During the renaissance the leaves of this very ordinary looking plant known locally as Pastel created a triangle of huge wealth in the Midi-Pyrenees linking Toulouse, Albi and Carcassonne.  In its heyday during the 16th and 17th centuries the pastel plant (known as woad in English) became known as ‘blue gold’. Local merchants gained great wealth producing a unique blue colour dye produced from the leaves.  Henry IV  in 1609 and later Napoleon worked hard to try and limit the amount of indigo dye being shipped to Europe from Asia. But, by the 19th century the battle was lost and the farming of Pastel ceased.

During our last visit to the region we were excited to discover a resurgence of  ‘blue gold’.  After several centuries of oblivion, it’s making a come-back as Pastel  blooms again in the fields of the Midi-Pyrenees. Local producers are using the pigment to produce fine arts and textiles featuring this very distinctive shade of blue. Almost magically, with its green leaves and yellow flowers, after being soaked for 24 hours, the addition of oxygen causes the colour to change to its distinctive rich blue.  What’s more, when used in clothing it maintains its richness of colour regardless of how often you wash the garment.

The oil from the leaves was, in Medieval times, known for its therapeutic properties.  Being rich in Omegas 6, 3 and 9 its now being used in cosmetics where it’s gaining popularity due to its rich moisturizing and anti-ageing properties

The legacy of  ‘blue gold’ can still be found in the elegance of the mansions built by affluent merchants located in the centre of each of these stunning cities, all of which are worth a visit for this and many other delights.

Elegant  Toulouse, known as the pink city due to the colour of the stone used for its buildings.,

The Pink City of Toulouse

Albi  boasts the largest surviving brick built cathedral in the world and the adjoining Toulouse Lautrec Museum.

Episcopal City of ALbi

Carcassonne needs little introduction with its mystical  walled city and medieval citadel.

Carcassonne, a fortified town in the Aude department in the Region of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Details of our September 2019 small group tour to this region of Southern France and across the Pyrenees into Northern Spain can be found by clicking on the ‘Destinations’ button at the top of the page.  The tour focuses on the history, art, culture and food of this stunning region which takes us from the mountains to the sea.  Still largely undiscovered by international tourists it’s slow travel at its very best.  For solo travellers you’ll enjoy sole occupancy of a comfortable queen size room in delightful small hotels with no single supplement.

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The Fair that Supports Genuine Mexican Art and Artisans

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“I want my house to be open to sun and wind and the voice of the sea, like a Greek temple, and light, light, light everywhere”

The words of Alex Munthe, Swedish physician, when he fell in love with the idyllic island of Capri off the Amalfi Coast.

He wanted to create a home for the soul, because

“the soul needs more space than the body”.

Villa San Michele, the home he created,  is surrounded by an impressive garden, colonnades, pergolas and cypress trees with a view that extends forever. Behind the villa, in the Barbarossa mountain, Axel Munthe created a sanctuary for migratory birds.  A place to rest on their journey from one continent to another.

Henry James, who visited the villa, wrote that it is “a creation of the most fantastic beauty, poetry and inutility that I have ever seen clustered together.”

Ravello, Villas Cimbrone & Rufolo

The two other stunning villas we’ll visit during our May 2019 tour to Puglia and the Amalfi coast are located in one of my favourite places on earth, Ravello.  Perched high above the Mediterranean Sea, where the perfume of lemon blossoms and the spectacular scenery combine to seduce the visitor.  Here, we’ll find the Villa Cimbrone with its expansive gardens and dramatic views from the belvedere, known as the Terrace of Infinity.

Terrace of Infinity, Villa Cimbrone, Ravello

Its origins date back to the 11th century.  The villa and gardens were extensively renovated by Lord Grimthorpe in the early 20th century. It became a popular retreat for London’s famed Bloomsbury Group. Other notable guess included Winston Churchill and D.H. Lawrence.  It’s a view , once seen, impossible to forget.

Next, Villa Rufolo, the historical and cultural centre of the beautiful town of Ravello.  Built in the 13th century the villa and its owner featured in Boccaccio’s Decamaron, published in 1353.

Scottish botanist, Sir Francis Neville Reid, fell in love with its Moorish towers and expansive views and in 1851 began an extensive renovation of its rooms and gardens.

View from Villa Rufolo, Ravello

Visiting the villa in 1880 Richard Wagner was so inspired by the gardens he lingered in Ravello long enough to complete the second act of his opera Parsifal.  The spirit of Wagner remains as Ravello has become known as the ‘city of music’.  It hosts an annual summer concert series on a stage built jutting out over the Mediterranean Sea with the rugged Amalfi Coast below.

The Amalfi Coast deserves to be on everyone’s bucket-list.  Why wait?  Join us in May and discover for yourself the enchantments of these three stunningly beautiful villas and the towns in which they are located.  Space for the soul, indeed.

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