Helen Mirren's Italian Castle
Helen Mirren's new pile, in Italy's Puglia region, is surrounded by fortified stone walls.
Photo: Reuters
All hail the Queen!
Dame Helen Mirren, perhaps inspired by her regal roles in The Queen and Elizabeth I, has purchased Masseria Matine, a 500-year-old castle in Puglia, Italy's southern heel. She must have read Conde Nast Traveler's 2006 Hot List issue, which featured under-the-radar Puglia. Savvy writer Ondine Cohane still sighs when recalling the region's "unforgettable back-alley no-menu restaurants" and beautiful beaches.
I bet Dame Helen will be aching for some Puglian pasta by the time she returns from her trip to Moscow, where she's making a documentary about her Russky roots. Wait a minute, is it possible that Dame Helen (born Ilyena Vasilievna Mironova) and I are related...? Wendy, did you meet any other Mironovs during your recent trip to Russia?
Although the idea of owning an Italian castle may seem romantic, the reality is less rosy. Mirren and husband Taylor Hackford will have to invest tons of time and money into renovating the dilapidated palace before they can wander its grounds and pluck grapes off the nearby vineyard.
Luckily, Wendy Perrin has discovered a way to experience castle living without the headaches or monstrous expense. Conde Nast Traveler's annual Worldwide Villa Rental Guide names the agents who have made it past Wendy's rigorous application and interview process (look for this year's list in the June 2007 issue). Here are the Italy experts' (and our) favorite spots for a royal vacation:
Helen Mirren at the Academy Awards, February 25, 2007.
Photo: Jeff Vespa/style.com
* Countess Simonetta Brandolini d'Adda, of The Best in Italy (yes she's an actual Countess), recommends Il Castello, a swoon-worthy turret in the Tuscan wine epicenter of Chianti. It comes with five bedrooms, a pool, tennis courts, and an outdoor loggia, the perfect spot for breakfast with views of vineyards and olive groves. Would someone please hand me my scepter?
* If staying in a castle brings up fears of ghosts or ancestral anguish, Brandolini d'Adda recommends La Limonaia in nearby Siena. The small house sits on the grounds of a large medieval estate. Think quaint servants' quarters without the servants.
Villa Maria Taglioni on Lake Como.
Photo: Homebase Abroad
* Mara Solomon, from Homebase Abroad, rents out the Villa Maria Taglioni on Lake Como. It's named after the famed ballerina who owned the place in the 19th century and hosted the likes of Liszt and Bellini. The villa comes with a full staff and views of Villa d'Este, where a certain celebrity couple tied the knot. You may have heard of them: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
* Or you can make like Dame Helen and surround yourself with privacy, courtesy of the large stone walls of Casino Pisanelli. This 18th-century lodge is in Ruffano, near
Santa Maria di Leuca, in the southern tip of Italy's heel. Come in the summertime to catch the orange trees in bloom.
* If castle living isn't your style, or you'd like to be geographically closer to Dame Helen, book into the Patria Palace Hotel in Lecce and request a room with views of the Basilica di Santa Croce. Or check into Il San Pietro di Positano in Amalfi (a 2007 Conde Nast Traveler Gold List hotel) and you might encounter actor Colin Farrell with his newest gal pal (thanks for the tip TMZ).
* Finally, for a real throwback to traditional Puglian life, stay in a trullo -- one of the conical (and comical) white-domed farmhouses dotting the countryside. Abate Masseria & Resort near Alberobello is a particularly charming, and surprisingly affordable, option.
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The Dame's castle - a fixer-upper maybe, but it still looks amazing. I think if I shared some wine with Taylor Hackford and talked with him about the layered acting of Jeff Bridges that he'd let me give him a hand sanding some crud off the walls and then before you know it, the castle would be my next celebrity loan-out. Don't be a celebrity, you can borrow from them with the headaches. And Mrs. Loyfman won't report your whereabouts that way either.
Posted by: nmitchell | April 27, 2007 at 04:31 PM
An excellent point NMitchell. Perhaps the next time I'm in Moscow (or England) I will relay your message to Mr. Hackford and we'll see if we could work something out about your brick-cleaning idea.
--Beata Loyfman
Posted by: CelebTracker | April 29, 2007 at 01:11 PM
I returned from Tuscany on 26 April, wrapping up a consulting assignment to assist a client in finding such special properties as Ms. Mirren has purchased. I visited several farmhouse ruins and empty villas (literally) waiting for new owners with the time, inspiration (and yes, lots of) money to bring them to life again for another century. The landscape we cross, whether as travelers or neighbors, is enriched when these treasures are brought back to life.
Posted by: marasolomon | April 30, 2007 at 09:24 PM