Tuesday, February 16, 2010

IL Borro, a Tuscan Estate





Tucked among the sun drenched Tuscan hillsides of vineyards, olive trees, pastures and steep ridges, just south of Florence is IL Borro, a beautiful estate with an enchanting medieval hamlet, a majestic villa and Italian gardens, stables and a wine cellar lined with oak barrels for aging wine all lovingly and authentically restored by the current owner, the Ferragamo family. We were fortunate enough to share this experience with Steve and Mary who bid on this experience through a charity auction - lucky us! It was a magical place and the perfect get away for Valentine's Weekend.
























We stayed in the medieval village in one of the apartments, number 16 for future reference. The stone houses are snuggled along steep narrow streets high on a hill and have been restored in the traditional style, with trussed ceilings, fireplaces and sturdy Tuscan furniture.....the atmosphere was so peaceful. Tucked among the houses is the village church used for weddings and several old craftsmen's shops with master artisans skilled in pottery, jewelry, glass, and wood. We enjoyed breakfast every morning and two special dinners at the IL Borro Osteria where Maurcio took very good care of us! He worked hard trying to translate all the ingredients for us but sometimes you just have to enjoy the experience - even if it taste like soap! Maybe it was lavender on the pork!









Wine is taken very seriously in Tuscany and in 1995, Sallvatore Ferragamo's passion for wine led to the rebirth of it's production. We enjoyed a few bottles during our stay and had some shipped to London to remind us of our enchanted weekend in IL Borro!

Tomorrow ....shopping!

2 comments:

A Tale of Two Cities said...

This weekend looks enchanting. I can't wait to hear more about it.

Debi

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Bella~Bella!
I just looks beautiful. I hope you have enough pictures to last all week.