Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/739845
DREAMSCAPES FALL/ WINTER 2016 12 THE TASTES OF ITALY BEYOND A TUSCAN VILLA, A WHOLE NEW WORLD BECKONS IN CHIANTI COUNTRY. T here is a bounty of vinifera and other earthly delights that spill past the bosomy mountains in the Chianti- rich Montalbano landscape softened by centuries of farming. Surrounded by tow- ering cypress trees and whitewashed walls draped in blossoming wisteria, the aromatic spring breeze of fruits and herbs lingers in a setting that has been virtually untouched since the days of its most famous son, Leonardo da Vinci. POETIC LANDSCAPES For centuries the majestic hills of Tuscany have lured kings, popes and bank tycoons like the Medici family, all on a quest for respite. And there I stand wide eyed, scared to blink at an enchanting hillside house in Italy that reminds me of the film, Under the Tuscan Sun, except there are no plumbing issues, no peeling paint and no leaky roof with which to contend. The scene is only part of my Italian fantasy offered by Insight Vacations, a tour operator cultivating trip itineraries for more than 35 years. Lovingly restored by the current owners, the 16 th -century country estate lies on the outskirts of Vinci, a medieval hamlet in Tus- cany near Florence. The rustic borgo, named the Villa Dianella after the Roman goddess of the hunt Diana, was the private hunting lodge of the Medicis as well as the home of the famous Tuscan poet Renato Fucini who lived his final days in this land of poetry. ABOVE: Enjoy beautiful views of the Tuscan hills and the Fattoria Dianella vineyards from the Villa Dianella. OPPOSITE TOP LEFT: The Ponte Vecchio spans the Arno River in Florence. OPPOSITE BOTTOM LEFT: The Holy Family or Tondo Doni (1503–4) by Michelangelo Buonarroti is displayed in its original frame at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. OPPOSITE RIGHT: Comprised of over four million bricks, Filippo Brunelleschi's famous dome crowns the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo). EDITORIAL AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ILONA KAUREMSZKY