The Scottsdale architectural firm of Candelaria Design Associates is one of the premier luxury residential architecture firms in the country. Enjoy our blog which features our work, our travel, our recipes, wines, tips on design and decorating, and the lives of our clients and employees, etc.....its all the ingredients for the Candelaria Design Lifestyle. Contact Candelaria Design to start your dream residence 602-604-2001!
I think this is day 2 - but we never ended day 1 so I'm not sure what day it is or where we are. I know we have been traveling now for 24 hours! Everyone is going with the flow but frankly Delta has some issues! First we had to switch planes in Atlanta as the hydraulic system and landing gear were faulty. So with the two hour delay there we missed our connecting flight in Amsterdam where I am now writing to you.
Now they are rerouting us through Paris but our flight here in Amsterdam is now delayed due to our jet not arriving on time! It looks like we will now be missing our connecting flight in Paris and hence not getting to Florence this evening. We won't know our fate for sure until we get to Paris. I suppose if I am going to be stuck some place, Paris is not a bad choice.
So we have been catching some sleep here in Amsterdam and mixing in a little champagne....not a bad combo for jet lag. We have been trying to get a direct flight to Florence but our bags are headed to Paris and we have to follow our bags due to security issues. Well, we will carry on and see where this Day 1 / Day 2 adventure leads us! Stay tuned!
Today we start our 9th Candelaria Design Tour Italy! We just hit 10,000 feet as we are flying over eastern Arizona on our way to Florence, Italy. Eight of my travelers all met at our gate in Phoenix and two of my travelers are departing from the east coast and meeting us in Florence tomorrow morning.
Everyone was up early and I think most of us are still half asleep but you can definitely feel the excitement in everyone and I know we all just want to get there and get the trip underway. I like to break the flight up so instead of flying directly to Rome we stop somewhere on the east coast for a few hours to grab some dinner, stretch, walk-around, make those last calls and emails and then we catch a flight over the ocean during the evening hours which makes it a lot easier to sleep. We arrive in Amsterdam ready to go, where we will enter the Eurozone and go through customs and then its a short flight over France and the Swiss Alps and then we drop down to Florence. We arrive around noon tomorrow!
We will do our best to post daily and we hope you live vicariously through our blog and Facebook Page. LIKE our page while you are there.
We begin the Candelaria Design Tour Italy 2012 trip this Wednesday! We have a fun group going with travelers coming from both ends of this country - LA to South Carolina and of course many from Arizona.
We leave early Wednesday morning and arrive in Florence, Italy this Thursday! I have three people who have been to Italy before but most have never been to Europe. So I am very exited to share this trip with them. This is our 9th Candelaria Design Tour and over that course of time we have really fine tuned this trip. Our travelers this year are in for a real treat and what a great way to experience something like this for the first time. There are no bad stops, no bad restaurants, and every day is planned out so nothing is wasted and your time in Italy is maximized.
People ask me all the time, why do you do this trip? That's a good question and I have thought about it from many different angles and reasons. Really, I love taking people on this journey because of the joy I receive in seeing how it has changed people's lives and most importantly how they go about living each day of their lives. I try and stress this on the trip to observe the Italian culture, their stress on wonderful meals with family and friends, beauty, singing, and their unique perspective on time and of course their unparalleled passion for everything - even the simplest things can evoke an amazing operatic production or expression. It's beautiful and this beauty is something I hope to infuse into my travelers and inspire them to act this out every day once back home. I am happy to say, I have heard back from so many of my travelers and repeat travelers - who I guess need a little refill - that this trip has changed their life and perspective on how to live each day and make the simplest things they do each day more beautiful and meaningful. That's it - plain and simple!
Every trip is truly an adventure and I have learned so much about myself over the course of these trips. What is nice about travel is it forces us out of our comfort zone. Add the visual and sensory stimulation a place like Italy, and especially Tuscany and Umbria provides, and you cannot help but realize the rut everyday life can put you in. This trip and this place in essence wakes me up and I love watching it awaken my travelers. The landscape and architecture, the language, the smells, and needless to say the tastes - every sense is stimulated and awakened. I find myself, upon return, trying to keep this awakened state of living life alive and ongoing and so this trip is also about doing just that.
With all of the adventures, stories, photographs, and recipes I have collected over the last 8 tours over 12 years I am putting this all together in a new book I will be publishing this fall. Stay tuned for details! Meanwhile, follow our journey here on the blog and on our Candelaria Design Tour Italy Facebook page at
We look forward to a great trip and sharing it with you. Please join us in 2013 as we are tentatively set to depart Phoenix on September 4th and will return on September 17th. We are already filling spots so plan ahead and sign up now!
Well that was a fast first half of the year! We have been very busy at Candelaria Design and we are very excited with everything that is happening.
First and foremost we are getting reedy for our Candelaria Design Tour Italy 2012!!! We have a great group going this year from clients, to vendors, to some Candelaria Design fans who all share the intrigue of Italy! We do have two spots still open for this trip and with our departure of August 22nd - you still have time to join us. This is our ninth tour and my 12th trip to Italy so we have sifted through a lot to make this the best experience of several remarkable places and aspects of Italy.
The trip runs $6k per person as a couple and $7650 as a single traveler - however, I do have a single traveler and a couple others wanting to come at the couple rate so if you are thinking of joining us let me know and we can pair you up. The cost covers your round trip coach airfare, hotels, country houses, rental car, cooking class, and wine tour, and a few of our special dinners during the trip. If you have miles or want to upgrade your airfare we will credit the coach price against your total cost. We accept, VISA, MC and AMEX so you can earn miles with your miles!
If you have never been to Italy - this is the trip to spread your wings and test the water because everything is taken care of and arranged - you just show up. We depart Phoenix on August 22nd, and we currently have travelers coming from LA and South Carolina so your starting and ending location is not an issue. We arrive in Florence on August 23rd and spend three days and two nights in this fabulous city of the Renaissance. We kick things off while in Florence with an amazing 6 course dinner at the Villa San Michele http://www.villasanmichele.com/web/ovil/villa_san_michele.jsp designed by no other than Michelangelo himself.
We then grab our rental cars and drive to our country house compound in Umbria. We spend 7 days in this beautiful corner of Italy and use our country compound as our base to explore Umbria and Tuscany. We kick off our country adventure with a fabulous brunch at the Villa Piazzano in Tuscany. http://www.villadipiazzano.com/?r=4075004&gclid=CIfYqJmQi7ECFQoZQgodtkdJTg From Assisi, Deruta and Perugia in Umbria to Montepulciano, Montalcino, Cortona, Siena, San Gimignano and Arezzo in Tuscany we cover a lot of ground all guided by me personally. Our time in Umbria includes a cooking class right in the kitchen of our country compound and a wine tour that is always first class and most informative. We coordinate the shipping of all of your purchases along the way.
We then end the trip by driving across Tuscany and up the coast to Santa Margherita, Portofino, and the Cinque Terre where we will spend a couple days enjoying this most picturesque part of Italy. We return to Phoenix on September 4th.
People ask me all the time why I do this....??? Well, because it is the one place that has inspired me more than any place I have ever been. Of course I love the architecture, style, food, and wine but what I really love is the way of life and how the Italians relish and thrive on just living. Enjoying everything from a fabulous dinner with family and friends to just savoring a cappuccino one-on-one with a good friend in a piazza watching life walk by. It is that simple and it is something I try and bring back with me each time I go. I never get tired of it and I love returning to the same areas each time, learning more and meeting more people who have all become wonderful friends over the years.
I love sharing this trip and adventure with my friends here in the US - especially those who have never been to Italy or Europe. It is a life changing experience for everyone who has come. I have had many return with me including a couple on this year's trip. I have had a couple buy a house right down the street from where we stay in Umbria and to this day still have a townhouse in Cortona.
I encourage you to join us and round out our trip. If you are in the design/construction industry or a vendor the trip is total research and it will definitely have a positive impact on your business! Call us for details and book with us now. A special thanks to those going this year and those who have traveled with us in the past. You know what I am talking about. Our Pre-Trip party is set for this Thursday, July 12th, at 6pm at our office. If you are thinking about it this year or even in the future or if you are a past traveler, you are more than welcome to join us. RSVP to our office at 602-604-2001 and share in the fun and anticipation by liking our Candelaria Design Tour Italy Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CandelariaTourItaly
Happy Holidays to you all! We close out 2011 and look back
at a busy year and we look ahead to what 2012 will bring.
2011 was a busy year for all of us at Candelaria Design. We
saw several great projects begin and several complete. We’ve had our ups and
our downs but we continue moving forward in always doing our best to design
beautiful homes that hopefully “Enhance our Clients’ Lifestyles.”
Casa Candelaria
First, thank you for all the goodies and bottles of wine. It
is always appreciated but definitely not necessary. We are so blessed and
really, we have enough popcorn balls and peanut brittle to last till July. This
year instead of sending gifts to all of the current and past clients, vendors,
builders, subs, etc…. we are donating a day at St. Mary’s Food Bank as we did
during our first years whereby we will sort and package food for them which in
turn feeds hundreds of families just from our one day effort. We will let you
all know the date and we encourage you to come join us. It is a very fun and
especially rewarding day.
Zona Verde - 2011 Gold Nugget Award
A few highlights from 2011 include receiving the Gold
Nuggett Award for 2011 for the Best Custom Home over 6500 sf at the Pacific
Coast Builder’s Conference in San Francisco in June of this year. This award
was given to our Zona Verde home in Paradise Valley that we designed for two
lovely clients who have been so appreciative and gracious. We again want to
thank our great team, Builder Desert Start Construction; Landscape Architects,
Berghoff Design Group; Lighting Designer Walter Spitz and Creative Design in
Lighting, and Interior Designer, Vallone Design. I also must thank two special
people on this project, Jim Smith of Serve the Nation who ran the show and kept
us all heading down the right design direction; and my project architect, Jeff
Kramer, who made it all happen!
Extreme Home Tour Entry Courtyard
Extreme Home Tour Living Room
Extreme Home Tour BunkHouse
We were featured on the Extreme Home Tour by Phoenix Home
and Garden Magazine in November for our
lovely Spanish Colonial Estate in Paradise Valley again for two wonderful
clients who offered their home for the tour to raise money for the Heard
Museum. Yet another fabulous dream team, Builder Greg Hunt of GM Hunt
Construction, Landscape Greg Trutza of New Directions in Landscaping, Lighting
by Creative Designs in Lighting and Interiors by Patty Burdick of Wiseman and
Gale. This is the fourth home we have had on this tour over the last five years!
We were fortunate to be featured in Phoenix Home and
Garden Magazine several times including
three covers this year alone and also received nice coverage in LUXE Magazine
for a number of our homes. We greatly appreciate their continued coverage of
our work.
The year saw several wonderful projects completed which is
always so rewarding for us to see our clients’ live in their dream home. What a
joy it is to hear their stories and as many of you know, I love the opportunity
to then come in and cook for you or with you in that new kitchen! From homes in
Idaho to homes here in Arizona we saw a lot of projects wrap up and had some
really good times at those open house celebrations!
Parlor Interior of Yuma Farm house
MRA Custom Homes Open House Event
Yuma Farm Estate House
Framing underway in Silverleaf Home
Paradise Valley Estate Home
Arcadia French Country Manor House
We also have started some great projects this year and we
are very excited about what we have on the boards. The years have been lean and
we are fortunate to keep it all going. We currently have two exciting projects
underway or just ready to break ground in California, a fabulous home under construction
in Idaho, and some renovations going in New Mexico, Tucson, and Colorado – not
to mention several amazing projects here in Arizona. We are designing homes for
clients from Chicago, Ohio, New England, New York, Texas, and Canada. It is so
much fun to see them all get excited about their new homes.
Candelaria Design also had a lot happening with our staff.
We had a member of our staff get married and then welcome a new baby! We have a
member of our staff with a baby on the way! We added a new member to our team
in November, Damon Wake, and brought back an original member, Meara Perrin.
They have been great additions as we head into 2012. Damon comes to us via
Cornell University and is the nephew of one of our clients. He has already
brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to our team. Many of you remember Meara
who came on board this Fall and is running the front desk and directing our
Marketing. She has several great ideas going forward into 2012 including a
revamped website and some apps forthcoming that I think clients and fans will
find useful, creative, interactive and fun. Overall, I love my team and thanks
to all of you for putting up with me! Every day is definitely an adventure.
St. James Tavern London
Picadilly Circus - London
London at Night
Santa Fe
Espanola, New Mexico
Glacier National Park
Our last ski trip with our late friend Dave Reinsch (center) in Park City
Dukes Hotel - London
Santa Fe
This year we had trips to London, New York, LA, Park City, Montana, Colorado,
Houston, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, LaJolla, and Idaho just to name a few. The
Italy Trip 2012 is set for May 30th – June 11th with an
extension option to Paris for three days and three nights…..More details to
follow. The response for the trip has been overwhelming so we are now
potentially planning a fall trip too!
My girls at the Farmer's Market - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Getting ready for the Parada del Sol - Scottsdale.
Meanwhile, we keep working and drawing away. I manage to put
in my 60-80 hours a week, I attempt to keep up with my two younger daughters,
Sophia 6 and Isabella 9, and my oldest daughter, Tiffany, who just was awarded
the Trailblazer of the month at the Westin Kierland Resort! And then there was
Dancing with the Stars for the Arizona Kidney Foundation last February, and
also my time with the Scottsdale Charros and our rides and San Francico Giant
spring training. So we are always busy.
Dancing with the Stars
Finally, I want to thank my lovely Isabel who has really
helped me through this year that included back surgery at the end of April,
moving several times, and just always being there for me during this crazy
year. She truly is my angel.
Isabel and I at the Ivy in LA
Well, that’s a quick rundown. I’m exhausted and ready to get
a little rest before we kick it in gear and get ready for 2012. I wish everyone
the best – we are always there for you whether as your architect or as your
friend. God bless you all.
Welcome to October!!! I think we all breathe a sign of
relief from the long summer when the calendar flips to October. It’s my
favorite month of the year – cooler weather for sure, fall, football, World
Series, and winter visitors falling in love with Arizona!
Thank you for your readership of our Candelaria Design
Lifestyle blog. Over 12,000 readers thus far with over 1050 viewers last
month. So thank you for checking
in and we will do our best to add some great material in the months ahead.
MRA Morning Glory Estate Lot 2
This month we have two wonderful events coming up – both
having to do with our client MRA Custom Homes http://www.mrahomes.com/
. Construction is nearing completion on these two $10 million homes we have
recently designed for MRA on their beautiful subdivision located on Morning
Glory just north of Mockingbird in Paradise Valley. On October 16th
we are proud to have these two homes included on the AIA Phoenix Metro Home
Tour http://aia-phoenixmetro.org/architecture-month/home-tour-2011/.
The tour is a self guided tour and will feature several homes of all different
styles throughout the Valley and runs from 10am – 5pm and costs only $25.00 and
benefits the American Institute of Architects.
MRA Morning Glory Estate Lot 3
The second event includes an exclusive invite only party at
the homes on the evening of October 21st followed by an
open-to-the-public Open House weekend on October 22nd and 23rd
from 12 noon to 5 pm.
MRA Morning Glory Lot 2 Kitchen
My relationship with MRA started in 1999 when they
approached me while I was still at CCBG Architects to design their new spec
home on Desert Fairways Drive in Paradise Valley. When I decided to start
Candelaria Design later that year, they chose to follow me and were one of my
first clients. We both fondly reminisce many times of our first meetings at my
dining table in my condo and working out the design details all by hand on my
drafting table. The home we designed with them drew wonderful attention for
both of our companies and profitably sold allowing them to have Candelaria
Design create two more homes followed by three more homes, and now these two
homes all over a course of the last 12 years. Both of our companies have a
great respect for each other and a commitment to quality and creativity in
design and construction that clearly shows in these homes.
Aerial View of MRA Morning Glory Estates
The two homes on Morning Glory represent a culmination of
the 12 years of our collaboration and both homes are on the one hand very
similar in execution and quality but very different in style. One home is a
formal Mediterranean Estate the other a French Country Chateau. Beautiful
materials adorn both homes, from carved limestone to custom roof tiles, and
both are landscaped impeccably by Berghoff Design Group http://www.berghoffdesign.com/ who
has also been a key component in the execution of these homes over the last 12
years. The homes are also green in that they are constructed with insulated
concrete block, foam spray insulation at the roofs, double insulated windows,
and solar panels discreetly positioned on the homes to reduce the overall
energy consumption.
MRA Morning Glory Estate Lot 2
The MRA quality is clearly shown in these homes and I
encourage you to attend these events. You will be rewarded with a visual
experience that I hope will inspire you and give you a fabulous sneak peek of these homes that will
surely be marquis homes in
Paradise Valley.
PR & Press
October is turning out to be another great month for PR and
Press. Check out the newly released issue of LUXE Magazine and the beautiful
home featured that was designed by my associate, Vivian Ayala. This is a
beautiful project she spearheaded and we appreciate the attention this home is
receiving. More to follow on this feature!
Dream Home to be featured on Phx Home and Garden Tour - Nov 6th
As noted last month stay tuned also for the November issue
of Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine, as
one of our homes will be featured in the Dream Homes Extreme Tour to be held on
November 6th. Tickets are limited and can be purchased on line at http://www.facebook.com/PhoenixHomeGarden?sk=app_203351739677351.
Tapas at Twilight - Earth & Images
I want to thank all of you who attended the Tapas at Twilight event at Isabel's store, Earth and Imageshttp://www.earthandimages.com/ , last month and the launch of her new website. With the Holidays coming check out her site for unique gifts for clients, friends, and family.
Italy Trip 2012
The Candelaria Design Italy Trip is a go for 2012! We have
had great interest thanks to our Candelaria Design Italy Trip 2010 Facebook
Page (800 fans and counting) and we are excited for our 9th trip
which will depart Phoenix on May 30, 2012 and return on June 12th. See our
Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Candelaria-Design-Italy-Trip-2010/415280225531?ref=mf
for more details on the cost and itinerary. Prior blog postings also go into
more detail from our 2010 Trip. I’m taking 12-14 travelers and I know this will
fill up fast – so call Meara and book your reservation. We will have a great
group going, and in addition to Florence, Tuscany and Umbria, we will be
hitting the coast and Portofino. I
am looking forward to the adventure once again.
October Recipe of the Month
Many of you have asked that I provide the recipes to some of
our Facebook cooking postings so here we go…..
Cioppino Pasta
We had a great time putting this little dish together last
month. My girls were watching Anthony Bourdain – yes the acorn does not fall
far from the tree - and were inspired by his visit of the seafood market
in Seoul, Korea whereat Anthony and his host were eating fresh squid and baby octopus. They
asked if there was a market like that here in Phoenix. Well we don’t quite have
the venue they saw on his show, but I did tell them there was a pretty good
fresh fish market at the Ranch Market at the Chinese Cultural Center
http://www.phxchinatown.com/99ranch_market.html . Well they got very excited
and we were off to find some baby octopus and squid. I was curious to see how
this one was going to play out. My two youngest are age 9 and 6 so tentacles
and fish heads although interesting may not be appealing once sitting on the
dinner plate.
We made our purchases and headed home to clean the squid and
octopus and de-vein the shrimp. That was fun and was like science class. With a
little garlic, butter and pasta we whipped together a dinner that not only was
fun to shop for, but was inexpensive to make and was a lot of fun to prepare
and was only outdone with how great it tasted. My girls loved it and you will
too.
Ingredients:
1 lb of Baby Squid
1 lb of Baby Octopus
1 lb of Shrimp
4 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of olive oil
6 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper – don’t add if serving the
kids!
The squeeze of two lemons
1/4 to 1/3 cup of white wine
2 cans of diced tomatoes with the juice
3 scallions diced
2 teaspoons of thyme or Italian seasonings to taste
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 box of pasta – fettucine, angel hair, spaghetti –
whatever!
Clean the seafood – go to google to find very simple directions!
Chop up the cleaned seafood as you like. Get your pasta cooking and cook el
dente. Melt your butter and olive oil in a large pan – I love using my paella
pan. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper – sauté and add the lemon juice and
white wine. Add the seafood and cook until the shrimp change color and appear
cooked through. Add the diced tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Drain the pasta
adding two ladles of pasta water to the seafood. Add the pasta to the seafood
and toss everything together. Let this concoction cook for 3 minutes or so so
all of the flavors combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Add the diced
scallions for color and flavor and serve it up! You can always add clams or
mussles also – we didn’t see any fresh supply the day we went to the market but
they are great in this dish!
Rendering - New Residence in Arcadia on the boards!
Well by my lack of blogging I guess you can tell we’re
getting busier! I’m still cautiously optimistic that this blip in activity will
take hold and possibly the ship is slowly turning in the right direction despite
some of our politicians best efforts to sink the ship.
We have been blessed with some wonderful new projects
consisting of a number of new homes both here in Arizona, as well as California
and Idaho and many renovations and remodels. We are also seeing a lot of our
good friends from Canada and we are really enjoying working with them. So
hopefully, the pendulum is starting to swing back in the positive direction.
It’s amazing how far the pendulum swung both ways over the last ten years. It
would sure be nice to see some slow, steady growth without the mass exuberance
in one direction or the utter despair in the other.
Interior framing details on house underway in
Silverleaf
New Home under construction on Hayden Lake, ID
PR & Press
In terms of Candelaria Design, there are some great things
happening! We have had several projects published in the last few months
including the cover feature in the June 2011 issue of Phoenix Home &
Garden Magazine. This project spearheaded
by Project Manager, Lisa Mallas Matthews, features an amazing renovation /
remodel of a tract home in McCormick Ranch into and eclectic Old World casa
showcasing the amazing antiques and treasures collected through the years by
our client. I love this project and especially the clients we worked with – I
have worked with them for years on a number of projects and they are truly
amazing people. I was then excited to see the project featured again in the
September issue and once again it made the cover!
Stay tuned also for the November issue of Phoenix Home
and Garden Magazine, as one of our homes
will be featured in the Dream Homes Extreme Tour to be held on November 6th.
Tickets are limited and can be purchased on line at http://www.facebook.com/PhoenixHomeGarden?sk=app_203351739677351.
Check this home out on the Extreme Tour - Nov 6!
LEED Certifications
Zona Verde Residence, Paradise Valley
We also have received LEED Certification on two of our
projects both constructed by Desert Star Construction http://www.desertstarconstruction.com/
. The first is the El Chorro Renovation in Paradise Valley which received a
Gold Certification and is the first restaurant in Arizona to receive a LEED
certification. Then the Zona Verde Residence which consisted of several
structures, the Main Residence is Certified LEED, the Guest House received
Gold, and the Caretaker’s home received Platinum. Furthermore, both projects
have now been awarded finalists in the National Gold Nugget Awards for 2011 and
we ultimately received the 2011National
Gold Nugget Grand Award for the Zona Verde
Residence for the Best Custom Home over 6500 sf. Great job by Project
Architect, Jeffrey Kramer, AIA on both of these projects along with Vallone
Design, http://www.vallonedesign.com/
Berghoff Design http://www.berghoffdesign.com/ and Creative Designs in Lighting http://www.cdltg.com.
El Chorro
Team CDA
Speaking of my staff, I am so proud of how my team has stuck
together during these trying times in our industry. The national unemployment
rate for architects reached a peak of 70% during this recession. I am proud to
say we are still a ten person firm with what I am sure is the best, most
qualified team out there. Three members have been with me over ten years and everyone
has been with me at least if not close to five years. I’m also fortunate to
have a very capable and hard working administrative support team including
Evelyn Jung, who runs the show, Meara McHugh Perrin – who runs the front desk and is
handling our marketing, and Dianne Kleber who is our utility player and does
whatever we need to help get the job done! All of us are committed to our adage
of “Inspiring Excellence”.
I also want to congratulate my associate, Braden
Santarcangelo and his new wife Linda Giordano on the birth of their new little
girl who came into the world on September 8th. We are very happy for them and wish
them all the best.
Italy Trip 2012
Villa Piazzano - Tuscany
Brunch at Villa Piazzano - Candelaria Design Italy Trip
The Candelaria Design Italy Trip is a go for 2012! We have
had great interest thanks to our Candelaria Design Italy Trip 2010 Facebook
Page (800 fans and counting) and we are excited for our 9th trip
which will depart Phoenix on May 30, 2012 and return on June 12th. See our
Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Candelaria-Design-Italy-Trip-2010/415280225531?ref=mf
for more details on the cost and itinerary. Prior blog postings also go into
more detail from our 2010 Trip. I’m taking 12-14 travelers and I know this will
fill up fast – so call Meara and book your reservation. We will have a great
group going, and in addition to Florence, Tuscany and Umbria, we will be
hitting the coast and Portofino. I
am looking forward to the adventure once again.
Wrap Up
Hope's Window and Door Factory
Jamestown. NY
Speaking of traveling, in June made a trip to Jamestown, New
York and the Hope’s Window and Door Company, http://www.hopeswindows.com/hopes.shtml to learn more about their product and review
several projects we have underway with them. It was a very informative trip
coordinated by our good friends at Sienna Custom Windows and Doors http://www.siennacustom.com/
. Later that same month I was off to visit the Crittal Window and Door Company,
http://www.crittall-windows.co.uk/ in the UK to check out their product
along with my client and builder, John Schultz of Schultz Development Company, http://www.schultzdevelopment.org/
. This was a wonderful trip coordinated by our friends at Roadrunner Glass http://www.roadrunnerglassco.com/
. As they say, its all in the details and when striving for a great look and
unique finish there is only one way to do it and that’s to engage the entire
team in the process including the vendors and craftsmen executing the work. I
love this process and the pride everyone brings to the table.
Crittal Window & Door Co. - England
South bank of the Thames - London
Well that’s the latest. So be looking for more blogs, more updates, and
more postings. Plenty brewing and some wonderful projects on the boards and
under construction – we thank you ALL for the support and referrals and thanks
for following us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Candelaria-Design/147697373192
I hope everyone is having a great start to 2011! So far it has been busy and it looks like 2011 will be another exciting year.
As part of our mission at Candelaria Design, we are always trying
to give back to the community and we are proud this year to be involved in two charities, the Scottsdale Charros and the Arizona Kidney Foundation Dancing with the Stars AZ.
Yes - I am attempting to dance and will be doing so this coming Friday, February 25th at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. This is a great cause and your vote of support will help raise money for the Arizona Kidney Foundation. My lessons have been going great and we have several video posts of my practice sessions and an interview at one of our projects in Paradise Valley on our Facebook page and on the Kidney Foundation pages. As of this morning I have raised $40....so not so good. So I can really use your help to raise some money for this amazing organization! You may help support me "at the push of a button" by purchasing tables and votes. The link below takes you directly to my Kidney Foundation web pages, his debut You Tube video, and the purchasing page. Please help support my two left feet for a greater cause – The National Kidney Foundation of Arizona!
So if that was not enough, the very next evening we kick off Spring Training for the World Champion San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium with our Scottsdale Charros First Pitch Event Saturday evening, February 26th at the Scottsdale Air Center at 5pm. This is going to be a real fun evening, low key, boots and jeans, country music, dancing, and includes all food an beverage! Individual tickets are $150 or a table of 8 can be purchased for $1000. All proceeds go to supporting our Scottsdale Charities which primarily aim to support education and scholarships for Scottsdale youth and teachers and the community in general! Tickets can be purchased by contacting my office at 602-604-2001 or emailing me at mark@candelariadesign.com. I hope I see you there and we get down to some great food and fun times.
You can also purchase tickets for San Francisco Giants spring training games and help the Charros by going to
http://www.springtraining.com/
and when prompted enter promotional code CHAR-CANDE for great deals on both general admission tickets and tickets to the Charro Lodge which is a great way to enjoy the game and entertain clients, friends, and family!
And, while you're in the voting mood, be sure to help support your favorite residential architect
(under Real Estate - Residential) in Ranking Arizona's 2012 poll. You can vote for us once every 90 days. Thanks for keeping us in the Top 10!
So that should get us through next weekend. We have updates coming on additional events, projects, recipes, publication features, and our 2011 Candelaria Design Italy Trip being tentatively set for August 31st through September 11th! Thanks for all the support both on our blog and our Candelaria Design Fan Page on Facebook. We appreciate it!
Today was our quiet day at the Umbrian Farmhouse. The decrescendo of our journey. A day to just enjoy the countryside and the beautiful home and grounds capped off with our cooking class at the end of the day.
Of course I woke up before anyone and being we were out of coffee at the houses, I thought I would head to town early and grab some provisions to start the day for my travelers. Of course it was only 6:30 am so all was quiet in Mercatale. I made my way into the local coffee stop, Sheila's, and asked what time the local market opened. Well of course that wasn't until 8 am so I grabbed a couple cappuccinos and kicked back and watched the news, in Italian of course. I enjoyed watching the locals stumble their way in to start their days - mostly farmers and construction workers, all who likely engaged in this ritual every day. And even though I stuck out like a sour thumb, all were friendly with a gruff, but non-threatening, buon giorno and a nod of the head.
At 8 am I was off to the market where I was the first patron of the day. The proprietor was kind and tolerated my hand gestures and sketches on paper to describe a bag of coffee, sugar, and cream. Grabbed some croissants, a little fruit and I was out the door. As I drove back to the houses the light through the wafting fog dancing on the hills over the sunlit tobacco and sunflower fields was captivating. So what should have been a 15 min drive home quickly became a 45 minute drive with stops here and there along the way to snap vignettes of this quiet and picturesque landscape. You realize that men and women have been farming this valley for years - thousands of years. What spirits were dancing in the fog???? I can only imagine.
Life was stirring at the house when I returned. Coffee was quickly on the stove and the day now really began. With no agenda, everyone started to set their own course for the the day. I had a group that wanted to go to the old antique stoneyard, Lacole, for a quick tour of their treasures and finds. Seven travelers chose to check this out so we were off in two cars.
We made our way north of our home, past the small walled city of Citta di Castello, and up the valley toward Arezzo. Finally we found the old stoneyard and we pulled in and parked. Not two minutes later a gentleman pulled up ascertaining our purpose. I quickly aksed for Giacomo who is the son of the family who runs this amazing operation. He quickly called him and in minutes I was speaking with Giacomo and he was excited to hear I was back for a visit. He was finishing lunch (always a priority) and would join us in about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, we would walk the yard and see what treasures were on the grounds. In the past, this was their only location and all of their inventory was in this open air yard. Walking around it became quiet apparent that this was no longer the case. The yard was filled strictly with building materials, pavers, tiles, beams, and a few old fireplace fronts, basins and fountains - all probably not good enough to make the grade of their new location. With a huge thunderstorm approaching we quickly toured the yard and made our way to the cover and safety of our cars. No sooner did we get inside than the rain came down - big time. Of course that is when Giacomo arrived and jumping out of the car to chat was just enough time to get totally soaked! He asked we follow him to their new showroom.....
After a short drive through the farm valley we made our way to the new Lacole facility.....WOW. The new showroom is simply mindblowing! A huge 2 story showroom is only augmented by a huge outdoor yard where all the pieces from the old stoneyard that were randomly strewn about are now organized in beautiful vignettes and rows making the treasure hunting experience for the patron very pleasurable. Everything from the antiques to the snails on the ground are beautiful in true Italian style! It is very gratifying to see how far this family's operation has come in the ten years I have been visiting them. I have purchased roof tiles, doors, fireplace fronts, and many other elements for projects in Phoenix from Lacole and so its always great to visit them. Mamma who runs the antique side of the business is always great to see - she never ages and is a beautiful woman. I could sit and just listen to her speak for hours.... They gave us a nice tour and after two hours of wandering around we said our goodbyes and we were on our way back to the Umbrian Farmhouses.
With a stop at a farm to see the chickens, turkeys, pigs and ducks all race to greet us (by the way a chicken is faster than a turkey) we made our way home to the laughter and commotion of the house. Several of our travelers all had made their way on their own adventures and explorations of the area so we all arrived with our stories of the day. Elizabeth and her crew were getting things ready for our cooking class which starts around 4pm and runs until 8 pm whereupon we all sit down to savor our gastronomic creations! The cooking class is always a great time - relaxing, fun and with vino flowing, always full of laughter. People jump in and out of the various activities involved in the production of the various dishes. Along the way we are all savoring the tastes as the light from the day slowly descends on the Umbrian hills. Its a very memorable way to spend the day at the Country Houses.
With dinner behind us and a fire in the fireplace it was time to unwind. As we did a group started to strategize about branching off and heading to the Amalfi Coast for a little side adventure over the next three days. After enjoying another glass of vino or two, we all had our game plans for Day 8 and it was time to call it a night......let's just say at about 2am ....again.
Today marks the halfway point on our trip. It's a day I always enjoy - our tour of the Tuscan Wineries with our guide, Pino Teresi.
We had full interest with the exception of my daughter, Tiffany, who decided to hang at the house and have the place to herself for the day. The rest of us were up and out of there by 8:45 with the fog still lifting from the Umbrian hills. We made our way down the gravel road and into the closest town, Mercatale, to meet Pino at our little coffee stop, Shiela's. A quick cappuccino and a bottle of water to go and we all hopped on the charter bus Pino had arranged. Ahh, no driving today, just sipping wine, taking photos, and letting Pino run the show.
Pino is an amazing guide and I highly recommend him if in the area. He is well educated and extremely knowledgeable and quite respected by anyone we encounter in any of the towns - they all love Pino! Like all Italians, his descriptions are always animated and passionate and he is just a delight to listen to.
Our driver made our way past Cortona and from that point forward all of the iconic photos of the Tuscan countryside were right out our window. As we made our way through hills punctuated by rows of Italian Cyprus and stone farmhouses we made our way up the hill to our first stop, Montepulciano, home of the fine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wine and several beautiful cellars. The town was settled in the 3rd and 4th centuries B.C. by the Etruscans and later the Romans. I suppose if you produce great wine there is no reason to leave!
Our first stop was at the oldest winery in Montepulciano, Contucci, http://www.contucci.it. The Contucci family founded this winery in the 11th Century and continue their passion for fine wine, vin santo and olive oil still today. We were presented several wines and the history of the winery and the story of their grapes by Pino and the host, Adamo! What a character this guy was. The first words out of his limited English vocabulary was the fact he loved wine, women, and their breasts....well what a way to start a wine tasting at 10:30 am. Adamo worked the room and proceeded to kiss every woman on the tour, many several times for each photo op. After several samples it was time to give Adamo and the ladies a rest and move on to our next venue.
The next stop was the Cantina del Redi, http://www.cantinadelredi.com. We always make it a point to make a stop to this amazing cellar buried deep in the tufa stone below Montepulciano. The smell, the mood, and the fact you just keep going down until you ultimately reach the temple of barrels and brick vaults which tower over this wine heaven even if it is deep underground. I love the look of my travelers when they arrive in this cellar. It's beyond description as the sight, smell, sound and light all tantalize your senses....and that's before you even taste the wine. This is always one of my favorites and continues to be despite all of the wonderful places Pino has taken me and my travelers over the years.
A quick walk through town, a little shopping and it was time to herd the troops up to our next stop Pienza. Again, the drive to Pienza is gorgeous as the bus climbs up and down subtle hills with the turned soil or vineyards full of the grapes we were beginning to enjoy on this day. We made our way to Pienza where we had a lovely lunch at the La Mensa "Del Conte". www.lamensadelconte.it. This place is always on Pino's agenda for this day and the food is always simple, hardy and definitely Tuscan. With lunch behind us we took a quick walking tour through Pienza - home of the impeccable Pecorino cheese, a hard cheese made from ewe's milk.
With Pienza behind us it was off to our final stop Montalcino and home of the Brunello di Montalcino wine. Here we tasted the number one rated wine in the world as rated by Spectator Magazine, the Casanova di Neri 2001 Tenuta Nuova Brunello, http://www.casanovadineri.it. I was fortunate to snag a few bottles in 2007 when touring this winery and I am saving at least one for my upcoming 50th Birthday in October! This trip we spent the afternoon at the Enoteca di Piazza, www.enotecadipiazza.com, which is a great wine tasting room with a wide selection of wines all available via the tasting carousels and a great view of the countryside out the window! The proprietor was knowledgeable and spoke very good English so the time here was great and their shipping system was well organized. Needless to say, after an hour of samplings it was not difficult to place orders for several cases.
With lunch and plenty of wine it was time for the long bus ride back to Mercatale where a nine course meal was waiting for us at Mimmi's। Yes 9 course meal। I of course knew this so I took a nice cat nap on the hour and a half ride back to Mercatale। Upon arrival we said our goodbyes to Pino and I quickly dashed up the hill to get Tiffany and then it was off to Mimmi's for the endless country meal all served family style। This marathon of gastronomic indulgence started with two different appetizers, followed by three separate pasta dishes - cannelloni, lasagna, and raviolis, and then two vegetable dishes then finally three different meat dishes - roasted pork, turkey and beef।
Then finally a desert dish featuring tiramisu, gelato, and God I cannot remember the third little delight on that plate.... We always outlast every guest of this restaurant and by the end of the night the place is ours and our debauchery begins। Jokes, laughter, singing.....its always a relaxing and comfortable place despite the size of your waistline at the conclusion of dinner!
By now it was close to midnight.....again... but tomorrow was a free day. No real agenda other than sleeping in and hanging out at the pool.....we'll see!
Day 5 began quietly. After all of the excitement from yesterday's adventures everyone was moving a bit slower on this morning and some were not moving at all!
Those of us that were coherent, started the morning with a little coffee on the porch and enjoyed our ritual of watching the fog burn off in the Niccone valley below. Once we were loaded with caffeine we were ready to start our Monday tour of Umbria. I love it as the trip progresses and everyone starts to get comfortable with being in the country and since everyone has their own car, the agenda is there but you don't have to follow it. Most of the group stayed behind and slept in! I had 7 with me and 7 were sawing logs.
Off we went down the hill, through the valley then up and over the big hill, the great view of Lake Trasimeno and then down the hill. We jumped on the freeway which is interrupted by numerous tunnels but with just two cars in our Umbrian convey today was a breeze. We passed Perugia, which is a great town, and proceeded down the Tiber river valley to Deruta. Deruta is most recognized for its excellent ceramics which are exported throughout the world. The fine clay from the Tiber River provides the unique medium for this craft which has been perfected over the centuries.
We stopped at my favorite studio and shop, CAMA, which I have been visiting for nearly 10 years now. The Niccacci family has been operating CAMA for over 60 years and every time I visit Mamma and Pappa are there to welcome me with kisses and a personal tour for my guests of their studio. Uncle Luigi throws the clay and his hands magically, precisely, and repeatedly produce the myriad of pieces they produce. He is a a master and it is simply mesmerizing to watch him on the wheel. Then to watch the speed and precision of the stenciling and painting of each piece, one by one....it truly gives you an appreciation of the love, passion, craftsmanship and history that goes into each piece. Needless to say, once everyone experienced the tour and the spirit of this place - including pictures of the family presenting pieces to Pope John Paul II next to biking and soccer photos of Pappa when he was much younger - the purchasing was in full fervor. Let's just say the Niccacci's are always happy when I come to town and make what is probably a slow Monday into a nice little uptick in their sales for the month! This trip was no different.
After the ordering was done, Roberta Niccacci escorted us through town to a great little country house in the farmland of the Tiber valley for lunch. I love these little bed and breakfast places. Pappa or Mamma cooks and the other serves. Other than perhaps the mayor of town, we were the only other diners on the patio overlooking the tobacco and sunflower fields. We ordered antipasti for 7 and of course instead received 7 individual antipasti platters....ahhh dining in Umbria was on! A little vino, and the sound of thunder and lighting from an approaching thunderstorm and you couldn't ask for any better ambiance for a Monday afternoon lunch in Umbria. I enjoyed the Tagliatelle con Chingale (pasta with wild boar sauce), whose order was confirmed by the waitress giving a pig snort sound, and of course a glass of chianti. A myriad of dishes were ordered by the group and the sampling began! Delicious!
As we were dining in Deruta, our late sleepers had risen and were off on their own adventure and stopped along the Lake Trasimeno for their lunch which apparently was also equally amazing. Pasta with white truffe sauce along the shore of the lake....sounds pretty good to me. We closed out our purchases at CAMA and we were off to Assisi to all rendezvous.
Assisi is always a favorite on the trip and this time proved no different. Parking is always an adventure in these hilltowns but we all seemed to find a spot and eventually all meet at the main piazza. Touring churches and shops, grabbing a gelato to top off the pasta and enjoying the passing thunderstorm all added to a relaxing afternoon in this beautiful Umbrian hilltown. Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis, who founded the religious order of the Franciscan monks in this town in 1208 and shares honor with Saint Catherine of Siena as the patron saints of Italy. You can definitely feel this aura as you stroll the streets and occasionally pass a monk or nun on their way to mass. The streets are tight and medieval in character and you always catch a glimpse of the quilted patchwork of farm fields below as you glance down the streets. Its really a beautiful and spiritual place.
Both groups arrived at the Basilica di San Francesco which was damaged in a quake in 1997 but was restored and reopened just two years later. This church is amazing and one of the best on our tour. Three levels make up this marvelous structure capped off with the tomb of Saint Francis at the bottom level which acts as the emanating core of this church. Everyone was moved by this remarkable place. We sat in the middle church and watched all of our travelers emerge from the tomb just shaking their heads in awe as mass was being said in the adjoining chapel. Talk about mood....wow. We then all gathered and proceeded outdoors to the sun peaking through following the rainstorm.....again amazing. Fantastic light and the cameras were in full motion. We made our way back through town, did a little shopping along the way, and capped our conquering of Assisi with a gelato and/or cappuccino at the Piazza San Rufino at the top of the town.
We then proceeded to all make our ways back to our cars....some had an adventure in that task but we all eventually made it and drove down the hill and back to our little dark and quiet Niccone valley. Along the way we stopped in our favorite pizzeria in Lisciono Niccone and grabbed six pies, panna cotta for desert, and of course a couple jugs of the local house wine for reinforcements!
Back to the houses, a little dinner, a quick swim under the Umbrian stars, and then it was back onto the porch for recollections of the day's adventures, laughs and then eventually some more swimming at 2 am.... what fun!
Sleeping in the Umbrian countryside is fantastic. Too bad I don’t let my travelers get much of it! It’s Sunday morning and today we have another fun filled day in Umbria and Tuscany.
After getting everyone moving – which is always a challenge especially with 14 travelers – we fixed some espresso in our little Italian coffee makers, enjoyed the sunrise from our terrace and we were off to the Villa di Piazzano for our Sunday brunch.
Villa di Piazzano is an amazing place and one I stumbled upon while snooping around Tuscany. My first visit was in 2001 when the Wimpole family purchased the property and begun their amazing restoration and transformation of this property. I have made it a point to visit this splendid place every trip and the work they have done is truly remarkable. The Hotel Villa di Piazzano is a manor house of the 1400s located in the countryside just outside the town of Cortona, a town on the border between Tuscany and Umbria made famous by the American writer Frances Mayes with her book and later the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun. The drive into the property is alone worth the trip and sets the bar high for what is to come.
After we parked the cars we strolled the grounds and then were greeted by the proprietor, Mr. Damian Wimpole, and his lovely daughter, Alessandra. It has been a real pleasure to know these people over the last ten years and they have always warmly welcomed us, my guests, and subsequent referrals. Many of my clients and friends have stayed there, including myself one time, and it is definitely a memorable experience.
We slowly made our way into the dining room where they had prepared a wonderful brunch of meats, fruits, cheeses, breads, etc. All simple but beautifully staged and choreographed just like everything in Italy. As with anything here we spend as much time enjoying and photographing the food as we do eating it! We dined outside on the terrace and enjoyed a relaxing champagne brunch.
Following brunch Mr. Wimpole gave us a tour of the hotel including the newest acquisition across the drive that features contemporary decorated quarters set in the customary Tuscan style façade. Amazing and very chic’. Loved it. The finale consisted of their tour of their stunning wine cellar that I can only dream someday of having a dinner with my buddies some late fall evening with Brunello’s followed by cigars and Lemoncello. This will happen someday!
With the tour of Villa di Paizzano concluded it was off to Arezzo for the antique fair and Renaissance festival. Arezzo is a beautiful hilltown rising from the floodplain of the River Arno. Founded by the Etruscans this is a very old city and was a prominent medieval center which has maintained this character and feel to a tee. A quick stop at the ATM, which by the way are everywhere, and as we turned around here comes trumpets, drums, horses and jousters – the complete medieval parade with representation from every neighborhood proudly displaying their flags, and attire. Amazing and magical. The church bells ringing and those Italian faces – wow! The parade lasted a good hour whereby we were on a quest for antiques and a cold bierra or a gelato.
With Arezzo conquered it was off to Cortona – the home of Under the Tuscan Sun! I love this little hilltown and there is always excitement and drama on every corner. Sundays are always a busy evening in this town and this trip proved no different. Parking is the first adventure and this trip we had a little of everything. I found my usual spot at the bottom of the hill and made my way up the hill following the beautiful couple who looked like they just flew in from Monte Carlo. I happily followed them to the top of the escalator and I found my first group parked illegally at the drop off point at the main entry to the town blocking all of the tour buses. I quickly told them that we needed to move their car and jumped in and drove them down to the lot I parked in. Back up the escalator following Monte Carlo couple number two only to arrive at the same top of the hill to a huge traffic jam. Apparently, someone decided to also park illegally and ended up blocking the tour bus and then all of the cars behind including one of our cars. Now the drama of this Italian hilltown was in full swing. Every grandmother, baby, police women, dog, and cat were all there throwing their hands in the air and yelling at each other in a symphony out of a Fellini movie. Beautiful – I love the excitement and drama! The tow truck arrived, towed the car, and once again we were all moving. Boy am I glad we moved our car number 2 as I can only imagine what the experience of trying to find your car that had been towed would be like….!
So we finally had everyone in the main piazza and everyone unwound and started pouring the vino. Let’s just say a few really enjoyed the vino and probably a few other beverages along the way…. The rest of us strolled the narrow, magical streets and piazzas and caught the Tuscan sunset on this picturesque town and the valley and quilt of farms and villas below. Beautiful.
A few others made their way to Il Falconierie, (http://www.ilfalconiere.it) a wonderful hotel consisting of a restored villa, farmhouse, and chapel along with a restaurant featuring cooking classes and wine tastings. This is a beautiful place featuring world class cuisine, service and scenery.
We all rendezvoused for dinner in the Trattoria Toscana and enjoyed a nice simple dinner at half the cost of what we had been spending in Florence. Of course when 14 people take over one of these small and quaint trattorias its quite the affair. After dinner it was back to the parking lot but not until it was discovered my car keys were missing…..more drama! Well in the search through the streets of Cortona for the keys – which by the way were left in car two in the mad dash to park the cars. With the key drama solved we noticed that one of our group had left without us. Brave ones to drive off on night number one with the cars…..hmmmm.
We made it all home, which is about a 30 mile drive from Cortona, or so we thought….. My phone had died and I thought we had all made it home and I would just charge the phone in the morning. My daughter, Tiffany, thought it might be smart to charge the phone now in case anyone needed to get a hold of me. Well sure enough, as soon as the phone charged the texts started coming in. My Iphone sounded like a slot machine that had hit the jackpot. The group who left early were lost somewhere in Umbria. Of course this was the car with three women and the gentleman who had indulged a bit too much and was out in the back seat…
I quickly called them and talk about a happy group to hear my voice. I was already home and did not want to drive down the winding dirt road in search of them, God knows where, at 1am in the morning in Umbria. I had them start reading signs and describing what they were seeing and within minutes I knew where they were and proceeded to guide them home one farmhouse, pig sty, tree, and wall at a time all the way home. MC and my Iphone was better than any GPS!
So concluded day 4 and our first full day in Umbria! Off to Deruta and Assisi tomorrow and who knows what adventures lie ahead.
Ahhhhh- we made it to the country houses in Umbria. Here is where I finally relax and unwind. After the stress of getting 14 people from Phoenix, via Philadelphia, via Frankfurt to Florence and then the hustle and bustle of Florence, followed by convincing six of my guests to rent cars in Italy and hop right on the Autostrada - well I think you get the picture and why now I am finally relaxing.
To retrace day three....our transition day. We started the morning, blogging once again from the rooftop of the Brunellschi Hotel where I was joined by one of my travelers who was kind enough to bring a tray of coffee. So we enjoyed the sunrise overlooking the Duomo and slowly woke up and started the day. I love this hotel in that the staff are always so friendly and accommodating and the hotel is perfectly, centrally located so you are in the heart of all the sites of Florence.
We headed down to breakfast and put our strategy together for the day. This started with a quick trip to the San Lorenzo Market which for me is always a treat. The square is filled with street vendors selling everything from t-shirts to beautiful leather jackets. After maneuvering our way through the vendors you finally find the indoor market which is amazing. A maze of meat markets, fish markets, flower stands, bread and pastry shops, its the equivalent of Pike's Market in Seattle - only better. We enjoyed the market, made our way back through the street vendors and back to the hotel to check out.
After checking out, the shuttles were there to meet us and take us to the airport where we were to rendezvous with one of our late arrivals who was unable to fly over with the rest of the group. We proceeded to get our rental cars and head out to the country. Of course nothing is ever very efficient in Italy, so after waiting several minutes for them to find my car and then clean my car we all got ourselves in order and proceeded onto the Autostrada - 7 cars, all nice Mercedes so we looked like quiet the entourage. Getting the rental cars from the Florence Airport has proven to be the easiest way to get out of the city and immediately into the country. Some trips past this task has been a real adventure but all went like clockwork this time - again thanks to my assistant, Evelyn!
We drove about 45 minutes south to Montevarchi where the top secret Prada Outlet called Space is located. This is always a tricky place to find in that street names are difficult to see or find that is if they truly even exist. Google has a long way to go when locating places in Italy, and the GPS loves to tell you to flip a U-turn....... So when all else fails flag down a local, pay him 5 euros to escort us there and another 5 euros when we arrive. Worked like a charm! This place is very discreet and almost top secret. Grab a number outside the warehouse, wait your turn and then you duck in and boom you are in Prada. The girls scattered in every direction and fortunately, whoever came up with this place was smart enough to include a bar / restaurant right next to it so all the guys headed there. We gave the girls 90 minutes which quickly became 2 hours but eventually they all pulled themselves away and walked out with their discounted purchases with big smiles on their faces.
We left Space and instead of jumping right back on the Autostrada we winded our way across the countryside and eventually made our way back on to the Autostrada. After about an hour we exited at Tuoro and made our way up the hill and the beautiful views of Lake Trasimeno. After a winding climb up its an equally long and winding climb down into the lovely Niccone River Valley that divides Tuscany from Umbria. Tuscany is on the west side of the valley and Umbria is on the east. The valley is dotted with old castles, villas, tobacco, corn and sunflower fields - picturesque is an understatement. Once we arrived at the valley floor we stopped in Mercatale for some provisions - mostly wine and water - and a quick call to our house caretaker for updated directions in and we were on our way.
The road through the valley is nice, and paved but we eventually make our turn to the dusty, gravel road through the scrub oaks and up a very steep hill. The dirt road is a good mile maybe two and my guests are wondering where in the hell am I taking them....These country houses are remote but the isolation and view are most definitely worth it. Up, up, up (you hear that a lot here in Italy) and finally after coming around a tight curve their are the houses - La Pietra and La Quierca. Beautiful, simple, charming old farmhouses. We park and everyone gets out of their cars and just sighs.... you can feel the relief that we have arrived and you see the amazement and anticipation in everyone's faces that this is really going to be something different, and that it is.
We walk past the gate, and through the herb garden whereupon our host Elizabeth Wholey, her husband, and staff are there to greet us and give us a tour of the house. A simple yet extremely beautiful light dinner is awaiting us and we all settle in for our stay here in Umbria. After dinner, we open a few more bottles of vino, make a fire in the fireplace and run down to the pool for a quick candle lit dip under the Umbrian sky and then back up to the house for stories and maybe another glass of wine.....
Writing this morning as dawn approaches from the rooftop of the Hotel Brunelleschi in Florence, Italy. Listening to the bells of the Santa Maria del Fiore and recalling all of our memories from Day 2. Beautiful morning here and not a cloud in the sky! What a great day 2 we all had!
The day started bright and early for me as my body clock has not adjusted to the time here in Italy, so i was up at 4am. Fortunately, I was able to receive a call on a new project in Pheonix whch we were able to close a deal on so that was a very nice way to start the day and this vacation! I headed down to the bar to write my blog, check emails and get ready for day two. I love the mornings in the Italian towns and cities because you basically own it. No vespas, people, nothing - quiet stillness. It is very hard to come by when in the cities in Italy. So I make it a point to always get up early, enjoy the start of the day, then catch a nap later in the afternoon. This was definitely the plan today!
After blogging and catching up on the emails, I was coaxed into a morning jog through the streets of Italy by fellow traveler, friend, and fabulous interior designer, Kim Colletti. We ran and walked our way on a nice loop through Florence past the three main churches of the city, Santa Maria Novella, the Duomo - Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Basillica San Croce. Now this was a great way to start the day and get the blood moving and fend off that damn jet lag!
Following our run we hooked up with some of our travelers in the hotel restaurant, grabbed a quick bite, some much needed coffee, grabbed a shower in the room and it was off to our walking tour through Florence. The walking tours in Italy are great and in particular the one in Florence. Three hours walking tours truly enlighten you to so much that you simply take for granted when ignorantly strolling the streets. It is amazing all of the significance each corner, square, street and church offers and the multitude of stories and history this place is filled with. Basically, in our modern world and culture, despite our problems, it is nothing to what life must have been like in these cities during the Dark Ages or the Renaissance. Now those were some rough times to be a human being. You were either a slave or commoner with virtually a meager existence or you were wealthy and having to constantly fend off your rivals who wanted to quarter you or burn you at the stake in the square....we have nothing to complain about - trust me. I could write a whole blog about the stories we were told - all fascinating and all brining such a new layer of understanding and appreciation of how this place ever came to be!
After the walking tour we grabbed lunch in a familiar trattoria just around the corner from the Palazzo Vecchio and then it was off to the airport to retrieve my lost bag! Thank God it was located and so I was fortunate to not lose a beat on the trip. Grabbed the cab ride back to the hotel and proceeded excitedly to my 2-1/2 hour siesta!
Woke up, and we all rendezvoused, in the hotel bar, a few cocktails, glass of wine, and then it was off to dinner. Our dinner was little more low key tonight - basically a small trattoria across the alley from the hotel! But it was nice, quiet and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. A great bistecca fiorentina, a glass of wine and then, it was off to the streets of Florence for a little fun! And fun we had!!!
Night life in Florence is quite the spectacle! Street performers. Mimes, and musicians all fill the fabric, sites and sounds of the evening. We grabbed a gelato and a cigar – nice combo by the way and the girls took a ride on the carousel in the Piazza Republica and we then proceeded to the River Arno and Harry’s Bar! This a a great spot and home to the founding of the Bellini. We enjoyed a little desert and then it was off to the Westin to listen to our piano player, playing of course American music, and share some final stories before walking home and saying goodnight to beautiful Florence!
We made it! That is always one of the most stressful parts of the whole trip - getting everyone here and safely checked into the hotel. Well this year we did great. All the flights were on time, the transfer from the airport to the hotel was waiting for us and the Hotel Brunelleschi is always dialed in. Last trip the airline that will remain nameless, and never to be used again, lost nearly all of our travelers' bags and screwed up our flights to the point of being laughable - well actually it brought my wife to tears. This trip - perfect - thanks to all the hard efforts of my assistant, Evelyn, who has done a spectacular job making this trip and all its millions of details come together. So, despite me, the tour guide, leaving my little carry on at the gate check in desk in Frankfurt, we had no issues and no drama! Bag has been found and is here in Florence so we are good to go!
Once we checked in, despite traveling for many hours, everyone wanted to take a quick glimpse and explore the city around our hotel. We checked in about 2pm local time and we were on the streets by 3pm. Perfect weather, 80's during the day and cool 60's at night. Everyone started out right on my hip, but after passing a couple shoe shops, clothing stores and of course by the time we hit the Palazzo Vecchio I was down to one or two who wanted to go back to the hotel after this quick peek and grab some shut -eye. The rest were out and discovering all Firenze has to offer.
I grabbed a quick siesta and awoke to the sounds of the Florence street life below. Quick shower and shave and then we all met in the lobby decked out to the nines. We were off to dinner at truly one of the most beautiful spots I've ever been to - the Villa San Michelle - see the link on our September List at the top of the blog! To paraphrase their website: "The Villa San Michele must be one of the most romantic places in the world. This former monastery, nestled on a hilltop surrounded by trees and terraced gardens, overlooks the city of Florence below.
Dating from the 15th century its facade is attributed to Michelangelo. To step inside is to experience the ethereal beauty and solitude of a renaissance building that is as much a part of Italy's culture as the country’s greatest cathedrals and galleries. Here, each visitor is a privileged guest, invited to stroll in the Italian gardens, filled with lemon trees and roses, and savour the superb Tuscan cuisine on the alfresco loggia as if in a private home."
None of this is an understatement and I'm sure my guests, after sitting on a plane for God knows how many hours, were blown away and now are just beginning to understand what this trip is all about. I must back up a bit as the drive from our hotel to the Villa San Michele of course at dusk is devine. You escape the hustle and bustle of the city and wind your up the Tuscan hills villas, estates, olive groves and end up at this magical and formidable facade with a view of Florence that is unrivaled. I love the looks on everyones' faces as they step out of the bus and set foot on this small piece of heaven. The service is impeccable and after a few pics - yes we were the poppaorazzi, we were guided through the lovely and to the garden for appetizers and bellinis. How civilized! Sitting in the garden and enjoying the fall air, and the last few strands of light on the hills, I knew I had finally arrived. I could feel the joy of being here and sharing this magical place with my guests.
Of course this was just the start! Following appetizers in the garden we made our way through the building and back to the grand Loggia overlooking all of Florence. It is here we dined to a wonderful pre-set four course meal featuring a blue lobster filet served with a herb sauce, followed by ravioli with wild mushrooms and a truffle sauce - by far the most talked about dish this evening, followed by thinly sliced sirloin of beef with a Brunello sauce and fresh spinach, finally followed by Florentine crepes filled with fresh fruit and muscat grape sauce, capped with a cappuccino of course. Absolutely phenomenal and obviously a high bar set for the balance of the trip.
Quick cab ride back down the hill following our 4 hour meal and back to the Hotel Brunelleschi. It's midnight and the streets are empty but everyone was so jazzed that we took a stroll down to the Duomo, which is only a couple turns down the street, for a few pics, a couple more laughs then it was off to bed.
Today was a great day - considering it was really almost two days. The first 12 hours in Florence - amazing!!!! Tomorrow is our first full day in Florence and features our three hour guided walking tour through the streets of the city. Time to sleeeeeepZZZZZ. Ciao!
So we have been catching some sleep here in Amsterdam and mixing in a little champagne....not a bad combo for jet lag. We have been trying to get a direct flight to Florence but our bags are headed to Paris and we have to follow our bags due to security issues. Well, we will carry on and see where this Day 1 / Day 2 adventure leads us! Stay tuned!
