, the last time I took an actual vacation had been St John in 2007- yes, I have chosen a career which allows me to travel a lot but each place I go to is for work in some capacity. Here is what I saw when I arrived at the beach: HEAVEN!!!

After floating in the warm water, I returned to the room for a shower and enjoyed the sounds of the live reggae band which was performing that night in the open dining room. I was tired and went to bed early that night - just what I went to Anguilla to do! Tomorrow would be a full beach day.

The next morning, I had breakfast in the dining area (the hotel has a meal plan you can sign up for - I elected for breakfast every day and decided to have dinners outside of the hotel). The breakfast options were quite good (Eggs Benedict, fresh fruit, freshly squeezed OJ and coffee was my favorite- I am a creature of habit sometimes)- then I was off to the beach to claim a beach chair with an umbrella with a good book in my hand. 

The morning at the beach was spent reading, sunning and taking swims in the crystal clear waters- treated myself to a girly frozen drink around 11 a.m. and continued this pattern until the end of the day. Why did it take 5 years before I had a real vacation? That night, I asked the front desk if they could recommend a good Italian restaurant for dinner and asked them to make me a reservation and to call a taxi for later that night. 

Dinner was at Tramonto and I greeted in the hotel lobby by my taxi driver, Malcolm. Malcolm drove me to the restaurant and left me his card. He advised to give him a call when I was done with dinner and he would come back to collect me - I could pay when he dropped me off at the hotel. (If you do not rent a car in Anguilla, and want to leave your resort, you will need to take a taxi everywhere - this can get quite expensive). Tramonto is a very nice open air Italian restaurant located on a beach (anecdotally, Malcolm mentioned that the "Texas Ranger" lived next door - after a couple of seconds, I realized he meant Chuck Norris and not a Texas Ranger athlete). Back to dinner - I was one of two tables occupied by diners. It was the beginning of low season so that is to be expected. Enjoying a glass or two of rose, I had the calamari, the lobster ravioli and espresso followed by the complimentary limoncello. Malcolm was waiting for me at the bar (instead of having me call him) which was extremely convenient and 10 minutes later, I was back at the hotel.

The next day, breakfast again and off to the beach. My friend Charlotte was coming to join me at the hotel for a night with her two little boys from St Barth - they too needed a vacation. Charlotte and the boys arrived around 1 p.m. and we spent the afternoon on the beach, enjoyed the hammocks on the property, the pools and our terraces. Time for dinner and we went on the hunt- and hunt it truly was. There was a private party at the Anacaona that night so we decided to walk the beach to find something, thinking it would be no trouble at all. The first restaurant we came to had a wedding and were notified that the next one was closed for the night as well - so we turned around and headed for the Viceroy - again, there was a wedding so we got a taxi to take us to another restaurant which would be good for kids. We dined outside on the beach and listened to the live band inside - the kids were starving and cranky but as soon as they had food in their tummies, they perked up and had a blast in with the band. When we returned to the hotel, we were greeted by loud music and the private party still going on - so we decided to join in on the dancing. We all loved it.

The next morning I said good bye to Charlotte and the boys and headed once again (by taxi) to the ferry terminal for the fun ride back to St Martin. Today I was being met by a colleague in St Martin and would spend the day with her - learning about the island before my flight back to Boston later in the afternoon.

Anguilla is truly a wonderful island - during the low season, the prices at hotels are great, the crowds less and the beaches- phenomenal. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE St Barth, but it is like a different world and a totally different type of experience than what you have on Anguilla. I had been on St Barth for more than 3 weeks - for a stay of that length it is expensive and my high school french is not completely back (I understand a ton, but do not speak well) so to go from there to Anguilla where English is everywhere, it was system shocking. It's also a very laid back island. Everything is seems to be much slower on Anguilla. I would definitely go back to Anguilla and I would definitely go back to the Anacaona. Please let me know if I can help send you to either St Barth or Anguilla!

See more photos of my trips to St Barth and Anguilla here: http://allegrasidylls.com/photos/

Tuesday April 24, 2012
It's been a LONG time since I have updated my blog and it's well past  time to start again.
One of the reasons for my silence is that for the past year, I have been working two full time jobs - Allegra's Idylls and I also work for a villa company on the island of St Barth, called SIBARTH. Next week, I will be traveling back down to St Barth to visit with the office, meet with some of our partners and mostly, to see villas- as many as humanly possible in 3 weeks. After the St Barth  trip, I will be taking 3 nights R&R for myself on neighboring Anguilla. Look for some updates over the next few weeks about this great trip!

February 18- Vinci to Castellina a.k.a.The last leg - sadly this trip is coming to an end

February 18, 2011
Last night was a late one! I still had some work to do before bed AND pack again. I woke up and had a leisurely breakfast with Rhyan and Seth, going over what the possibilities were for their first full day exploring the countryside. Luckily, it looked like the sun was going to come out so they could explore Pisa, Lucca and Viareggio dry.
Around 10 a.m., I left Villa Dianella Fucini, said my profuse thank yous and goodbye to Samantha, goodbye to Rhyan and Seth and made my way around all of the rotaries out of Vinci and headed towards Certaldo.

Rhyan and Seth from Maine at the Villa Dianella Fucini

I found a wonderful country road with a ton of turn offs, allowing me to pull over and take some great photos!

Villa Dianella Fucini

Some photos from the road to Castellina:

Certaldo Alto

Certaldo Alto

Today, I passed through Casetlfiorentino, Certaldo, Certaldo Alto, Montespertoli, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Barberino Val d'Elsa, a tiny corner of Poggibonsi (no one needs to go through any more than this in Poggibonsi) and into Castellina in Chianti. I had a meeting with Irene at the Palazzo Squarcialupi at 3 p.m. to get the keys to my apartment in the picturesque village.

a villa before entering Castellina

I pulled into Castellina around 1:30 p.m. and found a parking space and walked in. Luckily, a pizza place was open and I ordered a Chiantigiana pizza with porcini, salame and prosciutto with a glass of house red and still water. Following lunch, I had a caffe and walked across the road to the Palazzo Squarcialupi to meet with Irene. Irene is originally from Scotland and was at the hotel (closed for the season) to do some office work and handed me the keys to the apartment next door and showed me the way. The apartment is absolutely perfect. It is located on the 2nd level (the 1st floor in Italy) above a pizza a taglio place (pizza take out and slices place) and it has a living/dining area which overlooks the main street (the village is pedestrian only) with a fireplace and a sofa bed, a fully equipped kitchen area, a few steps down and towards the back of the apartment there is a bathroom with a shower and a bedroom with a large bed (2 twins put together) AND a little terrace with a table and two chairs overlooking the Chianti hills.

Some photos of the center of Castellina:

my favorite restaurant in town - closed until March :(

Palazzo Squarcialupi - window on the 2nd floor to the right
 of the hotel is my living room window

one of the many tunnels in the village

After getting settled, I still had some daylight so I decided to go to the Crete Senesi (an area south of Siena). 

Outside of Castellina on the way to Siena - on the SS222

Fonterutoli

This area is dramatically different from the Chianti Classico area (between Florence and Siena) as the rolling hills look like you are holding a sheet and fluttering it in front of you before you fold it. The hills are more graceful here and look like wind ripples - truly gorgeous and with the setting sun, I hit it right (I apologize for all of the photos - I could not stop):

After the Crete Senesi stops, I explored the village of Monteaperti, the location of Borgo San Felice (I have some clients going there in August) and then made my way over the dirt roads to Catignano (to see a friend's house (used in the movie Stealing Beauty) and then on to Vagliagli to one of my favorite overlooks in all of Chianti:

towers of Siena (great zoom)

As the sun was getting lower in the sky, I was able to capture these:

I returned to Castellina. Parked the car and walked into the village and into my apartment for the night. It's good to be home.

Buona notte ragazzi!

from my terrace

from my terrace looking down at one of the tunnels