Daydream Destination: Florence's Boboli Gardens

I had the chance to go to the Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace in Florence with my mom one year. My dad and his friend wanted to go to see David at the Accademia, but since we had been before, it was time for something new. Early one morning, we woke up and crossed the Ponte Vecchio, heading to the south side of the River Arno, toward the Pitti Palace. It was late summer. The days had been hot, but we were early enough enjoy the cool stillness of the morning.

Early morning view from the Ponte Vecchio, Florence

View from the Ponte Vecchio, Florence

After a lovely walk, we got to the palace and did a quick tour of the Costume Gallery inside and then walked out to the gardens.

The Pitti Palace takes its name from its first owner, a Florentine banker named Luca Pitti. Pitti built the original residence in 1458. The Medicis bought it in 1549 and expanded it, making it the residence for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

Cosimo I de' Medici's wife, Eleonora di Toledo originally employed landscape architect Niccolò Tribolo to design the gardens, but he soon died and  Bartolomeo Ammanati took over.

The thing that I loved the most about the Boboli Gardens is that they feel like a calming balance of natural and manicured. It was a relief to be able to walk aimlessly and just enjoy the space without feeling the pressing hoards of tourists that normally take over Florence in the summer. It seemed like we and just a handful of others discovered a secret.

Boboli Gardens, Florence

Boboli Gardens, Florence

Boboli Gardens pathway

Boboli Gardens pathway

It was fun to stumble on the really interesting variety of statues, sculptures, ponds, and fountains that are tucked away on the paths.

Boboli Gardens statues

Boboli Garden statue

Boboli Gardens fountain

Boboli Gardens statue

Boboli Garden pond statue

Boboli Garden Statue

Boboli Garden giant head

Boboli Garden statues

We were lucky and spotted this guy from afar.

Boboli Garden heron

Since the gardens are on a large hillside, once we got up to the top and turned around, we had a spectacular view of both Florence and the surrounding countryside.

Pitti Palace and Florence from the Boboli Gardens

The Duomo from the Boboli Gardens

Florence from the Boboli Gardens

There's also a tiny, but nice, porcelain museum at the top. But I was more enamored of the smaller garden and the amazing panorama.

At the top of the Boboli Gardens

The Tuscany countryside from the Boboli Gardens

The Tuscan countryside from the top of the Boboli Gardens

How can you not love Tuscany?!

Before we left, we stopped by the uniquely beautiful Grotta di Buontalenti.

Grotta di Buontalenti, Bobolie Gardens, Florence

Frescos in the Grotta di Buontalenti, Boboli Gardens, Florence

Grotta di Buontalenti, Boboli Gardens, Florence

Grotta di Buontalenti, Boboli Gardens, Florence

Before we left, I fell in love with this statue of what is apparently supposed to be Bacchus on a turtle. I don't know why he's on a turtle, but Bacchus partied hard so I also don't think it would be necessarily out of character for him.  Cosimo I's "court dwarf" (there has to be a better way of saying that), Braccio di Bartolo, who usually went by the name Morgante, served as the model.

Bacchus on a turtle, Boboli Gardens, Florence

For more information about the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens, including up-to-date hours of operation and ticketing, please visit the official website.

Daydream Destination: The Félibrée Festival in France's Dordogne

It was the tail end of the summer of 2010, I was with a group staying in the Dordogne for about 10 days. We wanted to check out the Paleolithic paintings at Lascaux caves, but to get tickets you have to stop in the town of Montignac first. We drove there early one cool morning and as we turned onto one of the main streets, a burst of color greeted us.

Bright handmade flowers were strung above the narrow lanes and between buildings. They seemed never-ending, each street we passed by brought new color. It was a wonderful surprise.

Later we found out that Montignac was the host the Félibrée or Felibrejada (in Occitan) Festival that year.The towns of the Dordogne take turns hosting and this was Montignac's fourth time.

The festival occurs on the first Sunday each July. It began in 1903 as a way of celebrating and preserving the Occitan culture with some good old-fashioned traditional costumes, dancing, singing, eating, and drinking.

Something along these lines:

The townspeople are in charge of all the preparations, including making and stringing the flowers. I found a post, La Félibrée,  about the process at a blog called A Year Down the Line.

It would have been nice to come for the festival, but just stumbling on the flowers was enough to make my day and they were a wonderful backdrop to a sleepy riverside lunch.

So if you're ever in the Dordogne at the beginning of July, give the Félibrée a gander.

Daydream Destination: Lourmarin's Market in Provence

As I'm working on getting my first Vignette Guide done, I think it's time to revive my Daydream Destination posts for a little Friday inspiration and escape. They will be short and sweet posts of places and spaces from cities to specific restaurants to tiny village corners. Just to set the mood--and because I've been a bit obsessed with this song for a while--here's some Carla Bruni.

Today's destination is the Lourmarin market in Provence. 

Each Friday morning it unfolds throughout the narrow streets and into the main square. The lovely setting, from plane trees to time-worn, ivy covered shops, makes it easy to meander from stall to stall, even when the quiet of the early morning fades.

Like most Provençal markets, it's a mix of fresh food, housewares, linens, lavender, soaps, clothing, "Provence stuff," and miscellaneous odds and ends.

It was, by far, my favorite market from the trip. I think part of it had to do with being able to walk out of our front door and be in the middle of everything. But Lourmarin has a nice feel to it. It's compact but not cramped, time-worn but still lively.

I mostly did a lot of looking (and drooling over the food, despite having just eaten breakfast). I have a rule about only buying things that I fall head over heels in love with when I travel.

This time around , it was soap. The owner of our house left us with different types to try. One particularly questionable looking brown square turned out to be an amazing verbena. And that was that, I had to have a stash of verbena and lavender soap. It was in this market that I finally found exactly what I was looking for and bought about $30 worth. It lasted me a year. I wanted to cry when that last tiny sliver slipped from my hands and went down the drain.

So, what I'm trying to say is, if you're in Provence and in the market for soap, Lourmarin's market might be your place. If you want soap-buying tips, then drop me a note because I could go on and on. . .I'm only half kidding.

Besides soap, my second favorite part of the market was the sausage guy. He was at the back of the main square, wearing a great hat, one of those old leather butcher's aprons and drinking beer, beer, and more beer. He was jovial. Don't let the picture below fool you.

That man could probably convince me to give him my watch and then sell it back to me and I would probably leave a happy customer until a few days later when his charm spell wore off. He was fantastic!

Needless to say, we bought a lot of sausage.

I'm not sure how much more romantic life can get than waking up in real linen sheets in an antique bed in Provence, having coffee with whatever looks fresh and delicious that day at the bakery, and then walking out to a beautiful, bustling market with an empty woven basket that is just begging to be filled. When meandering gets tiring, you can wander back into town for a Perrier menthe or a small pitcher of cold rosé and snack on the 700 types of sausage you bought on impulse, because it seemed like a deal at the time.

Have a wonderful weekend!