“Let's walk the way,
            my soul!”
  • Talking Walks

V

V

iolet Trefusis’ Talking Walks are sound itineraries that recount the places of Violet Trefusis through a fastidious and new historical-biographical reconstruction.

 

An eclectic route in stages, a journey immersed in time to discover enchanting and original atmospheres; extraordinary characters, curiosities, precious memories to be treasured.

 

Evocative places where Beauty combines with Spirituality; Culture meets History; Knowledge plays with Irony.

 

A feeling in motion created to make the listener an active part of the story: not passive spectators but special travellers, whether the walk is done on site or virtually.

 

“I listen with my eyes and feel with my heart” is the key to interpretation suggested by Violet Trefusis, the remarkable genius loci of these walks.

 

Towards Violet Trefusis’ Bellosguardo

 

from Piazza Tasso to Belvedere Violet Trefusis

I STAGE - START  Piazza Tasso 
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Piazza Tasso

Start of the walk. Curiosity about the square and its ancient customs.

II STAGE  Piazza San Francesco di Paola/via di Bellosguardo 
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Piazza San Francesco di Paola/via di Bellosguardo

The old Church; Mitterrand, Churchill and other Violet’s friends strolling up and down Bellosguardo.

III STAGE  Via di Bellosguardo 
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Via di Bellosguardo

History of Bellosguardo, the disappeared Mask, the Magnificent Lorenzo and the Carnival Balls.

IV STAGE  Villa Fioravanti 
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Villa Fioravanti

Beware of the crocodile!

V STAGE  The Bend of the Ruzzola 
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The Bend of the Ruzzola

Uphill, a forbidden game also known by Galileo.

VI STAGE  The Corner of the Sigh 
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The Corner of the Sigh

Villa dell'Ombrellino, visual and sound suggestions.

VII STAGE  The Tabernacle of the Magnificat 
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The Tabernacle of the Magnificat

Ancient Sacred Music and Modern Spirituality. Thanks from 'Canapone'.

VIII STAGE  The Point of Art 
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The Point of Art

When the beauty of the landscape meets colours of Art, over the centuries. Desboutin's chansonette.

IX STAGE  Piazza di Bellosguardo 
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Piazza di Bellosguardo

The Palio del Saracino and the re-discovered well.

X STAGE  Villa dell'Ombrellino - Main entrance 
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Villa dell'Ombrellino - Main entrance

Hints from the Past, a surprise, and l'esprit de Violette.

XI STAGE  Via Roti Michelozzi 
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Via Roti Michelozzi

The Voice of Nature. Violet Trefusis’ poetry and the wind of Bellosguardo.

XII STAGE  Villa Bellosguardo 
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Villa Bellosguardo

Curiosity about the villa that no longer exists. The Point of Oh!

XIII STAGE - END  Belvedere Violet Trefusis 
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Belvedere Violet Trefusis

Violet Trefusis and the genius loci. The view above Florence. The statues on the terrace of Villa dell'Ombrellino.

“Bellosguardo is a dimension in itself, an atmosphere, a perception,” writes Violet Trefusis who, on spring and autumn days, used to take this walk -especially as a young girl- to get to Florence and back home, to Villa dell’Ombrellino, up to Bellosguardo hill. And she would also recommend it to her friends, staying at her Villa. It was not difficult, therefore, to meet along Via di Bellosguardo the young Mitterrand, Pierre Balmain or Francis Poulenc… Sometimes Winston Churchill, although he only walked for a few minutes and then continued by car.

The sound narrative of this walk, divided into stops, suitably identified according to content, guides us along a lively and eclectic route: from the carnival tradition between Lorenzo the Magnificent and the Commedia dell’Arte, to the ancient game of “ruzzola”; the discovery of hidden poetic corners; to the spirituality of the Tabernacle of the Magnificat, which holds a special bond with Violet Trefusis: a “cyrene of joy”; the pictorial curiosities that have left traces over the centuries of an exact spot overlooking Florence; the legend of the Well of the Saraceno in Piazza di Bellosguardo to the fascinating suggestions of Villa dell’Ombrellino, of its guests; of its history and, of course, of the cosmopolitan esprit of Violet Trefusis.

Listening to the voice of the wind along Via Roti Michelozzi that skirts the park of Villa dell’Ombrellino, being surprised at the gate of Villa Bellosguardo with its secrets, partly eroded by time, until we plunge into the wonder of the Belvedere Violet Trefusis that always leaves one breathless. And then, with a virtual glance, we will learn about the hidden symbolism of those statues on the so-called ‘high’ terrace of Villa dell’Ombrellino.

 

Let us, then, set out, through the beautiful eyes of Violet Trefusis!
The duration of the talking walk is 40′; the walk, for those who wish to do it on site, taking into account that it is uphill, is about 45’\50’.