Ossaia

Posted on March 29, 2017 by kathy

After a lazy afternoon at Il Castagno, we decided to dine in the nearby town of Ossaia. Rather than driving, we walked the easy 2km on a perfect spring evening.

1.road to Ossaia

The countryside was peaceful, scattered with gorgeous rustic farmhouses.

2.chapel 3.farmhouse 4.farmhouse 5.farmhouse

Ossaia literally means boneyard. There are apparently thousands of Roman soldiers who were defeated by Hannibal in 217BC at the Battle of Trasimeno, buried under the town.

The small community was enchanting, with some beautiful homes.

8.town 9.town

I’m not sure about this driveway, though.

10.town

La Tufa had been recommended to us and we found it easily.

11.La Tufa

We wandered through

to the inviting restaurant

14.La Tufa

but on this warm night we opted for a table outside.

15.La Tufa

The pizzas were delicious

and we had just enough room for nonna tart and flaming crème brulee.

19.flaming creme brulee

The walk home was a little slower.

Isle of Skye

Posted on March 22, 2017 by kathy

We hadn’t planned ahead for our trip through Scotland, preferring to see where each day ended. Late October is not the height of the tourist season, however, arriving on the Isle of Skye we found accommodation scarce. We were very fortunate to find a room at Uig Hotel, a beautiful old coaching inn dating back to 1831.

1.Uig Hotel

We settled in at the bar to enjoy some local beverages. A Red Cuillin ale for Michael, brewed locally since 1995 and a Talisker single malt for me from the only distillery on the Isle of Skye. We absorbed the stunning view of Uig Bay and Loch Snizort.

2.Uig Bay 3.Loch Snizort

The tower in our sights was a 19^th century folly, known as Fraser’s Folly. The tenants of Kilmuir Estate, owned by Major William Fraser in 1855, would go to the folly to pay their rents. The tower was later turned into a family home and eventually abandoned in the 1950s.

4.Fraser's Folly

We enjoyed a superb meal in The Folly restaurant at the hotel, Michael honouring his Scottish roots with a main course of venison haggis. The next morning, we awoke to severe stormy weather. We had decided to explore the island in an anticlockwise direction and see where the road led, we weren’t going to let the elements stop us. The camera stayed safely tucked away until we came across Sligachan Bridge.

5.Sligachan Bridge

Built in the 1820s, it was taking quite a beating from the waters whipped up by the gale force winds.

6.upstream

Apparently, the views of the Black Cuillin mountains are spectacular on a clear day. Legend has it that if you dip your face in the river water by the bridge for seven seconds, you will stay young and beautiful forever. I certainly wasn’t going to try on this day.

7.downstream

Eilean Donan castle

Posted on March 7, 2017 by kathy

Leaving Ben Nevis behind, we drove north through the Highlands, our destination the Isle of Skye. On the way, we stopped to explore Eilean Donan castle.

1.Eilean Donan Castle

The island of Donan, at the meeting point of Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long was settled by Irish Saint, Bishop Donan in 634AD. The first fortified castle was built in the mid 13^th century to protect the area from Viking invasion.

2.Eilean Donan Castle

It was partially destroyed in the Jacobite uprising in 1719 and then lay in ruins for nearly 200 years. Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911, restored the castle over the next twenty years and added the bridge.

3.Eilean Donan Castle

The scenery was breathtaking, even on an overcast day.

4.Loch Long

Entering through the majestic doorway,

5.Entrance

we spent some time wandering through the restored interior, I photographed these Viking sculptures before realizing photography wasn’t permitted.

6.Viking sculptures

The exterior has been lovingly resurrected, I can see why it took twenty years.

7.Eilean Donan Castle 8.Eilean Donan Castle

The castle is still owned by the MacRae family. The Clan MacRae War Memorial commemorates the 423 members of the Clan MacRae who died in World War l, including Lieutenant Colonel John McRae who wrote the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’.

9.Clan MacRae War Memorial & Field Guns

In stark contrast to the castle’s history, there was a sense of serenity about the misty waters.

10.Eilean Donan Castle 11.Eilean Donan Castle 12.Eilean Donan Castle

The bridge across Loch Long, built in 1990, connects the nearby villages of Dornie and Ardelve.

13.Dornie bridge

Scotland’s national flag, The Saltire, stands proudly at the perimeter of the castle. The patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew, was apparently crucified on an X shaped cross, hence, the white saltire on a background of azure blue sky.

14.Eilean Donan Castle

Montepulciano

Posted on February 28, 2017 by kathy

It was after siesta before we reached Montepulciano, another town I had longed to visit. Renowned for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a red wine produced in the surrounding vineyards, it is also a major producer of cheese, pork, lentils and honey. Entering at Porta al Prato,

1-town-wall 2-porta-al-prato

it wasn’t long before the magic of this ancient town revealed itself.

3-belltower 4-montepulciano 5-montepulciano

The 16^th century Palazzo Avignonesi has a handsome smiling lions head either side of the entrance.

The intricate façade of Palazzo Bucelli is made up of sculptures, added in the early 1700s. Etruscan tombstone fragments, funerary urns and frieze plaques combine to create a magnificent feature.

8-palazzo-bucelli

Chiesa di Sant’ Agostino was built in 1285AD and was completely renovated in the 15^th century.

11-chiesa-di-sant-agostino

Above the imposing doorway is a beautiful carved portal featuring the Virgin and Child flanked by St. John and St. Augustine.

The shops were enticing

15-il-canestro 16-shops

and the sight of a bus traversing the narrow streets seemed out of place.

17-bus

We explored as much as we could in the time we had

19-street

20-steps

and our final discovery was the oldest shop in Montepulciano.

21-oldest-shop

It was superbly rustic with fabulous leather goods beckoning from every nook.

22-oldest-shop 23-oldest-shop

The clock had beaten us and after a last gelati indugence, we made our way back to Il Castagno.

Montalcino

Posted on February 14, 2017 by kathy

Montalcino is another gorgeous hill town in Tuscany, not far from Sant’ Antimo Abbey. Dating back to 814 AD, the town is renowned for its precious Brunello red wine. After parking the car, my first image was this beautiful bell tower.

1-santa-maria-del-soccorso