A garden alive with mystery! Overgrown and forgotten for centuries, except by the sheep-herders who grazed their flocks among the statues, the Park of Monsters was rediscovered by Salvador Dali. Creatures carved from the living rock seemed to spring from the unconscious … Continue reading
My traveling shoes are ready! Looking at photos from our February 2015 retreat, I remember our anticipation and excitement when we arrived in Rome. The kindness of strangers provided this photo of us surrounded by our supplies for the retreat. … Continue reading
In the mouth of the monster. . . . Creative duality. Opposites opening up options. Beauty and terror, light and darkness, opening and closing. Do our fears swallow us or do we use our inner strength to find a … Continue reading
Beauty heals my soul! Experiencing Beauty in nature, in a garden, in a smile, is like water to a thirsty woman. Sometimes I don’t realize how dehydrated I am until I start to drink. My goal in starting The … Continue reading
I love these healing waters! We took some time from visiting gardens and doing art meditation to visit Bulicame. People have soaked in these natural hot springs for thousands of years. Dante mentions the hot springs in his writing. Popes and … Continue reading
Enjoy a unique vista from any window in our villa. A room with a view! Awake each morning to your personal view of Italy – ever changing, ever eternal. The light, celebrated by painters for hundreds of years. Look out over … Continue reading
What lies beyond the gate? Italian gardens celebrate transitions between one part of the garden and the next – separating and linking simultaneously. How do you celebrate the transitions in life? Do you take the time to honor your transitions … Continue reading
One day we visited an ancient Italian hill town, built up over time with layers of lives. Etruscan lived here and hollowed out wells, storage and dwellings in the porous rock. Romans march through these valleys and medieval lords … Continue reading
How much do I love Italy? Let me count the ways: the fresh and healthy food, the ever-changing sky, the medieval hill towns, the natural earth tones of the stone walls and roofs, the patina of age on the … Continue reading
In 1904, Italian Villas and Their Gardens by Edith Wharton was published. She had spend part of her childhood in Italy and had just build her private home and garden (The Mount) in the Berkshires based on lessons learned in … Continue reading