Private Escapes Presents: Frances Mayes – Under the Tuscan Moon
Before she even opens her lips to speak, Frances Mayes’ eyes are already twinkling with stories to be told, inviting you to splash in the basin of memories she’s collected through a lifetime a travel and romance. When she smiles and takes your hand in greeting, her face relaxes into a warm, almost grandmotherly expression of genuine pleasure. You can see immediately that this is a woman comfortable with joy, and at home in the world.
And why shouldn’t she be? After all, this former college professor is the famously successful author of two New York Times’ runaway bestsellers: Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany. Those loving memoirs of Mayes’ experience while buying and renovating a villa in Italy single–handedly reintroduced the world to the good life that’s found in things like a home, a hearth, and the lush green paradise of a Tuscan hillside. Following the worldwide triumph of these books, Ms. Mayes was finally able to leave her post at the university, travel the world, and most important of all, to plant a garden beside her villa in Cortona.
Fortunately for Private Escapes, Ms. Mayes is also willing to take time out of her busy schedule to pay a visit to friends. And so it was that, under the light of a Tuscan moon on July 18 of this year, Frances Mayes joined Private Escapes CEO, Rich Keith, EVP Kären Siwek, and renowned architect Fulvio di Rosa for a dinner party to celebrate the opening of Rigo Salcio, an historic 17th–century farmhouse. This classic three–bedroom, three–and–a–half bathroom villa sits on 20 acres of lush Italian countryside, and was fully restored and renovated by di Rosa himself as the newest breathtaking Tuscan residence in the Private Escapes portfolio.
While it’s tempting to tell you about Ms. Mayes visit ourselves, we’re certain you’d rather hear it straight from the master storyteller herself. So, without further ado, we invite you to share in Frances Mayes reflections on her visit to Rigo Salcio, in her own words:
To feel most at home in Tuscany, there are several essential ingredients—a stone house with a view, a noble town nearby, olive trees, and a pergola with a table set for a fine feast. The feast should feature what’s of–the–moment: funghi porcini in fall, boar in winter, fava beans in spring, and lusty tomatoes in summer. Everyday Tuscan life represents, to me, the absolute pinnacle of the good life. Private Escapes’ members who are fortunate enough to unpack your bags at Rigo Salcio, prepare to be immediately seduced into this good life. The house, impeccably restored by master builder Fulvio di Rosa, places you at once inside the long tradition of the contadina farmhouse. But if only the hard–working farmers could see what became of their home. I saw it as a ruin, then again when the last pillow was plumped and the roasting meat turned on the spit in the kitchen fireplace.
Such a transformation. Private Escapes and di Rosa have maintained the sculptural purity of the structure—even incorporating natural rock outcroppings into the decor. I love the stone corner sink in the kitchen and the space for several to cook together. Situated on a high plain overlooking the broad valley, the house connects you to the sublime Tuscan landscape and also offers privacy, that most precious of luxuries. Mornings at the market in nearby Lucignano, a leisurely lunch prepared from your market basket, a swim, and an afternoon drive to, say, Montalcino to sample a Brunello or two, then listening to the medieval chanting in the church at Sant’ Antimo. Or lunch in Monticchiello, a trip to the Renaissance town of Pienza or to Monte Oliveto Maggiore for the Signorelli and Sodoma frescoes. It’s endless.
All of Tuscany is literally at your feet. Best of all are the deep starry nights with only the hoot–hoots of owls. I forget how many stars are always up there, visible only to those who find paradise on earth.
