West Wales

Posted on October 7, 2016 by kathy

Following our exploration of Cilgerran castle, we found a lovely place for lunch in nearby Cardigan.

1-castle-kitchen-restaurant

I thought it would be nice to buy a cardigan in Cardigan, but I didn’t. Instead, we strolled along the River Teifi

2-river-teifi 3-river-teifi

before continuing our drive north. Not far from Aberystwyth was our inviting B&B, Awel-Deg, at Capel Bangor.

4-awel-deg

The views were stunning across the gorgeous Rheidol Valley.

5-rheidol-valley 6-rheidol-valley

We walked to the Tynllidiart Arms for dinner

7-tynllidiart-arms

and sampled ales brewed at the smallest commercial brewery in the world. Bragdy Gwynant is a five foot square former men’s toilet where, since 2004, beers have been brewed for the Tynllidiart Arms.

8-bragdy-gwynant

The next morning, we detoured to Devil’s Bridge. There are actually three bridges built on top of each other, the oldest dating back to the 11^th century. The stone bridge was then built in 1753 when the original became unstable and the most recent iron bridge was constructed in 1901.

9-devils-bridge

The bridge is at a point where, before reaching the River Rheidol, the River Mynach drops 90 metres down a steep and narrow ravine.

10-devils-bridge

As we descended the steps

the bridge rose above us.

13-devils-bridge

At the bottom, the water created wonderful waterfalls as it cascaded through the confines of the gorge.

14-devils-bridge 15-devils-bridge 16-devils-bridge

According to legend, the original bridge was built by the Devil. He was visiting Wales and came across a lady whose cow had wandered across the river and she couldn’t get her back. He offered to build a bridge in return for the soul of the first living thing to cross the bridge. The next morning, the lady returned but she tricked the Devil by throwing bread so her dog went across first. The Devil wasn’t happy and was never seen in Wales again.

17-devils-bridge

We continued our drive north through Snowdonia National Park, 823 square miles of stunning landscapes,

18-snowdonia 19-snowdonia

as we headed for the coast.

Villa Reale di Marlia

Posted on October 1, 2016 by kathy

After a morning strolling around the grounds of Villa Grabeau, followed by another delicious Tuscan lunch, we found our way to Villa Reale.

1-entrance-copy

In 1806, the sister of Napoleon, Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, purchased the 16^th century villa for her country residence.

2-villa-reale-di-marlia 3-villa-reale-di-marlia

She also acquired other neighbouring properties, including Villa del Vescovo.

4-villa-del-vescovo 5-villa-del-vescovo

The sweeping lawns and lake were breathtaking.

As we walked around the villa

9-villa-del-vescovo 13-villa-del-vescovo

we discovered the Italian Renaissance garden

10-italian-garden

and the abandoned inner courtyard.

14-inner-courtyard 15-inner-courtyard

There were some surprising smaller buildings like the summer house

and chapel.

The nymphaeum (sacred place of the nymphs), is dedicated to the god Pan.

Built around 1580, the circular grotto has a domed roof with a single opening at the top.

25-grotta-del-dio-pan

Nestling within niches in the interior limestone wall are the statue of Pan

26-grotta-del-dio-pan

along with disturbing sea figures and gargoyles.

The art deco influenced Spanish Garden was created in 1924 when the park underwent restoration.

34-giardino-spagnolo

The Palazzina dell’Orologio waited majestically at the end of the avenue

40-palazzina-dellorologio

as we made our way to the 17^th century Lemon Garden where more than two hundred citrus trees surround four magnificent magnolias

41-giardino-dei-limoni

At one end, the fountain of the Three Graces is set in a semicircle of rustic mosaics.

42-giardino-dei-limoni

At the opposite end is a large fishpond bordered by a marble balustrade.

43-giardino-dei-limoni 44-giardino-dei-limoni

Two statues of giants, representing the Arno and Serchio rivers, spill urns into the pond

45-giardino-dei-limoni

while Leda and the Swan keep watch from their niche.

We continued on to the atrium of the Green Theatre with it’s beautiful fountain

49-atrio-del-teatro-della-verzura

and statues.

50-atrio-del-teatro-della-verzura

A natural theatre formed by yew hedges, the Teatro di Verzura was created in 1652. The semi-circular stage has a series of wings 5.5m high and the spherical bushes at the front imitate footlights.

51-teatro-di-verzura

Surrounding the grass stage are terracotta statues of Columbine, Pantaloon and Punchinello.

After a closer look at the 17^th century Clock Palace,

54-palazzini-dellorologio 55-palazzini-dellorologio

we descended the steps

56-teatro-dacqua

to the spectacular Teatro d’Acqua. Water pours from the mouths of five masks around the semi-circular pool,

57-teatro-dacqua 58-teatro-dacqua

the Grotto fountain is a marvellous centrepiece.

59-teatro-dacqua

Statues of Jupiter, Saturn, Adonis and Pomona

overlook the pool and immaculate gardens beyond.

63-teatro-dacqua 64-teatro-dacqua

In 2015 the Villa Reale Di Marlia was sold to a couple from Switzerland. The 18,000sq m building on 19ha of land is going to be turned in a luxury hotel.

Cilgerran Castle

Posted on September 23, 2016 by kathy

There are many medieval castles throughout Britain but Cilgerran Castle is unusual in that it was built with one side directly onto a cliff face.

1-cilgerran-castle 2-cilgerran-castle

The existing ruin dates back to the 13^th century, although there was first mention of a structure on this site as early as 1165.

3-cilgerran-castle

Having withstood many battles and changes of ownership, the castle was left to ruin in 1400.

4-cilgerran-castle 5-cilgerran-castle

The castle is in a stunning position high above the Teifi Gorge.

6-cilgerran-castle

We spent some time wandering around, admiring the workmanship of a past age.

9-cilgerran-castle

14-cilgerran-castle

We could almost hear the clamour of chain mail echoing from the stairwell.

15-cilgerran-castle

The views over the Pembrokeshire countryside were spectacular.

16-pembrokeshire

Across the gorge, Coedmore Mansion rested peacefully within the woodland.

17-coedmore-mansion

The gorgeous early 19^th century country house was, sadly, divided into flats in 1990.

Benabbio church

Posted on September 16, 2016 by kathy

The Benabbio church, Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, was first opened in the year 1336.

2-bell-tower

The beautiful stone buildings grace the piazza of the same name.

8-piazza

There is a monument commemorating a thousand years from 983 to 1983.

10-monument

Behind the church is a former chapel which has been converted to a museum

11-museum

housing religious objects hundreds of years old. One evening before dinner, we were privileged to have a guided tour of the museum, not normally open to the public.

This statue was carved out of a hollow tree trunk in the 13th century

16-statue

and the back of this one is an old wooden door.

These two wooden statues, representing the annunciation, were carved in 1394 and are in surprisingly good condition.

19-the-annunciation

Some of the expressions on the faces within this altar were quite disturbing.

20-altar

I like the floor tiles with reference to brothers and sisters.

The church was beautiful with the late afternoon sun creating a peaceful ambience.

28-chiesa 29-chiesa

The carved and painted triptych hanging over the altar was made in 1469.

30-chiesa

The church is floodlit at night, a tradition in Italy even out in the countryside and mountains.

Talley Abbey

Posted on September 9, 2016 by kathy

As we continued our exploration of Wales, we travelled through the stunning countryside

1-brecon-beacons

of the Brecon Beacons.

3-brecon-beacons 2-brecon-beacons

The view from this bridge in the morning light was gorgeous.

4-brecon-beacons 5-brecon-beacons 6-brecon-beacons 7-brecon-beacons

We even found our dream renovation project.

8-brecon-beacons

Llwyn-On reservoir is the largest of the three reservoirs in the Taf Farw Valley. Completed in 1926, the 150 acre reservoir is a popular fishing spot.

9-llwyn-0n-reservoir