Queen Victoria first visited Italy as a ten-year old. Over fifty years passed before she returned to a beloved country. In the meanwhile Victoria’d been crowned Queen and Empress of India, been married to and widowed by Albert and spent several of her holidays in that part of Germany where her Prince consort was born.
The Queen was guest of John Temple-Leader when she visited Florence and where she was joyously welcomed by the locals. Temple-Leader had a vast estate around Maiano which included the castle of Vincigliata which he rebuilt, and the quarries where stone used in the great renaissance sculptures was mined. Victoria visited a lake formed by the stone excavations and was so enchanted that she decided to sketch it, an event featured in the Illustrated London News of the time.
The fattoria (farm) di Maiano exists to this day and is open to the public. Its picturesque walks take in belvederes, garden pavilions, romantic woodlands, silvery olive groves, the quarry lake and animal (including ostrich) paddocks. The fattoria is also a delightful venue for agriturismo stays, has a farm shop and is often used as a wedding venue.
It was truly lovely to appreciate this part of Florence ‘s hinterland bathed in the rosy hues of a late summer sunset.
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It was a sad day as I had organiser a memorial Mass at the little Church on top of the square for my Dear Mother mainly for the benefit of some of my Italian cousins who came from all regions of Italy. No homilies were permitted in the Church but these had been done by Francis and I at the Crematorium in London where we had a very small gathering as I could not face announcing my Dear Mother’s funeral. However Mother surely led us to Queen Victoria’s Secret farm that she do loved ,visited and spent many hours sketching around the lake we loved the walks around and about and the free tange animals. Such a beautiful happy memories despite the sadness of the occasion.