Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Civitavecchia October 31

Continuing my lazy streak, I changed my original plans to go into Rome to wander around and opted for a short local excursion. The scenic drive and olive oil tasting was right up my alley.

The Civitavecchia harbor is not very pretty and as you can see it was a very cold and rainy day. The drive took us through some lovely countryside.







There seems to be a castle or church on the top of every mountain.







At one point in the drive you could see Pisa in the distance. Unfortunately, trying to get a picture of it was near imposible.







This was our destination. Agriturismo La Piantata is a farm that grows olives and lavender.

http://www.lapiantata.it/en/index.html

The Farm is nestled among the hills at 385 metres above sea level, just a few kilometres from the enchanting Lake Bolsena and from the old Etruscan town of Tuscania . Around the Farm lies a breath-taking, seemingly endless landscape, completely immersed in nature, with the 18 th -century farmhouse basking in the shadows of nine towering centuries-old oaks. Even on the most sweltering days, this is the coolest place to be. The perfectly trimmed lawn surrounding the manor is dotted with a number of tuff cottages adapted as B&Bs – just the place for a relaxing holiday, away from the frenzy of city life. A bit further, amongst 12 hectares of lavender hills, there is our dream nest: a suite in the dense foliage of a century-old oak, 8 meters off the ground. In this splendid nature-dominated frame, our guests can rediscover the genuine flavours of our organic products, including our excellent, top-quality d.o.p. Canino extra-virgin olive oil, in a warm, welcoming and unobtrusive environment. Around the Farm you can enjoy long walks through luxuriant woods and centuries-old olive trees, or relax in the hollow overlooking pool, getting pleasure from the incredible view of the valley. In addition to the finely restructured farmhouse and the horseriding centre set in the heart of the olive grove, our visitors may admire the feather in our cap: the Etruscan tomb from the 4 th -century B.C., with its extraordinary frescoed beam ceiling. The Farm is located in an area of great tourist and archaeological value. Nearby are Lake Bolsena as well as the beaches of Montalto di Castro and Capalbio; the spas of Terme dei Papi; the old towns and villages of Tuscania, Tarquinia, Vulci, Pitigliano, Sorano, Sovana and Civita di Bagnoregio.



It was very cold outside and for some reason the tour guide decided to spend a great deal of time standing outside to talk to us. Even though we could see the lovely building in the background beaconing us with its warmth.











I never got the name of this kitty, but since there were no puppies to photograph today, I decided to include her. She (I'm assuming the sex) was very friendly and wanted everyone to stop and pet her.






When we finally got inside we were served bruschetta, garlic toast, cheese and a selection of preserves. We were also given all the red wine we could drink. It was so warm and lovely inside. I really loved the home. It was modern but had this old world style to it.

I purchased some of their olive oil and lavender oil. I just love it!



A gorgeous sunroom is where they served us, but they also had an adorable dining room with a fireplace and a cute little zen garden.














I loved the decorations and I wish I could do my place in this style.


Even the art on their walls was wonderful.









On the way out, I got a few more pictures of the farm including these cute miniature olive trees.












Some of the more distant views of the farm. It was very large. and you can see some of the lavender fields in the distance. And the olive grove contains trees that are hundreds of years old.









Then it was back to the bus and back to the ship to be lazy for the rest of the day. Can anyone say nap time???