Shooting Location in Tuscany

This house is called Il Borgo di Stefano Luca and is one of the many shooting locations ready and staged for films and photography by UK based Shootfactory. It is in Tuscany, Italy, and stands on top of a hill overlooking Forte Dei Marmi. Surrounded by olive trees, sage, and rosemary, and panoramic views of the valley and mediterranean sea.

All images from here.

Celebrity Home: Sting's Backyard

Today we are visiting Sting and Trudie Styler’s farm in Tuscany, near Florence. A terrace with stunning views of the vineyards and the Chianti hills beyond. The landscape design is by Arabella Lennox-Boyd. How I wish we could see the interiors as well!


Sting and his wife bought the property in 1997.

Typical Tuscan architecture. The 16th-century villa was built as a hunting lodge for the dukes of San Clemente.


Chinese wisteria covers the 118-foot-long oak pergola.


An antique marble fountain rises out of the boxwood parterre.

Clipped boxwood frames beds of lavender, santolina, and white oleander.

An ancient cedar of Lebanon overlooks the parterre, formally known as Il Giardino dei Limoni, or garden of the lemon trees.

Sting came up with the idea for the oversize chessboard.

Lunch on a gravel terrace in the shade of an oak tree.

The pool, installed by a previous owner, overlooks the Valdarno Superiore valley.

Photography by Giancarlo Gardin

Portrait by Jaime Travezan

All images and information from Architectural Digest.

Renovated Barn in Italy

Located near the Gulf of Grosseto, in the Tuscany region in Italy this barn has been completely renovated by architect Daniele Bedini with local materials such as the stones from Mount Labbro and chestnut for all wooden parts. The original small windows were kept but there are so many other big windows and doors that there is plenty of natural light inside. It is basically furnished with flea market finds and items that used to belong to Daniele's grandmother. Lavender and sunflower yellow are the colours that dominate throughout this warm rustic house.








The kitchen table belonged to Daniele's grandmother. In fact, all of the kitchen was designed to resemble her grandmother's kitchen as it brings back fond memories of her childhood.




Rustic bathroom with an antique stone sink.


The small window above the bed shows the thickness of the walls.


In the porch a typical Tuscan countryside table and chairs were painted white and lavender. Wicker chairs and coffee table for the seating area. Weather proof curtains provide sun protection and shelter this cosy space.


Photos Andrea Vierucci
All images from here.