Tahoe Style, The Thunderbird Lodge

We escaped to gorgeous Lake Tahoe for a few days. It was heavenly!

While there, we toured the famous Thunderbird Lodge.

The Thunderbird Lodge pretty much defined "Tahoe Style" for me!

Called The Castle in the Sky, it was built in the 30's by George Whittell, an eccentric millionaire and bon vivant.

Because of George Whittell, most of the east shore of Tahoe is preserved. He at one time owned 29 miles of the shore from Cal-Neva to Zephyr Cove. Lucky for us, it is undeveloped to this day.

Thunderbird Lodge photo

The lodge is all stone, nestled in the pines and huge boulders that occupy this part of the lake.

Ciprian Photography

The property consists of several buildings, including the main house pictured here.

I was surprised how small and unassuming it is inside.

A great room with a bedroom upstairs on either end. One for George himself, the other for his mistress!

Gadling.com

The kitchen, laundry and maid quarters are in the basement.

From the basement, we entered a tunnel that was carved out of stone by local miners, 600 feet long.

Being claustrophobic, I had a major panic attack and had to go ahead of everyone else to get to the end of the tunnel! That's why the photo is blurry--I was running!

Thunderbird Lodge photo

This was the reward at the end of the tunnel!

The Thunderbird Yacht!

Isn't she a beauty? We were lucky that they decided to take her out for a spin on the lake.

This 55 foot long yacht is probably the finest in the world!

Gadling.com

This is The Card House where Mr. Whittell had many an all night, high stakes poker game with people like Jack Dempsey, Ty Cobb and Howard Hughes. If Michael Corleone was a real person, I suspect he would have gambled here too with George!

Some people think this property is haunted.

Indeed, we did see a cross on the ground of a closet. A woman felt the presence of a ghost while touring the lodge and threw a cross on the floor. No one has removed it since!

The views from The Thunderbird Lodge are magnificent!

To read more about the lodge, visit the Thunderbird Lodge Historical site here.

There is also a lot about George Whittell, the eccentric man who never worked a day in his life, and was known to tour about town with his pet lion, written here.

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Tuesday Inspiration: Santa Fe

Our bags are packed and we're on our way to Santa Fe today, my favorite city in this country besides San Francisco!

We last visited back in 1993, so we're very excited to see Santa Fe again.

A side trip to Taos is also planned, so stay tuned!

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Start Spreading the News

Guess where I'm going today?

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The Romantic Villa of Vignamaggio, Mona Lisa's Birthplace

Towards the end of our visit with our son in Florence, we ventured into the countryside and spent the night at Vignamaggio in Greve, a 15th Century villa.

We had high expectations about Vignamaggio, and we were not disappointed. In fact, we were just blown away.

After all, Mona Lisa was born here. Leonardo da Vinci painted her portrait here.

And the movie Much Ado About Nothing was filmed here. It had a lot to live up to!

The light was fading when we arrived and the sun's rays were casting a lovely glow on everything. I was in heaven with my camera.

We walked around the grounds photographing the incredible gardens, villa and landscape.

The villa with it's rosy exterior. It was restored in the 90's after being covered with ivy for over 200 years.

The villa as seen from the garden.

I couldn't help fantasizing about a wedding here someday. After all, we have three single grown children. I'm hoping it's Alex. Perhaps he'll meet a nice Italian girl......!

We spent well over an hour just walking the grounds. Everywhere we looked was a photo opportunity!

Eventually, we went inside and had a glass of Vignamaggio chianti. It was ridiculously delicious! After all, they have been making wine here for over 600 years! Oh, how I wish I had those glasses as a souvenir!

Our room was just off this second floor loggia. We practically had the whole villa to ourselves as it is off season. The price definitely reflected that.

Looking down from the balcony to an interior courtyard.

We wondered what life was like here back in the 15th Century. It seems like not much has changed since then.

The interior balcony at night.

Our room with the heavy beamed ceiling and terra cotta floors, just off the loggia as seen below.

Photo of our loggia from the book we bought before we left. Our room is on the left.

Although most of the text is in Italian, there is a lot of information about the history of the villa, Mona Lisa and even the chianti wine district. And the photos are gorgeous. Better than mine!

I learned that Leonardo da Vinci lived close by and probably was a frequent visitor. It is said he and Mona Lisa were lovers!

Notice the background? I never had before either, but apparently it is the vista from a window of the villa.

Kenneth Branagh said "There is a wonderful sense of peace in Chianti" when explaining why he chose the site for his film Much Ado About Nothing. "There is a lovely sense of being out of time. And the villa literally wrapped itself around the film."

I am anxious to rent the move and relive our time at Vignamaggio!

Be sure to check out their website here. I highly recommend a visit in the late fall when it is off season. The room was only 170 Euros. Otherwise, it would rent for 400 Euro in peak season.

An incredible breakfast was included!

I'm linking this post to Laurie at Bargain Hunting With Laurie for "Favorite Things." Staying at Vignamaggio was definitely one of my favorite things ever.

Maybe a "once in a lifetime" experience!

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Eat, Pray, Love

Eat, pray, love! Or in Italian: mangia, pregare, amore!

MANGIA!

Chefs prepping for the evening meal.

Fiocchi, delicate pear "purses" with gorgonzola sauce at Ristorante Natalino

Spinach tortelli with sage and parmesian at Ristorante Natalino

Fresh, hot waffle sandwich with vanilla gelato and drizzled with chocolate!

Dinner with "the boys" at Buca Mario!

PREGARE!

Niche on the corner of a building.

The sun lighting up a vignette on the Duomo.

Saint Margaret Church, built in 1032. Also known as Dante's Church because this is where he first saw his beloved Beatrice, whom he fell in love with at first sight. His love for her inspired his "Dolce Stil Novo," or Sweet New Style, leading poets and writers to discover the themes of love, or amore.

AMORE!

Love!

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Arrivederci!

Arrivederci!

By the end of the day, we will be on our way to Florence, Italy to visit #2 Son Alex who is studying abroad. We are so excited to see him!

We are also excited to explore the city of Florence, as well as Tuscany. It's been ten years since we were there on a family vacation, so I look forward to seeing it all again with fresh eyes and an appreciation for the history and beauty of Italy--especially this time of year.

Of course, I'm bringing my camera and my laptop, so stay tuned for upcoming episodes of

"Vignette Design in Tuscany!"

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Buon Viaggio

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go.

But no matter, the road is life." ~ Jack Kerouac

His bags are packed, he's ready to go. Wait, that's from a Peter, Paul and Mary song!

Still, that song is in my head this morning. #2 Son leaves on a jet plane today for Florence!

Buon Viaggio Alex!

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