by Anne | Oct 15, 2015 | autumn, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cotswolds, cream tea, England, Gardens, Lords of the Manor
Wednesday September 23, 2015
The Cotswolds, England
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
How about celebrating Mozart in the matchless city of Bath, England in November?
It’s one of those special birthdays…ending in a 5…and where in the world have I chosen to celebrate? In the peacefully gorgeous Cotswolds in England! And in one of the most beautiful places in which we’ve ever stayed, Lords of the Manor in the tiny hamlet of Upper Slaughter. From the first glimpse of the golden stone mansion tucked into luxuriant gardens, I was absolutely delighted.
And then the gracious hostess walked us through the cushioney and inviting sitting areas, 
and down winding hallways to our room as the delight continued. 
If there were anything available to eat this late in the afternoon, we’d just stay right here! But getting out of Heathrow took too much time, as usual (longest passport control lanes we’ve EVER been in!) and with the nearly two hour drive on top of that, it’s waaaay past our lunchtime! The closest place to get a bite to eat at this time is Bourton-on-the-Water, not far from the Manor, so off we go. 
This area and our beloved Aix are both filled with buildings of a honey golden stone, its color shade-shifting as the light changes through the day. 
What could be more satisfying on a crisp fall afternoon than a cream tea? 
Oh how I love that dense clotted cream – there’s just nothing like it! Slathered on a raisin-studded buttery scone, topped with a smear of strawberry jam….just what I wanted on my birthday 😉
A stroll around Bourton-on-the-Water confirms the fact that we’re here at the most beautiful time of year, with fall hues
joining the lush flower-filled window-boxes
and gardens – heavenly! 
Have you ever seen so many colors of hydrangea on one bush?!
Winter’s coming…and this home is well-prepared with a hefty stack of firewood by the front door. 
Back to Lords of the Manor for a cozy nap to help us get over jetlag,
enjoying the fragrant lavender as we pass.
Then we’re off again
for a pub dinner in nearby Lower Swell (loving these names!), before returning for a good night’s sleep
– we’ve got lots of fun to pack in the next few days!
by Anne | Sep 20, 2015 | Italian food, Italy, Italy travel, Orvieto, Orvieto Duomo, Orvieto Italy, Sette Consoli
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Orvieto, Italy
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
How about celebrating Mozart in the matchless city of Bath, England in November?
We’ve left the seaside behind, and after dropping off 2 of our guests at the Naples train station, we’re on our way to Tuscany, passing gently rolling fields on our way to the first stop, Orvieto.
No, not quite in Tuscany, but in neighboring Umbria the “Green Heart of Italy”. A minimum of four hours driving, which is what it takes from Maiori to here, is enough for one day – we’ll complete the journey to Tuscany tomorrow. And of course we’re ALWAYS happy to include hilltop Orvieto in a tour itinerary! Dropping our bags and the car at the lovely Hotel Palazzo Piccolomini, we begin to show off this marvelous town. 
The glorious Duomo was uncovered when we were here for our New Years Jazz in Italy Tour (which we’re offering again this year – come along!) but once again part of the triptych facade is under restoration – often necessary! We watch workers coming up and down in the bright yellow elevator, 
then walk over to the nearby cliffside for a breezy view off the side of the pinnacle that is Orvieto. 
A few shops call our name as we walk back to the hotel…one, a high-end clothing boutique, is in a remarkable palazzo. The building’s more gorgeous than the clothes! 
Of course we have to stop at Bartolomei’s in-town shop – remember our trip to their farm in December? The link above tells about that day.
A tasting, and a tin or two to take home…as usual, our souvenirs of this trip will be edible – we’re getting low on Bartolomei’s superb olive oil and it’s time to restock!
After a rest break in the hotel, it’s time for dinner, and a stroll through the quieting streets as the lowering sun tints the stones in Burnt Umber – so THAT”S where that crayola color came from! 
It’s been a few years since we’ve been in Orvieto in the summer, and we’re eager to enjoy our dinner in the garden – when we’re here for New Year’s Jazz in Italy, it’s WAY too cold to be outside!
The multi-course feast at Sette Consoli is, as always, exceptional…
especially when relished in such a lovely location. Good night, Orvieto, what a pleasure to see you again!
by Anne | Sep 19, 2015 | Amalfi Coast, Anacapri, Capri, Italian food, Italy, Italy travel, Villa San Michele
Monday, July 20, 2015
Amalfi, Italy
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
How about celebrating Mozart in the matchless city of Bath, England in November?
We’ll speed on the sea to Capri, but first we have to get to Amalfi from Maiori..along the barely-wide-enough-for-2-little-cars Amalfi Coast Highway…will these buses make it by each other? Not without a LOT of manoeuvring! 
I continue to be in awe of these patient and skillful drivers – I can’t imagine driving a car on this road (although Kirk does it expertly), much less a huge BUS!
The sea is wide open – no challenge to avoid other boats here – and soon Capri comes into view. See that dot of white about a third of the way down the ridge? 
That’s our destination – who knows what it is?!
We quickly load into a taxi and head up the rock from Marina Grande, 
and soon we’re walking the peaceful paths of Villa San Michele in Anacapri,
Dr. Axel Munthe’s exquisite house and gardens built over the ruins of a Roman emperor’s palace in the early 1900s. We love how he incorporated Roman relics discovered during construction – a marble face here, a bit of a pillar there…
Through the shaded gardens, 
we stroll to that white spot we saw from the sea on our approach…
our group has expanded a bit, with the addition of two of the marvelous musicians of the Amalfi Coast Music Festival, 
pianist Boaz Sharon and flutist Nancy Stagnitta, who’s taking the photo.
And there, far below is where we sailed in, with this red granite sphinx gazing down on us – we could see the white building, but not this red speck from so far away. Olga and her daughter have been relaxing on the rooftop cafe, and we join them there 
before browsing the shops on the way back to Anacapri’s main square, 
then making our way
to lunch at Il Solitario. 
Sharing a toast, we all agree that a Caprese Salad tastes best in Capri, 
and imagine the fishermen catching our lunch early this morning. 
The only way to get from the marina, and Capritown, to Anacapri until 1874 when a road was built, was a still-usable stairway zigzagged into the cliff. The ride down, along the side of Monte Solaro, is as scary as that staircase! 
Anacapri is the quieter, less-glitzy town on the island, Capritown is the one FILLED with high-end shops
– including a grand total of FIVE Ferragamos! 
But as you know from our stay here earlier in July, the entire island is filled with beauty – keep looking around and up as you shop and stroll!
A quick funicular descent, 
and we’re back on the boat towards the mainland – arrivederci, Capri! 
Oh how much beauty that rock hides in its crevices! 
Soon we’re pulling into Amalfi, 
and we meet again for a final dinner in Maiori. 
Chatting with Edith, the charming mother of Leslie, the festival director, we’re the last to leave…and tomorrow we’ll say goodbye to this gorgeous coast and head for Tuscany!
by Anne | Sep 17, 2015 | amalfi, Amalfi Coast, Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival, classical music, Piano Festival
Sunday, July 19, 2015, continued
Amalfi, Italy
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
How about celebrating Mozart in the matchless city of Bath, England in November?
What better place to celebrate a significant birthday than the gorgeous Amalfi Coast? We’ve all been enjoying getting to know Maria, Olga’s lovely daughter – what a treat that she could join Olga here for this milestone birthday! The celebrating continues in Amalfi, first a shopping and sightseeing stroll, 
then dinner, where we’re seated with the directors of the festival, and the music begins,
and the dinner proceeds, with a grand finale of a a birthday cake for Olga!
A night-time stroll through those vaulted Arab Bath corridors is fun, 
then we return to the similarly Arab-influenced Duomo for the evening concert.
Leslie gives us a tour of the highlights of the museum 
before we’re astounded with the mastery of young Chinese students from the Shanghai International Piano Institute – 
4 of whom present a program including Bach, Beethoven, Ravel and Chopin in the intimate surroundings of the museum. 
Still in awe, we slowly walk through the cloister, 
and gather on the Duomo steps before returning to Maiori. 
What a birthday to remember!
by Anne | Sep 16, 2015 | Italian food, Italy, Italy travel, Maiori, Vietri sul Mare
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Maiori, Vietri-sul-Mare, Italy
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
How about celebrating Mozart in the matchless city of Bath, England in November?
After that August interlude in France with our grandaughter, let’s return to Italy, picking up where we left off on the Amalfi Coast.
On this summer Sunday, a few of us want to fit in a morning hike
to the Castle of San Nicola de Thoro-Plano above Maiori. In reality the old ruins cannot be considered a castle in the literal sense, but a protected area consisting of a fortress built (beginning in the 800s!) as a bulwark and refuge for the population against the frequent attacks of the outlaws from Lombardy and later the Barbary pirates.
The three of us are joined by a couple of playful pups,
and as we pause for a look at the town and sea below,
they rest for the final climb.
Inside the fortified perimeter there were once barracks and shelters able to house a large battalion and hundreds of citizens seeking shelter, but today just one man lives there – here’s his mailbox. 
We pass him on his way down for morning coffee and newspaper. Wow – he must stay in shape with this at-least-once-a-day trek up and down!
Kirk and Jenny go all the way up,
and walk around the fortress as far as there is a passable path. 
I chicken out on the last part of the hike, and enjoy the view, along with a cat taking a morning stretch. 
As I sit, a young teen comes up, unlocks the storage shed under the stretching cat, and hefts out several jugs of red wine, then takes them down, two at a time, multiple flights to a car parked below. 
Soon Jenny and Kirk join me, and as we begin our descent, we’re stopped in our tracks as sunlight tinges the town below 
and Sunday bells ring out over the valley.
The descent goes more quickly, of course, than the ascent, and soon we’re back in Maiori,
where it’s time to pile in the car for the winding drive to Vietri sul Mare,
famous for ceramics since Roman times. One artisan has designed a wall of tiles telling of the history of the village, pirate attacks and all. 
A bit of shopping, a bit of posing,
then back to Maiori for lunch by the sea.
El Dorado has quickly become a favorite, and although I plan on a healthy salad for lunch, I can not resist the lemon ricotta ravioli. 
We’ll soon be leaving the coast, and where else would I find such luscious lemon pasta?!
The smoked swordfish and eggplant parmesan is also delicious – as is everything we order. 
We’re celebrating today – it’s Olga’s birthday, and her daughter has traveled long and far to join us for a few days. More festivities this evening…to be continued-
The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we're interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We've visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe. Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and in the the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with you.