A TUSCAN VILLA

We set off this morning to buy bottles for olive oil. It's a long drive and a reminder of how bad Italian roads are. No wonder the shock absorbers on our car are in ruins. The place has thousands and thousands of bottles, all sealed up in plastic on pallets, but not the kind Himself needed. Come back Wednesday.

I saw a sign that said "Villa Mansi" with an arrow and I decided to see if I could get a shot of it through the gate. There was a sign for parking. It was open! We rang the gate bell but nobody answered. I trickled in and snapped pics of everything. I have seen pictures of formal Italian gardens but never one for real. At first I was in awe. There was a stepped waterway leading to a fountain and then down to a really big fountain. There were statues everywhere. The wind roared in the massive trees. Then suddenly, I realized it was all falling apart.

New gravel has been put down on all of the paths. I think they are getting ready to open to the public or have, already. If you open your villa to the public for several months of the year, the government will contribute to the upkeep. Good deal. Obviously, however, the government does not provide enough and not enough of the public pays to see it because the place is in very bad shape. The villa, itself, looks in good nick but the beautiful medieval stables with vaulted ceilings has a roof falling in. It is said that the horses had more beautiful buildings than the people, themselves. I can believe it. Other buildings have boarded up windows and are caving in.

I knew, when I took this picture that it would be the one I would use. It is a very charming statue. There is one of his wife on the other side of the path but she is not as pretty. I have added pictures for a quick tour of a small portion of the gardens:

The villa Mansi.

Large fountain.

Full statue.

Had a fabulous lunch at a working man's trattoria on the way back. Huge portions, great home cooking, cheap. Might make the dreaded trip back on Wednesday if we can have lunch there again.

For the record: +9 C. Sunny. Strong, bitter wind. Snow on the mountains.