LOCATIONS

This year, we are offering the Da Vinci Capers experience in two equally beautiful Tuscany locations: the luxury of Villa Michaela, our original home base, for our April, May and October, 2005 adventures; and now, the rustic medieval hamlet of Peralta, for our attractively priced September 25–30, 2005 adventure. Read on, for enticing details on each wonderful place.

Villa Michaela

Villa Michaela is a large early-nineteenth-century private villa set in 50 acres of pine forests and olive groves in the hills of Lucca.

Villa Michaela has been beautifully restored, and modernized to a very high standard. Great care was taken to restore the original frescoes and to maintain the antique feel of the house while at the same time making it warm, and welcoming.

Attached to the house is a consecrated chapel attributed to Nottolini, the famous Lucchese church and aqueduct architect.

The picturesque village of Vorno affords wonderful walks and hikes and has a bar, shop and an excellent restaurant, only five minutes walk from the villa.

For web site: www.villamichaela.com

Pool

Dining Room

Tennis Court

Chapel

Peralta

For Da Vinci Capers September 25–30, 2005 adventure, we settle in the ancient stone hamlet of Peralta, home and studio of internationally renowned sculptress, the late Fiore de Henriquez. Surrounded by Fiore’s sculptures, purple bougainvillea and views of a small national park and the Italian Riviera, we begin our creative explorations . . .

Unlike the famous palatial villas dotting Tuscany, Peralta is rustic and intimate at the same time – a place you feel comfortable as soon as you arrive. That is, after you make the steep ascent – for it is perched on the slopes of the Apuane mountains, overlooking a nature preserve, and beyond to the blue Mediterranean Sea. It beckons you to stay for a while.

Fiore insisted on keeping her ancient stone hamlet in harmony with its earthy surroundings. She felt that it should be simple, like a “good peasant.” Stone by stone and over three decades Fiore created her dream – a place where friends and other artists could come and create their art. With the necessity to cover expenses of maintenance, Fiore slowly opened it to the public. Over recent years it has been updated with beautiful touches of hand-painted headboards, new mattresses, gorgeous tiles, contemporary plumbing, even a swimming pool on the upper terrace. Planted bougainvillea, roses and mimosa create a colorful backdrop. The vineyards and olive trees make room for the wide-leaf fig and tall chestnut trees. It truly is a little piece of paradise.

For more information, photos, descriptions of the facilities, please visit www.peraltatuscany.com, and be sure to read this Condé Nast Traveler article for a wealth of fascinating detail about Peralta and the amazing life of its late founder, Fiore de Henriquez.

We invite you to experience Da Vinci Capers at Peralta!