Villa Conti, Fauglia, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

Perched on high ground south of Pisa in the town of Fauglia, the Villa Conti is a beautifully restored villa that is now a hotel and restaurant.

Location, location, location.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and tour of the property by the generous and gracious owners, Nevio and Doris. Nevio was quite a friendly character, joined us at table, and insisted on sharing a round of shots after lunch. Wimp that I am, I passed on both the shots and the lemoncello.

From the tower room atop the hotel, a beautiful 360-degree view is available. The mountains in the distance are the group that separates the Pisa and Lucca areas.

Nearby, the town of Lorenzana basks in the warm spring sunshine.

Olive trees and other crops begin another season of growth in the rich farmland of Tuscany.

Tuscan Countryside Drive, Fauglia, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

No trip to Tuscany is complete without a drive in the countryside. On my last full day in Italy it rained on and off. The day's main activity was this drive in the countryside to the south and east of Fauglia along local roads SP21 and SP13.  It proved to be quite beautiful. The spring rains have turned the land a brilliant green.

It was difficult to drive around a curve and not see another spectacular view. The road was narrow and pull-off spots were few but one must do what one must do......

Olive groves and vineyards dotted the landscapes......

..... throughout the gently rolling fields. I'd like to see this area on a sunny day - and in the fall, too, when the fields are golden, and also in early morning when mist lies in the valleys, and also at sunset, and maybe at sunrise..........

Young olive trees in the foreground. Rows are about 5 meters apart to anticipate the size of the mature trees.

A vineyard and olive grove lead up to the farm house.

A small village is hidden in the woods down this lane.

It's a good thing the day was cloudy and rainy, under a sunny sky, the green may have been too bright to behold.

Here's another benefit of being a point-and-shooter - I can hold an umbrella and a camera at the same time when making pictures in the rain. (Image courtesy of Amy).

Yes, I really do wonder what this place would look like in the golden light of fall.

A view from the small town of Lorenzana.

You astute readers may note that I missed the perfect iconic view of the rows of parallel Italian cypress trees leading to an isolated hillock with a small house on top but, I don't feel cheated at all.  When I consider how little of Tuscany I have seen in these three short weeks, I am eager in anticipation of what other beauties and wonders await me on a future visit(s). Next year? Or, maybe in the fall when everything is a golden color? Hmmmmm? 

Fauglia, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

For our last few nights in Italy, we moved from Lucca to Fauglia, a small town south of Pisa. The property was described as a converted chapel but those two apartments were already occupied so the owners offered us the converted orangerie, La Limonaia.  It sounded intriguing.  Upon arrival, the driveway led past a huge castle built in 1607 that the owners were lovingly restoring. The entire hilltop property included the castle, chapel, orangerie and another 3 story building attached to the castle in which they lived. (An orangerie was originally a building for wintering citrus trees during the 17th to 19th centuries). In 26 years, the owners have finished restoring four separate self-catering rental units in the chapel and orangerie, their own living quarters, and are well on the way to finishing work on the castle. During World War II, the German SS occupied the castle until liberated by the Americans. The restoration is an impressive life's work and I wish them well.

The former orangerie is now a rental property - a one bedroom loft with living room, kitchen and bath.

The inside of the restored structure still retains many of the original surfaces. The tall windows were designed to maximize the southern exposure for light.

We walked down the driveway in the early evening light to town to have dinner at a local restaurant.

And after dinner, we walked on to a villa at the town's highest point. Fauglia stretches along the spine of a low mountain ridge. 

As the sun set, it was time to move inside the villa .......

......to enjoy a live performance by a pianist and opera singer in an intimate setting.  I am not a big opera fan but, experiencing it live and up close performed by these two musicians was powerful - I'd definitely like to see/hear more. I enjoyed our stay in Fauglia - it was a quiet respite from the vibrant city life of Lucca - and a good starting point for a drive in the Tuscan countryside as tomorrow's blog post will describe.