Check out these hidden gems in Texas even locals don't know about! These secret spots in Texas are unique and perfect to explore.
We spent 24 hours in Galveston, Texas, and it was scenic af.
I was busy working on a pano when this couple innocently enters the frame. I ditch the pano and composed this scene of them enjoying the great view and warm weather. Hamilton Pool, Texas. 3 shot HDR. View original
You won't believe these most beautiful places in Texas exist! From stunning water holes to remarkable architecture, you'll be amazed by Texas!
A visit to Tivoli and the Villa d'Este make an easy and fun day trip from Rome. Let us show you how with this post.
It's a mix of stunning landscapes and small-town charms.
Ready to discover some unusual places to visit in West Texas? From the vistas of Guadalupe State Park to Terlingua, here's what not to miss.
We spent 24 hours in Galveston, Texas, and it was scenic af.
At the Fort Worth Botanic Garden in Texas, 7.5 acres of Japanese Maples are starting to show their fall colors, and it's a mesmerizing sight.
Jacob's Well is one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the Texas Hill Country. Read on for what you should know before visiting Jacob's Well!
If you want to gaze at wildflowers or dip in a natural swimming hole, the Texas Hill Country has it all. Here's our guide to the 20 best off-the-beaten-path adventures.
There's a place in the hill country called Gorman Falls that will transport you to the mystical Middle Earth and make you forget what planet you're on.
Central Texas - Nope Western Kansas - Nope Northern Iowa - Yup! Today, record setting temperatures, 35 + mph wind gusts and dust. . . a summer we won't soon forget! Copyright 2012 ( Cooler on black )
These swimming holes are some of America's best natural pools. They'll give you a sense of enclosure and privacy.They are perfect for a short weekend break.
One of the largest states in the US, Texas is totally vast and totally epic to explore. With heaps of cities, national parks and coastal retreats, it's - 10 Very Best Places In Texas To Visit - Travel, Travel Advice - North America, Texas, United States - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography
River tubing and historic Gruene - there are plenty of things to do in New Braunfels TX. Plan a New Braunfels weekend getaway.
There's a place in the hill country called Gorman Falls that will transport you to the mystical Middle Earth and make you forget what planet you're on.
Valley view, hike from Murren to Gimmewald, Switzerland
Next stop: DIY castles!
With mountains to see, a gorgeous River Walk and the Alamo, San Antonio is one of the pretty fun cities in the US you have to explore. Not only that, - 12 Very Best Things To Do In San Antonio, Texas - Travel, Travel Advice - North America, San Antonio, Texas, United States - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography
A registered historic landmark shrouded in unsettling local legends.
In 2017, vow to improve yourself and your environmental awareness by exploring more of Texas. These 10 breathtaking destinations are a great starting point.
The lupine blooms along the east shores of Folsom Lake, CA were absolutely spectacular in the spring of 2013. The sunset conditions absolutely amazing, and I found a very thick bloom to frame in the...
The perfect one week Tuscany trip itinerary featuring the most beautiful towns and the most scenic countryside and routes in Tuscany. Including a map and accommodation advice.
**No longer accessible to the public for conservation reasons** The Narrows is an ecologically fragile, beautiful Texas property. Several endangered species make their home in these unique cliffs and the surrounding ranch lands. The Narrows provides habitat for the endangered bird species, the Golden-cheeked warbler and Black-capped vireo. The globally rare plant, the Canyon mock-orange, can be found on the Narrows, as well as the rare wild Smoke tree, maidenbush, and chatterbox orchid. The upper part of this canyon (called the Narrows) is no more than 10 feet wide at its narrowest point. At this point, the river cuts through an exposed coral reef dating from the Late Cretaceous period (shortly before the extinction of dinosaurs). It is a product of water erosion through relatively soft limestone. According to a report compiled by the Southwest Association of Student Geological Societies, these bluffs contain a sequence of rocks showing the gradual emergence of an ancient reef out of the ocean. Fossils of more than 29 types have been found. Though the Blanco often dries up during hot summertime, there are swimming holes formed by potholes in the canyon. There are four waterfalls, water from subsurface aquifers seeps out through the walls, supporting garden-like beds of maidenhair fern, shield fern, and chatterbox orchid. At one point, the canyon walls have eroded leaving an isolated limestone tower. Geologists brought to the site by J. David Bamberger think it may once have been a cave that collapsed and that the potholes were formed in the cave. Not surprisingly, the property also contains at least one cave big enough to crawl into. This tract was purchased in 2000 by a group of partners, who shared a goal of conserving the uniqueness of a canyon between sheer bluffs up to forty feet tall formed by the Blanco River in the Texas Hill Country. The property includes a 1000-foot-stretch known as the "Narrows," as well as an additional 3000 feet of river frontage. The joint owners donated a conservation easement to TLC, in November 2001, ensuring that the ranch will never be further subdivided. Due to the conservation ethic of a group of private landowners, this property will be protected forever from development and preserved for its conservation value. For this, the Texas Land Conservancy is deeply grateful for the foresight of these private landowners.
Have you seen the Oscar nominated movie that should win the title of “Worst Release Date of Any Hollywood Movie – EVER?” As you know, this fall, Hollywood was rocked by a sex abuse scandal that exposed directors and movie honchos like Harvey Weinstein, and actors like Kevin Spacey, who was accused of pedophile behavior, preying on and abusing young boys. The charges of pedophile abuse in Hollywood involved both heterosexuals and homosexuals. The Hollywood sexual abuse scandal then moved from movies to television to politics to sports to business and on. In the end, no field was left untouched by the scandal. It was in this highly charged atmosphere that a much anticipated movie was released – “Call Me By Your Name.” Based on a book written by Andre Aciman – the movie chronicles a 17 year old boy’s first love affair with a 24 year old graduate student. Perhaps if the 17 year old was 18, there would be no controversy. But, these disparate ages are integral to the story. And more, perhaps if the affair was between a 17 year old girl and a 24 year old man – would it still seem so taboo? Like I said before – this movie could not have been released at a worse time. Regardless of the Hollywood scandal, Call Me By Your Name has been nominated for a host of awards all over the world, and with the Oscars upon us, it is up for four, including Best Picture. Its young star, Timothee Chalamet, is nominated for Best Actor. I’m surprised Armie Hammer, the other starring actor of Call Me By Your Name, didn’t get an Oscar nomination – he dominates the movie with his confident, swaggering good looks. I do firmly believe if it were not for Harvey Weinstein, et al, the movie would have received many more Oscar nominations. It’s just that good. It will be interesting to see if Call Me By Your Name does win any Oscars in this currently charged atmosphere, but I doubt it will. It would be like throwing dynamite or screaming FIRE. Call Me By Your Name is the kind of movie that once you see it – it stays in your mind for hours and even days. It’s impossible to shake. Set in the early 1980s, it is both sweet and sad, heartbreakingly so. Everyone can empathize with Elio, the shy, awkward 17 year old who is falling in love for the first time. As good as the movie is, the book is even better. A short, quick read – it’s impossible to not sob through its last 20 or so pages. The movie is set in northern Italy, filmed in the Lombardy district. It is a quiet European movie, heavy with atmosphere and beautiful cinematography. The book was written as a lark when the author, Andre Aciman found himself artistically blocked while writing another novel. Its become a cult hit now that the movie has been released and there is even talk of a sequel to CMBYN. NOTE: As a word of warning, there is just a little nudity, not much, but there are sexual charged scenes. Mostly, the movie is more sensual than sexual where every movement and every glance is filled with innuendo. The Italian landscape, the town square, the food, the lazy afternoons, the hot summer sun, the fruit, the streams – the film is a feast for the senses. Despite how fabulous the movie is, I wouldn’t be writing about it if there wasn’t a gorgeous house that goes with it. The director, Luca Guadagnino, is no stranger to beautiful Italian houses. He is most known for his movie “I Am Love” starring Tilda Swenson and the famous moderne Milan house where it was filmed: “I Am Love” was filmed in this contemporary house, now a museum in Milan: The Villa Necchi Campiglio designed by Piero Portaluppi. The director Guadagnino has quite the artistic eye. He says he would be just as happy as an interior designer as a director. He once joked he would like to design for “rich people who can afford to do things right.” Luca himself lives in a centuries old palazzo: Luca’s apartment with its recently uncovered fresco ceilings. Luca lives outside Milan in an 3400 sq. ft. apartment set inside a 17th century Palazzo which had been empty for 40 years. During a long restoration he found frescos hidden underneath the paint. The piazza at director Luca’s palazzo. I love the moderne furniture mixed with the classic architecture – although some was probably brought in for this photoshoot. And I love the pop of lavender. And here on the same piazza – a meeting with the cast of Call Me By Your Name. Luca’s house is located very close to the Villa Albergoni, the house where the movie was filmed. Luca’s beautiful palazzo. Luca’s palazzo is a short 15 minutes to Moscazzano, a small town where there sits a country house he has long admired. He once wanted to buy it – but it was out of his price range. Still, Luca never forgot that house – the Villa Albergoni – which sits secluded, hidden behind stone walls and greenery. Moscazzano, in Lombardy near the Alps, sits between the town of Creama and Milan. It was this house, Villa Albergoni, that became the summer vacation villa where Call Me By Your Name is set. In the novel, the house sits on the Mediterranean, but in the movie, the villa is landlocked. At Villa Albergoni – Elio talks with one of his girlfriends In Call Me By Your Name, Archeology Professor Perlman, his Italian wife and their prodigal son Elio, come each summer to this villa, joined by a different graduate student of the professor, who interns for six weeks. This summer of 1983, the intern is the devastatingly handsome Oliver, played to perfection by Armie Hammer. It doesn’t take long before Elio, played by Timothee Chalamet, a quiet bookworm and musical prodigy, falls hopelessly in love with Oliver, who seems to not even realize Elio is alive. Or does he? Elio with director Luca Interest in where the movie would be filmed was high – spurred on by Luca’s earlier movie “I Am Love” whose house was architectural important. Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, Vogue and other important design magazines featured the “Call Me By Your Name” villa and it certainly did not disappoint. The villa, inherited by the Italian Mrs. Perlman, had to be special, but not extravagant. The Perlmans are academics, not socialites, and the villa needed to possess a faded, aristocratic atmosphere. Villa Albergoni, the 15th century fortress, was perfect for the role. Luca says he found the estate disheveled and a bit sad, although beautiful. It was exactly this faded glamour that matched the Perlmans’ lifestyle. The Professor, Elio and the intern Oliver It’s one hot Italian summer – and no one, except the Professor, ever wears a pair of pants, opting instead for either a bathing suit or shorts. The Set Designer is Violante Visconti di Modrone, an Italian duke’s daughter, and a relative of director Luchino Visconti. She is not a Set Designer by trade, but has a keen eye for interiors and Luca loves her taste. Violante actually even played a role in his movie “I Am Love.” The Production Director was Samuel Dehors. Together, Luca, Samuel and Violante furnished Villa Albergoni with antiques and decorative elements from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Much of the furniture left in the house by the owners was also used in the film. The entire movie was filmed in the Lombardy district between its small towns. Tourists and locals swarmed the towns taking photos of different locations and matching it with the actual scene. Above is one such photograph taken by a young girl who also took photographs at Villa Albergoni after the movie crew left. And the actual scene – a glass of wine at the town square. Because of the popularity of the movie and interest in Villa Albergoni, the owners have recently decided to sell it. The announcement of the sale was last week and the internet exploded with the news. Priced at $2.7 million, the house comes with several outbuildings and a separate smaller house. The Villa is square shaped and has a large portico with two towers at its corners. In more recent times, a service wing where the kitchen is located, was added to the east side. There is a large center hall with rooms on each side. What is so exciting is that after watching the movie and seeing the pictures from the photoshoots, along with the new real estate photos and photos of the villa from before it was a movie set – I have gathered all of them together to show the house in all its 15th century glory. Enjoy!!! Cars are rarely used in Call Me By Your Name except for long distances. Mostly, everyone rides bikes to and from town. Here Elio and Oliver in his “billowy blue shirt” ride to the bank. And here, the boys are riding to town – leaving the Villa Albergoni. This is the actual street that the Villa is located on. In fact, its front brick wall is seen here on the left. The Google map photo of the same above street where they were filmed riding their bikes. There are two entrances to the Villa. This street, Via Montadine, leads to the side entrance. Villa Albergoni is seen here, its large estate is behind the red lines. The side entrance gate off Via Montodine is marked. The front door with the balcony above is where the arrow is. The front gate is located on Via Roma, but apparently most people use the more convenient side entrance. You can see the once elegantly landscaped Villa Albergoni has been abandoned to nature. It’s just waiting for someone to bring it back to its former glory. Word is that the gardens are currently being restored. In this Google Map view, you can see the square shaped Villa with the additional Kitchen added more recently. Also, you can see its two corner towers on opposite sides. The side gate on Via Montodine - Google Maps. A screenshot from Call Me By Your Name. This gate is often used during the movie, as is the green door. A fan took this beautiful photo on a wintery day of the now famous side gate. The gravel paths inside the estate. A watercolor of the original Villa – in Moscazzano. It’s amazing how fanciful it was drawn. But you can see the original square villa with its two towers. Where the street is – there is a moat or stream. There is even a side building. It is not clear if this is how the house really once looked. Villa Albergoni dates back to at least the 15th century or earlier, the date is uncertain. The current palazzo was built on the ruins of an ancient fort that was built centuries before the 1400s. It is also not certain if the two towers are original, but it is thought they were added on much later after the villa was built. The front of the house is on Via Roma behind these elegant iron gates. In winter, the villa is very exposed at the front entrance, but here in summer – you can barely see it through the trees. Google view. The villa today from the front with its left corner tower. Plane or lime trees block the entrance. A closer view of the front door and the balcony above it. To the left is the newer kitchen building. A view from the balcony above the front door. To the left are a set of farm buildings that stand between the villa and Via Montodine. The director Luca on the balcony. Elio and Oliver waiting to take a trip in the Fiat 128 to an archeology find. The same view, from further away. Everything looks so lush and green in the summer. The back side of the kitchen wing, with its outdoor fireplace and sink. This door leads into the kitchen. A pergola, built by an landscape designer, is on the other side of the kitchen building. On the back side of the villa is a set of stone steps with statues on the gateposts. With a little manicuring, this could be so gorgeous! The view from the top of the steps at the back side of the villa. A view of the stair gateposts, probably taken from the upstairs of the house. A closer look at the railings and statue. And another statue framed by the plane or lime trees at the front of the house. Here the Professor and his Italian wife, their son Elio and intern Oliver enjoy meals at the table set under these trees. One of these meals at night, by candlelight was so romantic, you just wanted to climb right into the movie screen and eat their pasta!! In the dead of winter with all the shutters closed for the year – you can see the statue and the newly topped trees. I don’t know why the French and Italians prune their trees like this! In the south, we prune Crepe Myrtles exactly like this – and it is just a horrible way to butcher a tree – they never properly recover from this kind of pruning. I call these plane trees – but the gardener for the estate said they are lime trees. Either way, he doesn’t know how to properly prune trees! Regardless, you can see this is where the Perlmans had dinner and lunch – right under the trees that now look like huge hands grabbing for the sky. Breakfast was always by the kitchen under the pergola. Whomever buys this estate needs to first take a pressure washer to all the stone like this statue. There is so much mold and mildew just begging to be sprayed off! Armie and Director Luca sit under the lime trees. In this view you can see perfectly how the topping of these trees while pruning has created “knuckles” on the trees, leaving them permanently deformed. Still – what a beautiful setting! Love the lights that were installed over the table. Today, after the movie crew has gone, so has all this furniture. A closer winter view – something that I hadn’t noticed before – look at the carvings around each window!!! Isn’t that unusual? It looks like the Aztecs carved it, but I know it’s not. I suppose I never noticed it before because the shutters were all open. Very unusual! Another winter view shows the tower and notice the tiny round holes above the second floor? Those are in the attic which we will visit later. A snowstorm in the dead of winter. HISTORY: The Villa was once owned by a wealthy iron industrialist in Creama. In the 1950s, he sold the villa to Francesco Albergoni or Popi, as the Professor of Botany was known. Professor Albergoni is similar to Professor Perlman, both being professors of the sciences. Albergoni chose to leave a large portion of the estate in its wild state, hoping to repopulate the rabbits. Each morning he would breakfast outside among the hares. Villa Albergoni was inherited by his two sons. A granddaughter is an actress in Los Angeles. Luca, the director, knew Jacopo, one of the sons, and arranged to use the house in Call Me By Your Name. While many of the rooms of the house were movie sets, others were used for costume, makeup and hair. Jacopo says that 80% of the furniture in the movie is owned by his family. Oliver’s bedroom is where Jacopo slept as a child and the kitchen remains exactly as he remembers from his childhood, as is the Library. Apparently, their piano was restored for the movie, but the famous pink sofa in the library was not restored, as you will see. Jacopo says that what he most remembers of his childhood home is the perfume of the gardens. The many fruit trees in the movie were already there, including the pomegranate. But the apricot and peach trees were newly planted by the movie’s landscaper. Jacopo says the gardens were the pride of his father. While it was just recently announced that the Villa was for sale – Jacopo says it actually has been for sale for years, using the word of mouth method. With busy careers, the brothers could only visit Albergoni once a year, during the summer. The upkeep is enormous. Jacopo and his brother were tortured by the decision to sell their childhood house, so full of memories. But, they feel that the popularity of the movie will drive the price for the villa up and now is the time to take advantage of that. The long-time gardener says that tourists come by every day to pay homage to the house for its beauty, but mostly for the love story that they obviously felt moved by. FLOOR PLAN: Here’s a fabulous watercolor of the ground floor, without the kitchen wing, drawn by Floor Plan Croissant, an architect who is obsessed with movie houses, like we all are. Isn’t this gorgeous? She sells her work from postcards to the originals. Go HERE to see more and to read her fascinating blog!!! AND if anyone wants a custom drawn plan of their own house, inside or out – you should commission it!!!! Here is Floor Plan Croissant’s drawing - including the kitchen wing!!!! And here is the upstairs – Elio and Oliver’s bedrooms, connected by a door and the bathroom. A huge thank you Floor Plan Croissant for letting me show her work. My own floor plan is so pathetic compared to these that I will save that only for my own eyes. No wonder I never made good grades in Architectural classes at UT!!! THE FRONT DOOR WITH THE BALCONY ABOVE: REAL ESTATE PHOTO: The center hall runs from the front door to the back. There are two rooms on each side of the center hall. The carved front door with the stucco carvings around it. REAL ESTATE PHOTO: Here is how the center hall looks as it was. Some of the owner’s furniture was used in the movie, but the Set Designer added quite a bit. AFTER CMBYN: This was taken after filming was over – I wonder if these chandeliers were added by Violante, the Set Designer. They are quite pretty. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME: Here is the same hall as furnished for the movie by Set Decorator Violante. This actually shows the back door. You can see in the center of the hall – matching Spanish/Italian tables that face each other. Large antique paper maps were bought to hang on the walls. Further by the door is an antique Italian settee (the owners) in cream, along with more prints. Stucco ceiling is coved. Violante spent a month shopping for the house, even borrowing accessories from her father’s home to use for filming. Violante gathered bamboo leaves each day for the vases – something she said that Mrs. Perlman would probably have done. Myself, I don’t agree. Mrs. Perlman was always too busy smoking to spend time in the garden!!!! The center hall is one of my favorite rooms in the house. I LOVE the way it was decorated for the movie. Beautiful!!! A Behind The Scenes look – shows the center hall with the film crew. Lights off. I think the maps are such a wonderful way to decorate. This center hall reminds me of Lauren Liess’ new house – her center hall. Notice the Italian Terrazzo floor. In the center hall it is cream and black with a black border. But in the side rooms – the terrazzo is yellow and black. And the director Luca, sitting on the antique Italian settee in the center hall. I’m obsessed with these maps. Such a wonderful element in the hall. Their coloring looks so good with the terrazzo. Real Estate Photo: A view of the house as it is today. To the right is the Front Room – which is not seen much at all in the movie, just one scene. At the left is the Drawing Room, the main room where Elio’s piano is. THE FRONT ROOM: The painted ceiling. REAL ESTATE: The smaller front room which is the size of the library across the hall. There are not many before photos. Be sure to notice the beautiful ceiling! THE FRONT ROOM in CMBYN: One scene where this room was used was at the very end of the movie – Elio goes in here during their Hanukkah Celebration dinner. The large painting remains where the owners had it. CMBYN: Elio relaxes on the white slipcovered chair that belongs to the owners. All the fireplaces are lit and popping – making so much noise, echoing throughout the ground floor rooms. NOTE: Throughout the movie while in the villa, one element was noise. It was as if the house was a character, making its own noise, creating its own dialogue. Each time the doors were closed - they are so heavy, made of solid wood – the noise would sound throughout the house. The footsteps on the terrazzo floors also created a natural noise. In one scene, there is a loud recurrent noise happening somewhere off screen as if it was a musical beat. It was obviously a shutter that wasn’t secured and was banging in the wind. Was it intentional or was it happening and the director left it in the movie? THE FRONT ROOM: The noisy shutters. Elio watches from the front room. THE DRAWING ROOM: CMBYN: Here is the drawing room, dressed for the movie. This room adjoins the Front Room via the two doors behind the piano which is an early 20th century antique. The room itself has such beautiful Italian architecture. The ceilings were painted in the 1500s by Aurelio Busso, a pupil of Raphael. Only part of the fresco remains – you can see those by the window. Notice the floor – it is more yellow here than in the hall. Again – the set decorator Violante chose rather shabby, used furniture – nothing bought new. Everything is used or antique. For the decor magazine photoshoots – the furniture was changed around. In CMBYN, it’s not nearly as neatly placed as it appears here. The opposite view – showing the large fireplace that is so tall, you can almost walk inside it. Notice the door in the right corner – this is one of the corner towers. At one point, there was a staircase in it. Now, it has been converted to a bar. If I bought this Villa, cough (I wish!) – I would paint the walls a soft white or cream, that matches the trim color of the ceiling. This sofa was added along with all these beautiful chinoiserie styled paintings. A screenshot from the movie – Elio playing Bach for Oliver. The same view – without Elio or Oliver. Of course there are books everywhere. Being academia – all anyone does is read in this house. At one point Mrs. Perlman reads aloud a centuries old book in German to her husband and Elio, translating from German to Italian and English. Some of this furniture was the owners – with slips in green. A throw was just put on the white slipped sofa, something that the Perlmans would do – rather than reupholster. Before Violante decorated this Drawing Room, shockingly, director Luca found it “rather sad and uninteresting” – wow! What a biased Italian! He must be so immune to beauty that an American can not even begin to understand! Violante used many Indian fabrics and throws, some of which were hers and others she borrowed from people she said were like the Perlmans. The throw on the sofa is hers. At the other corner is a old TV from the 60s or 70s. In the book, Elio makes a point of saying he has so much knowledge for a 17 year old because they don’t ever watch TV. But in the movie, they unfortunately do. I love this view – you can see into the Front Room which the crew obviously used as a work room when they weren’t shooting in there! A view of the center section of the ceiling. REAL ESTATE PHOTOS: Here is how the Drawing Room actually looked. All the furniture is white slipcovered. Some of the paintings remain, they belong to the owners. Through the door you can see the center hall, with the back door open. The mantel looks much better without the painting – as it was in CMBYN. BEFORE: This view shows two pianos. The mirror belongs to the house, as do the paintings above the door. The other two large paintings are a surprise – these weren’t used in the movies, afaik. And here, above the windows, you can see how little of the original fresco remains. Note – the mirror here to the left is the one that Violante moved to the library, above the sofa, where it remains today. THE LIBRARY: REAL ESTATE: By the front door, on the left, is the library – most of these books were used in the movie, as was the very shabby pink velvet sofa. This antique wood desk was not used in CMBYN, nor was the mirror or the red wallpaper behind the sofa. BEFORE: On the front side of the room is a large fireplace. The trim work and doors are all painted black throughout the house. The wall behind the sofa is where the kitchen addition was added. Therefore – the window in this room was closed up – which might account for this odd niche behind the sofa. AND – access to the corner tower is no longer from this room, it’s on the kitchen side. CMBYN: Here, you can see the different desk that was used, along with the chairs, including the Ming antique. Another huge change was the paper behind the sofa. Violante covered the red wallpaper with a brocade from Dedar. As a nod to Professor Perlman, Violante added the collection of antique cameos of Lombardian kings. She also added books on Greco-Roman sculpture, antique maps and a globe. Luca wanted to get rid of the sofa, but Violante asked that it remain. She felt that it was exactly the comfy sofa that Professor Perlman would have. Notice the two old brass sconces flanking the sofa. They look like ones that Restoration Hardware sell now!! Such a pretty photo! CMBYN: Another updated view of the library. CMBYN: Violante did straighten up the books and added volumes on antiquity sculpture. Through the side door is the stairwell. On the desk are antique crystal ink wells. CMBYN: As so it begins….Elio meets the traveling intern Oliver when he first arrives in his blue billowy shirt. I love the way Violante decorated the back wall with the cameos. The library is the setting for one of the most powerful scenes in the movie – a talk between the Professor and his son Elio. Every time I say “the Professor” – I think of Gilligan’s Island and its theme song: “The Professor and Marianne, here on Gilligan’s Isle!!!” That back wall is perfection! And the stylist really made that shabby sofa look very nice! NOTE: Using this idea of tiny frames surrounding the mirror in a niche is a great design idea that you could emulate - without a spending a huge amount of money. I love how this vignette looks – fabulous!!! TODAY: And here is how the library looked after the movie crew left! You can see the new wallcovering remained, as did the mirror which had been moved from the drawing room, but all the tiny frames surrounding it are gone – probably owned by Violante. A young Italian girl was recently allowed in Villa Albergoni and many of the “after” photos shown are hers. To see the entire collection of her photos – go HERE and this is her twitter account if you want to follow her. FACTOID: When the girl first posted all the photos she took chronicling all the film locations (like above) – she received instant Internet fame and even got to appear on a television show with the entire cast of Call Me By Your Name!! THE STAIRWAY: BEFORE: The ground floor has such tall ceilings – that to reach the second floor you must go up two flights of steps. Along the way are original frescos on the walls. BEFORE: Looking down at the main floor. Through the door is the center hall. It looks like the owners had a stand up piano which was moved out for the filming. FOR THE MOVIE: The lobby to the stair hall was cleaned up and edited. The piano was moved out and the shelf was dressed. The beautiful painting on the left was in the film. The stairs are said to not be original to the house, they were replaced at some point, after the house was built. CMBYN: Elio and the painting. Above are lights for the filming. AFTER THE MOVIE CREW LEFT: Through this door is the kitchen wing – and also the entrance to the left tower. BEFORE: The guest bathroom with painted walls and trim. THE DINING ROOM: BEFORE: On the other side of the staircase is the dining room – used by the family as a billiard room. So THIS is where that cream antique Italian settee is from!! Through the door is the center hall. BEFORE: Notice the fireplace and ceiling. AFTER: FURNISHED FOR THE MOVIE CMBYN. The main scene filmed here was the very last scene, unfortunately. Although we barely see this room in the movie, it is beautifully furnished. Through the left wood hanging door is a pass-through to the kitchen wing. CMBYN: Another pretty photograph from the movie set! You can see the kitchen through the pass through. Most of the paintings came with the house, while the dining table was brought in for the film. CMBYN: A screenshot of Elio in the dining room. He is standing next to the marble fireplace which gives you an idea of how huge they are all!! And here is the last scene, Elio looking into the loudly crackling and snapping fireplace in the dining room, while the Oscar nominated song plays. THE KITCHEN: BEFORE: The kitchen in the adjoining wing that was built much later than the main house. At the right is the breakfast room. Love the Italian case clock, painted blue. BEFORE: Here is the “moderne” kitchen with marble countertops and a large farm sink! White tiles on the walls. Cork or tile floors? HOW THE KITCHEN LOOKED DURING THE MOVIE, CMBYN: Not much was done to the kitchen, except to accessorize it. A red check fabric was added to the sink, along with a collection of copper pans. A wooden table was added next to the sink. I think Violante installed the light fixture too. This looks just perfect for an old Italian family kitchen. CMBYN: Aftermath of a lunch with all the plates. This is real life styling - all for show for the movie! Looks so authentic! CMBYN: The cook rules the kitchen and the family. Who didn’t have a TV like that? Notice the old small appliances. Those plugs!!! FOR THE MOVIE: Outside the kitchen door - landscaper Gaia Chaillet Giusti built the pergola and added the lushness. This is where breakfast and brunch was served along with soft boiled eggs and peach (!) juice. Of course the Perlman’s chairs wouldn’t match. AFTER THE MOVIE CREW LEFT: This is all that remains! Sad! The young girl who took these “After” photos reported that the garden was being restored when she was there. THE TOWERS: The two old towers both once contained stairs that lead up to a look-out view over the land and to the attic space over the house. One tower was changed into a bar, while the second remains a staircase. Notice the view-holes in the walls of this tower: It’s hard to get a photo of the staircase inside this tower. This movie scene only lasts a few seconds, but here you can see Elio goes up the tower – to the attic. The daylight is from the holes in the stucco tower. This tower was probably once accessed through the library. Now you must go through the kitchen wing to reach it. The second tower – off the Drawing Room. This is now a bar that is reached through a short door in the Drawing Room. Shield-shaped windows were added in the bar – you can just barely see one of them here at the side of the tower. DURING THE MOVIE CMBYN: In this dramatic scene, Elio gets a nosebleed and he used the ice from the refrigerator in the bar – through the short open door, seen behind him. Sorry for the bad screencaps – but there are no other photos of the bar in the tower. Here you can see the window AND the stucco cutout with the grille over it. On the other side of the tower – you can see more of the stucco cut out with the window open. What a nose bleed! LOL. It’s lasting forever!!! Not really. The bottom of the tower bar with cabinets. I’m obsessed with the towers – especially since they are now different and both serve a purpose as opposed to just for security. THE SECOND FLOOR: The upstairs is like the downstairs. Two major rooms are on each side with the center hall in the middle. DURING THE MOVIE CMBYN: Here is the master bedroom as decorated by Violante. She redressed the bed and changed the hanging fabrics. The scenes shot in this room didn’t make it into the movie. There are rumors that the movie was almost four hours long before it was cut – I would love to see all those scenes that were left on the editing room floor! Through the side door is the blue tiled bathroom, also not seen in the movie. CMBYM: Another view. Notice the trumeau that came with the house as did most of this furniture. Through the door is the hall with the door to the balcony. CMBYN: In the corner – Elio’s mother’s dressing table. CMBYN: A close up of that dressing table – think of how much time Violante must have spent getting this vignette just right – and then, you don’t even see it in the movie!!!!! BEFORE: And here is how the master bedroom in the house actually looks – faded glamour. The new fabrics and bedding really made the room come alive!! Another view. Notice the chair propping open the door. Many needed to be propped open or else they slammed shut with a loud noise which reverberated throughout the house. During the movie the sound of these heavy wood doors was a continually used element. BEFORE: The second master bedroom as it really looks. BEFORE: Another view of this room, with a stove heater! This room was not used in the movie. BEFORE: The blue tiled bathroom with the stained glass window which looks like it has gotten a recent repair. Again – this bedroom was not used. After the movie crew left: This was Elio’s room, while Oliver is staying there. Such a pretty bed. FOR THE MOVIE - CMBYM: The same bedroom fitted out for the movie – as how a teenaged boy would live. Notice how the upstairs rooms have such beautiful wood floors!! For the movie – this small room is supposed to be what the family used as a storage room. Elio always moved out of his room during the intern’s stay. Since it is a storage room – Violante added lots of old things, making it more of a messy, catch-all room. CMBYN: Elio and his girlfriend watch Oliver arrive to the house for the first time. CMBYN: Just like a movie by Nancy Meyers, each detail needs to be fleshed out for the screen. Here is Elio’s desk, piled with his school and comic books. The beautiful blue tiled bath between Elio and Oliver’s rooms. I think this is so pretty!!! If you bought this villa – would you restore this bathroom, or leave it exactly how it is now? Hmmm. Another view. Oliver’s room is straight ahead. CMBYN: Violante used the owner’s vintage twin beds for Oliver’s room. Old posters from the 80s were put on the walls. Peter Gabriel – Live In Concert!!! CMBYN: And another view. THE ATTIC: The left tower – with the staircase that Elio uses to go to the attic. Notice the tiny round holes in the stucco, above the second floor windows. Those holes are where the attic is. Notice the second round hole has a security spotlight installed in it. You’ll see this again! SCREENCAP FROM CMBYN: The dark attic – which the family uses for storage – there’s an old sofa here, a lamp shade, a chandelier sits in a chair. See the round opening in the stucco – and the window that closes it off – this is the round hole above the second story windows. Elio comes up here to be alone – the doves are cooing and you think it must be a dovecote. Perhaps doves do roost in the tower. Not sure. It’s really only when you watch this scene a few times, to prepare a blog story(!), that you realize this is actually the attic. On the first view, I thought it was the dovecote. SCREENCAP FROM CMBYN: Violante said this was her favorite room to decorate – but it was barely seen except for a few short scenes. In this window behind Elio – you can see the spotlight that was installed to illuminate the yard. This is the spotlight you can seen from outside. THE ESTATE: Even though the house is so fabulous – much of the activity takes place outside. All meals are eaten either under the pergola or under the plane/lime trees out front. Here, breakfast and cigarettes are served. And behind the scenes, what really goes on. The same scene shown above – being set up. Poor Mrs. Perlman – she has to chain smoke throughout the movie. The gardener tends to his apricot and peach (!) trees – which don’t really grow here, but were brought in for the movie by the landscape designer. The area by the side gate – which you can see here at the back left with the urn on top of the post – this is where the faux swimming pool is. As usual, bathing suits!! After the movie, this photo was taken by the young girl who visited this winter. The same area as seen above, from afar. You can see how large the front yard is – this row of buildings line the street where Elio and Oliver ride their bikes. The swimming pool was built by making a trough and surrounding it with recycled stones purchased from a warehouse – which were then painted to look old. Had me fooled! I thought the pool was real! Of course the director, Luca, was behind the rustic, small swimming pool. He said a family like the Perlmans would never have a fancy, new pool – it would be too nouveau riche for them. This shows how high the stones were for the “faux” swimming pool. I wonder if they left this – it would make a great fountain!! In the end, despite the beautiful Italian villa and wonderful landscape – Call Me By Your Name is a poignant story of first love – and all the heartbreak that goes with it, as you can see here. Elio! I am hoping Timothee Chalamet wins for Best Actor and the movie wins for Best Picture. If The Shape of Water wins, I might never watch another Oscar award show!! But that’s personal. If you’ve seen the movie – read the book. It’s much better than the movie, if that is even possible. Six days now and I still can’t get the movie out of my head. Even Oprah, with Elio, agrees with me!!!! To order the book, click the photo below: AND…. For something completely different…Fixer Upper’s The Gaines have just introduced their new spring collection at Target, just in time for Easter: Here is part of the collection showing the beautiful plates that are a cheaper take off on Juleska plates which cost a small fortune. And, aren’t those bunny egg cups to die for!!! SOOOO CUTE!!!!! I like the glasses too with the Juleska (again!) detailing. HERE The plates with the Juleska styling. The charger is made to mimic a birds nest. HERE More darling white pieces for spring!! LOVE! HERE ANOTHER PART OF THE SPRING COLLECTION HERE THIS IS THE MATCHING MAGNOLIA STOOL AND PILLOW IN DIFFERENT COLORS HERE CHAIR IN BLUE, BLACK OR GRAY HERE TO GO WITH THIS TABLE – ALL FROM TARGET!!! TABLE HERE
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