In 2019, we were invited to Spain by my step mother who was looking for the perfect place to throw her 65th birthday party with all of her closest friends. Trasierra was top of her list and she wished to visit the property beforehand to make sure that it would suit everybody’s needs. We were very lucky to be invited along and since we were already in Italy photographing a wedding, all we had to do was hop on a connecting flight. I want to tell you the story of how we got there just to illustrate how magical our arrival to Trasierra was, so stick with me!
Will and I are not the most organized travelers, nor are we strong at time management. We ended up luxuriating in a lunch by the shores of Lake Como (it was our last day, after all…) and realized we were “kinda running late” before getting caught in a torrential storm (with hail!) on the climb back up to our car. We raced to the regional airport with our bajillion suitcases, toddler, camera equipment and hoofed a million miles from the rental car return to the airport doors, only to have them glide open to reveal a crowd comparable to Lalapalooza this past weekend.
The fuzzies from lunch were melting away but somehow we managed to appeal to a wonderful airport lady and told her our flight was in um… 30 minutes. She took one look at our haul and by some miracle took (undeserved!) pity on us and shuffled us through the staff side of security!
As soon as we were through and sighed relief, our flight was delayed for several hours. To cut this odyssey right down: we touched down in Spain many hours delayed after the brightest, bumpiest, most dreadful and windowless flight of all time still in soggy clothes from the storm. And this is where the promised magic comes in….
Still hours from the house with a drive through the very dark Spanish countryside ahead, I was panicking about this being a private home and keeping our hosts up realllllly late. Will and I were starving but we hate imposing on people so we kept insisting that they go to bed and not to worry about us!
To get to the house you pull off the road and wind down a dirt path (which is largely unmarked). We hoped that our internet had remained strong enough to bring us to the right house and as soon as we turned off the headlights (at 12:30 AM), J, our host, was there to greet us. We pulled our sleepy toddler from his seat and J led us through the giant wood doors into a cobblestone courtyard. I could hear the trickling of water from a fountain somewhere; the evening air was warm and a blanket of stars and twinkly lights woven through the vine pergola were the only light. I remember a gentle swirling breeze and a sweet smell in the air. We stepped inside the threshold of the house and it smelled equally delicious. Our room was just there on the left, gently lit, and had a bed set up for Rory with water and books beside and curtains dividing his section from ours. The windows of our room were all open to the courtyard where, right on other side (so we could keep an eye on him should he stir and not know where he was… um… heaven), a candlelit table for two was set up with a pitcher of icy water and a bucket of beautiful wines to try.
After a ridiculous travel day, there was no where else I wished to me. It was pure luxury. Into the night we ate: beautiful breads and cheese, a light but fulling salad, homemade ice cream and fruit. We couldn’t have been made to feel more “on time” and after dessert, we were left there to enjoy the wine and only asked that we blow out the candles. We ended up sitting there and enjoying until 3 in the morning. It was one of the most romantic and fun evenings of my life and it sealed Trasierra as a forever magical place in my mind.
All this is to say, the feeling of a place can immediately release all your worries. With the right care and attention, atmosphere can transform such a sill stressful day into a memorable and relaxing one. We ended up having the most delicious and peaceful few days of rest and couldn’t wait to get back.
