Now THAT's what I call a rambling rose!

WoW! Indeed it is! Is this your home?

Oh, I wish, Pixi! No, it's a 12th century church building near here that's been turned into the best restaurant ever. The Nonna (Granny) of the family who owns it is the green-fingered gardener, but she's getting on a bit now and is finding the upkeep difficult. She is 87, though,so not really very surprising!

some green fingered 87 year old, can i sign up for that ... just fabulous

I think she sits, waving her cane, shouting at all the strong grandsons and great grandsons, bossing them around something rotten and getting them to do all the work. It's what Italian grannies do best. That and making pasta by hand. :o)

Beautiful Gattina!

that's not rambling, it's rampant! but oh, how beautiful. Wonder if the plant is as old as the lady who tends it? or at least, makes others dot he tending!

Aw she sounds adroable! Its a lovely place..love the stonework

I've not met the lady in question, Pixi, but I believe that she can be something of an old battleaxe!

haha aye i bet she would be!

How beautiful I'd love to have a meal there :o))

Looks wonderful.

I'd like to live there!

What a super place, and a lovely old rose. I've met grannies like her, Gattina!

Well, when Lilcrawford wins the lottery, which she's set to do this Friday, (Isn't that right, Lil?) and the world tour of Goy members is underway, you can all come and stay and I'll book the entire restaurant. It really is something special (and very reasonable, too). I'm sure Nonna will be around to give you the guided tour!

Sounds good to me!

It just looks idyllic and so very lovely.

It looks like Pauls scarlet, beautiful.

Stunning! what are the openig times?might just pop over for a bite to eat;0))

Funny Gattina.....just ventured out to replay my numbers for tonights draw, so YES....book it please ;)

It is, Wildrose, it is.
It only opens Sunday lunchtime and Saturday evening, and you need to book about a month in advance, so "popping over" possibly isn't the best plan of campaign, PP!

That's gorgeous. Am I right in thinking you showed this before in a shot taken in the evening Gattina?

Aah Gattina that's so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes (in a good way! I cry at weddings and especially seeing impromptu weddings when I don't even know the bride and groom ha ha!) So Italian and so abundant. Just finished reading a novel by an american of Italian origin called The Spaghetti Set (for us brits think of a soap opera based on Italian Americans!!). I totally love the Italian culture and although I don't have children look forward to being a grouchy (but very indulgent) Godmother/Aunty Jxxx

Yes, I did show a photo of it by night - And then I went back (good excuse) so I could take one in the daylight!

I remembered because a place like this would me my dream home :)

Until you've lived here, Scottish, you don't find out the disadvantages, but on the whole, it is pretty much a dream come true. This isn't our house - ours only dates back to 1856, but we love it none the less.

lol there's always a serpent in every Eden, I suppose it's just a matter of finding one with minimal sting

Beautiful! Strangely, I was going to post a pic entitled "Now THAT's what I call a Climbing Rose" but yours knocks my pic into a cocked hat! The rose in my pic is very tall - 20ft + - but with only half a dozen flowers. I'll keep it to myself. ;o)

No, No, No! POST it, Nariz. This rose isn't even mine!

That's a stunning rose, Gattina.
Lovely pic :o)

Wow awesomeness!

please post, Nariz!

Julie, last year the younger daughter of our best friends here married her Englishman, first in a British registry office, then they came over and had the religious ceremony in the tiny church with all the family. The priest, Dom Paolo, learnt some English (taught by the bride's nephew, who is 11 and bi-lingual) specially for the occasion as a surprise, and conducted the ceremony in both languages. Everyone was clapping and crying (especially the bride) and cheering, then we all trooped next door to this lovely agriturismo for the wedding breakfast. It was all so magical. You'd have loved it! If we ever get to our golden anniversary (only 7 years to go), maybe we should think of a little ceremony here, too.

so long as you have a phtographer or three so that the rest of us can share!

That sounds fantastic Gattina, both occasions!

Not sure what we're going to promise each other though................. Not after all this time.

You'll come up with something!

He won't dig up my plants and collect vast quantities of rusty nails and old magazines (circa 1977), and I won't throw out his ancient, moth eaten sweaters without asking? Well, it's a start.

Sounds good....lol!

Now a wishlist of golden wedding vows sounds like the start of a very entertaining, not to say controversial thread!!!

Having blocked sinuses at the minute and snoring like a good un I know what would be on my hubbies wishlist ha ha!!

Ouch!

Such a beautiful, romantic image Gattina . . . I love it.

I agree with Muddy it's magical :o))x

Just gorgeous. Love all the comments Gattina.

Thank you, everyone. Hi, Regina! . So good to see you again.

Oh Gattina - is that little girl you? She looks very happy!

Yes it is! Or rather, it WAS. I've changed a bit, you understand, Mel.

Really????

Yeah! You just can't get a decent bit of smocking and puffed sleeves on frocks any more these days, can you? Well, not in my size.

You would if my Mum was still alive - she used to make all my clothes and, during the years when she was evacuated to Devon with me while my Dad was fire-fighting in London, she used to smock just about everything! If I'd had smocked nappies I wouldn't have been surprised! Lol.

I learned to smock once: not one of life's more important skills. My Mum made all my clothes, too. She was a semi-professional dressmaker and it took her ages to bind all the seams and hand stitch everything else, and by the time she'd finished a garment, beautiful though it was, the season had moved on, and I'd have outgrown it. Very frustrating when you're a teenager in the swingin' sixties.

lol I was a teen in the sixties, and mum made most of my clothes too, but not very well. I was the only girl in school who had a calf-length skirt in the miniskirt era - my waist was about three inches bigger cos I turned the top over so much! and often my dresses had the waistline about the level of my lower ribs. sigh.

Oh the rolled-up skirt brings back memories! We had berets like sailor hats, and some of the girls pinned them to the backs of their heads and backcombed their hair over them so they couldn't be seen!

Ah, the days of minimising school uniform berets and "mini-ising" school skirts. I must have looked a real fright, but probably no more than anyone else.

lol about the same time, I was the only girl in the class who didn't go blonde overnight - several had orange fingers where they'd mixed the dye without gloves.

Ah, Fran, no-one beat me: I turned up at school one morning with green hair. It's a long and sad story. I'll tell it one day when we're all feeling bored.

lol then I can't say hurry up and tell it! x

Not if you're enjoying life, Fran, no, you can't!

I am (lol even if politeness didn't require me to say so!) but I'm not being polite, I'm being honest.

Just beautiful .

Thank you Fabrice - the food is very good, too.

very nice!