A Country Girl in Italy

Monday, September 29, 2025

Sherwood Forest & Nottingham

As I was planning our road trip through England, I was excited to see that our circular route could go right through Nottingham and that we could stay in an Airbnb close to Sherwood Forest -- even close enough to walk into the forest and explore.

We stayed at this Airbnb: Stay in Nottinghamshire It was not fancy, but it was warm and comfortable, and inexpensive. The major draw for me was the opportunity to walk into Sherwood Forest in the morning.

While we were in Nottingham, we ate at The Loxley, which was a fun pub-type restaurant, with televisions on the tables and food like french fries, etc. that you would expect from this type of restaurant. Their official website is here: The Loxley My daughter wasn't thrilled with their menu, and ended up eating at a nearby Taco Bell instead.

We attempted to visit Nottingham Castle, but it was too late at night and it closes at 5 p.m. and opens at 10 am, so it didn't fit into our travel schedule to be able to tour it. Admission costs 15 euro. Their official website is here: Nottingham Castle

Probably everyone on earth has heard of Sherwood Forest and Nottingham because of the many, many versions of Robin Hood that are available. The only actual movie of Robin Hood that was filmed in the real Sherwood Forest was Disney's 1952 version. Streets like Maid Marian Way, Friar Lane, and Robin Hood Street are fun to drive on as we toured Nottingham.

Walking from our Airbnb into Sherwood Forest

walking back to our Airbnb

The Loxley in Nottingham

My grandson enjoyed the television at our table

Location of our Airbnb

The location of Sherwood Forest: Sherwood Forest

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Burghley House

Burghley House at sunset in November of 2024

Completed in 1587, Burghley House is a grand and beautiful estate built by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I. You can tour the house for only 20 euro with an advanced-purchase ticket from their website: Burghley House

You can tour the home at night (from 6-8 pm) with a ticket to "Burghley by Twilight" for 30 euro. The home is open from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. every day except Friday, from March 15th through November 2nd. They have a Halloween Trail in the fall, and Christmas concerts at evenings in Christmastime. They even host a Santa Fun Run every year! They also host a Christmas Fair every year at the end of November, which is what they were setting up for when we arrived at Burghley House in November of 2024. The house was not open to visitors at the time, but we were able to park and walk around the grounds behind the gates, admiring the views of the house.

I particularly wanted to see Burghley House because it stood in for Rosings Park in the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice. Lady Catherine de Bourgh wasn't anywhere in sight while we were there, thank goodness! She would have been quite put out that we were snooping about her vast grounds! The home is also featured in the DaVinci Code as a stand-in for the French Chateau de Villette, and was used in interior scenes as well to stand in for the pope's summer home (Castel Gandolfo) and Sophie's grandfather's home. It has also been featured in "The Crown" and many other movies or television series. I would love to tour the inside of it someday!

It is located here: Google Maps location for Burghley House

The address is Burghley House, Peterborough, Stamford PE9 3JY, United Kingdom

This is an excellent short clip about Pride & Prejudice being filmed at Burghley House: Burghley House & Pride and Prejudice

Here is a portion of the movie filmed inside Burghley House: 2005 Pride & Prejudice

Me with my daughter in law and daughter at the gates to Burghley House

Burghley House is located close to St. George's Square, which was used for filming the town of Meryton in Pride and Prejudice.

Friday, September 26, 2025

Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio is the most famous bridge in Florence. It is free to visit at any time of day, year round. It crosses the Arno River. Ponte Vecchio means "Old bridge" and is believed to be from medieval times. It is the oldest bridge in Florence. It was the only Florence bridge to survive the WWII bombings. It is full of shops and is closed to automobile traffic. In 1565 the Vasari Corridor, the secret passageway meant to connect the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti, was built on top of Ponte Vecchio.