I was asked to write about my DREAM VACATION by another lovely, lovely woman named ANITA in the midwest!Seems she is a teacher and plays the harp and speaks FRENCH.Her esthetics is BLISSFUL.Go to her site to capture some of what she has as it is a very good tonic!
http://wwwcastlescrownscottages.blogs
See what I mean………The three C’s are right up my alley way!She has a list or links of others who have written about their DREAM VACATIONS……….do cruise a bit and see if you are not transported to another world through photos and the typed word.You may end up SUBSCRIBING to a few more deserving BLOGS this way!
My photo from 1992.
SO, it all started way back when I was a very little girl…….My Father called me PRINCESS.I dreamed of CASTLES but loved the world of barns and animals.I actually built a barn in my side yard at a very young age.
As I grew I read fashion magazines and loved the distant land of Europe.I knew I wanted to live there at some point in my life.
Well, after school and a couple of trips to Europe I met my PRINCE CHARMING in OAKLAND,CALIFORNIA!
You see we worked for the distributor of the GUCCI ACCESSORY COLLECTION.My husband to be came from the Gucci factory where he was employed as well as his FATHER.
My Italian Husband came with the intention of staying for 6 months to a year.
Long story short we married in FLORENCE,ITALY.
In a rather large church on a hill………SAN MINIATO AL MONTE.(A Basilica)
By a priest from the VATICAN who was the official LATIN translator for the church.(A family friend)
Signed the BOOK after DIANA & CHARLES who had just come to town to visit!
Had 15 AMERICANS make the trip overseas for the wedding…..
Also, in attendance were two friends of my husband to be’s with a last name of GUCCI.(Name dropping!)
We honeymooned in the MEDITERREAN on a sailboat…………for a couple of weeks.This sailboat took us from Genova to Santa Margarita,Portofino,CinqueTerra,Elba,Sardinia,Corsica and the small isle of Giglio.
Then we came back STATE side and had two SONS………
Headed back to Florence to live for a few years……….
And I blossomed into the CONTESSA you know today!
You see I am living MY DREAM…………
ITALIAN HUSBAND ( the real deal!)
Cottage size house with Castle accouterments!
Animals Galore………..I could never have too many of those!
Plus, two young men who have flown the coop that I consider to be my own young ROYALS,who demonstrate daily they are a product of the two of us combined.Most of the time thats a GOOD THING……….
So,overall I do not need to go and see and Dream…….as my husband will tell you I live in my own little world and Dream all day long!I would love to go “HOME” to Florence and rent a small place to rest my weary feet and take in all the gorgeousness that I never got my fill of whilst, I was living there.There are gardens to explore and dear, dear friends there that I would love to catch up with over a bowl of pasta Gluten free of course and a glass of vino!MAYBE one day I will be able to do just that.I suppose that is MY DREAM.To go back and re~trace my steps and soak it all up again as I could NEVER stop loving that city……………ci vediamo!
Here is how it all started…………..
Racing to the ALTAR on time!My dress was a bit tight and we had to lift it up above the knee to get me up the marble staircase!
The bride meets the groom at the altar…….
Now to meet the Priests.Two Priests married us!Yes, it was all in ITALIAN!
The priest holding my hand was from the Vatican.The other was the priest of SAN MINIATO.
Do any of you remember the LITTLE CONTESSA in training that lived with us and I visited last October in VENICE?That would be her FATHER in the white NAVAL ACADEMY suit standing in as my husbands BEST MAN.
The church with a view of FLORENCE below.Do you know that MICHELANGELO covered this church with mattresses during the war against PISA!
The CAKE…..Mille Foglie which means a thousand leaves!Not to be forgotten THE KISS.
Those white specks are rice!One of my favorite photos of the day 28 years ago!
A Home…….or is it a church?Maybe one of my gals over there can help me out??I believe its on the ARNO river………
A walled garden with a window……….LOVE IT!
These Vessels were a huge passion of mine.Still are.I would love to have many scattered about……but I am lucky I have one small one that came from the VILLA where another AMERICAN lived just down the road from us……..it made the trip to the USA!
GRACE is that YOU?I found wonderful English speaking friends there in the 3 years that I lived outside of Florence.This cart you see…well I found one too to bring back!They were OXEN drawn carts…….mine came from the villa where ELIZABETH BROWNING had lived.
A younger me with one of our cats,dogs and bunny.This cat was human.His name was CHICCO the COMPACT CAT!He too made the trip back to the USA!The dog did too and the bunny would have been onboard too but there was a terrible accident!No reason to go there………..
I thought I had died and gone to HEAVEN walking these streets!Doors,windows, door knockers………I was in HEAVEN.
The clothesline…………..how gorgeous is THAT?!!With the AMERICAN jeans on the line!
MY ROYALS…………they were CUTE!
A dog,the two geese on the dogs bed and the ONE EYED CAT CLEO.This is how we all co-habitated TOGETHER.I had bought what I thought was two ducks,they turned out to be GEESE!We loved them….they slept in the kitchen at night!!
Down the hill lived a REAL CONTESSA!This was one of her dogs who was peeking out of a window!!
A BABY GOOSE.On seeing this photo now this babe got his beak bitten off by what?Zia Gabriella do you recall ?Was it Zia Tina’s pet RAT who took a nibble……
This cat was so special….words cannot explain.I found all our Italian animals at the pound.This little guy had a swayed back and was so TUFF.He walked right up to me in the cage and climbed my legs before I could bend down to scoop him up!
MY TRIBE.Can you tell which one is me?!!So, much has happened with these girls in the last 20 years…..one moved to BELGIUM and travels frequently.One gives awesome tours of the AMALFI COAST, another left her villa behind in Toscana and remarried her high school sweetheart(I hope I have that right?)They now reside in the USA and ITALY.Then there is the very special lady the CANADIAN who was lately injured on her MOTORINO and has to stay still for a month as she broke her collarbone!One has to know her to know that will be IMPOSSIBLE.That little girl in her Mother’s arms, well she now goes to college in SAN FRANCISCO!We haven’t changed a bit have we……You girls know only too well I have tears streaming down my face now!Nothing has changed thats for sure!I can honestly say those were some of the BEST YEARS of my LIFE!
I do believe we were at the ENGLISH LADIES home in the country who made hats……..BING………..were we not girls?I still have mine……I wear it in the garden all the time!How on earth did we find her anyone recall?
These are all my photos ……………..it was fun going back through them.I must thank ANITA at CASTLES CROWNS and COTTAGES for asking me to join in!At first I thought NO, I really have no DREAMS.But Anita you made me realize I still DREAM about going back………not to a place I haven’t been but to a place I hold dear to my heart.Thank you for that…………..XXX.
Please pop over to ANITA’s Blog and leave a comment saying I sent YOU……………I promise if you are a romantic,love EUROPE as much as I do,can see BEAUTY in a door then you MUST go to her site and take it all in………..she most likely will have you tuned in to some divine music as you scroll her story!Her link just below July18-25 2014.See it?Well,then click on it……..off you go!
http://wwwcastlescrownscottages.blogs
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