Explore
There's always something happening here.
Life follows the changing Seasons.
The olive harvest means fresh organic oil (which has received praise from surprised locals who highly rated its colour and flavour). The fig and orange trees (freshly squeezed orange is a perfect way to get your juices going). The almonds and walnuts.
The wildlife. The grape harvest - leading to more wine making and fresh organic grape juice. The big crop of tomatoes which will hopefully see us through the coming year.
The changing colours of the countryside. And plants that seem to have suddenly grown huge overnight!
We chose to stay organic so we don't spray and rarely cut the trees which act as welcome shade in the summer months.
We really enjoy the long warm summer evenings. Sitting outside with friends chatting, enjoying good food and drink.
Clear Winter skies (Or there's torrential tropical rain).
And those extraordinary nights when you look upwards and see the Milky Way clear as a bell and notice just how many stars there are when there are no city lights around.
We never really know what each season will bring. Nature has a way of always keeping us surprised.
That's part of the fun.
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Night time Star Gazing in Hammocks
We both love Artistic projects (Las Vinas being the biggest to date).
Giovanna has always found a way to make things and to make things happen and there are traces of her genius all over the place whether it's her drawings and paintings (visible both inside and outside) or her love of mosaics, she's never still for long. She also still loves the sound of children's laughter and is itching to get her puppets out again.
She loves to dance and sing and generally perform for an audience who appreciates it and wants to have fun, while online she creates videos, some of which will be used to promote her many books.
At the top of a stone stairway that leads up behind Sun Cottage Las Vinas has a purpose-built massage room with mood lighting, a water cascade wall feature for relaxing ambience and sauna capabilities too. In London Giovanna's company Kalmatherapies provided a wide range of treatments to suit all ailments. and received glowing feedback from clients for her intuitive skills.
Did I mention that she also cooks amazing Italian food?
Noel uses his musical curiosity to explore different instruments and genres of music and is currently recording original music to use for a film idea they have from one of Giovanna's books
Having lived in the UK and attended many Festivals (providing Gong baths at several) they are keen to share what they've learnt along the way. Now different sound baths are created a with various instruments and jam sessions are considered a brilliant way to release energy and creativity. Noel was part of a Chant group too and loves the sounds of interacting voices (no training needed).
That's how the idea of mud treatments came about. We tried it. We liked it. Now we offer it to our guests.
Walking, cycling and rally driving are popular sports in this area so we often see passing walkers or cyclists on our camino. Some groups walk at night and stop halfway to sit and eat sandwiches and fruit and watch the starry sky above them. Not far away is the Ruta Via de la Plata which forms part of the famous Camino de Santiago which ends in Compostella in North West Spain. Many people like the challenge of the Camino and you can choose which part you want to walk, for several hours or maybe weeks.
We have one neighbour living about one km away and he keeps sheep. He's a real character and humours my ideas in the garden which avoid the traditional methods which are currently desertifying Spain. He drops in unexpectedly with fruit and veg from his own garden which are always welcome.
Giovanna was lucky enough to see one of his newly born lambs and hold it for a while.
Las Viñas is about 450m above sea level so whenever you go for a walk locally you're already high up and have wonderful vistas to enjoy. We look out for herbs that grow wild here like Camomile which makes delicious, relaxing tea. Wild asparagus also grows everywhere here and you can see some walkers heading home with big bundles of it for their family.
Driving through beautiful Extremadura countryside with its vineyards and olive and almond groves is a real pleasure because the roads are in very good condition and hardly used. You can drive all day here and only see one or two other cars. As you travel you will see many quaint villages to explore but don't avoid the Cities such as Zafra with its palm tree plaza and converted Moorish Castle. On it's outskirts is our answer to Sagrada Familia - a local tribute to the mosaic tile work of Anton Gaudi called 'El Capricho de Cotrina'
This place started as a hobby and grew from there. Now it's a local tourist attraction and still growing! The broken tiles from local builders merchants have found somewhere they can be reused and that's what gave us the idea for the pathway to our outdoor 'Gym'
Another City to put on your 'Must visit' list is Mérida with its impressive Roman amphitheater and an outside arena based on the Temple of Diana where they hold many outdoor concerts.
And don't forget the villages with their own ways of celebrating including our very own Feria which holds an annual 'Cruz' festival where the local ladies decorate wooden crosses and carry them through the streets to the church where they are left on display while everyone sits in the square having lunch.
So here's where I pause to reflect on all of the things you can experience here if you decide to come to visit and I haven't even mentioned our plunge pool where you can listen to the gentle sounds of water rippling down the cascade wall surrounded by the abundance that is Las Vinas
We hope this page has given you an insight into the real lives of the Spanish people living in this rarely visited unspoilt part of the country and that you will enjoy living amongst them and seeing for yourself the beautiful, genuine and original Extremadura. And remember, please don't tell anyone else because we don't want this amazing place to become a tourist resort do we?
Looking forward to sharing some of these experiences with you soon
Perhaps you need to escape?
Perhaps you want somewhere to write?
Perhaps you're looking for a different kind of holiday?
Perhaps you want to experience a part of Spain that feels a world away from the usual tourist destinations?
Perhaps you just fancy a change?
Only you know the true reason and maybe you simply saw a photograph of Las Viñas and thought:
"I'd like to be there."
Whatever brought you here, we hope you'll feel at home.
Come and slow down.
Come and explore the land, and yourself.
Come and create.
Come and do less.
Come and be part of what we've created.
We'll love sharing Las Viñas with you.
Giovanna & Noel
xx