Yes, we visited a castle of a real live princess.

How cool is that?

This castle is the property of Princess Olimpia Aldobrandini. The Aldobraninis are an old noble family of Florence with ties to the Pope way back in the 1500s. Here is a picture I found of her….difficult to find, as apparently they are a bit camera shy.

Anyway, we had the opportunity to have an estate tour of her property. She was not home at the time; apparently she lives in Rome two weeks out of the month.

We met her cook and housekeeper, whose husband takes care of the garden work.

This castle was built in the 1600s and is so charming! It looks like it belongs in a fairy tale. This property it tucked away in the Tuscan Hills. You could easily drive by it without even knowing it is there.

There was the main castle, some apartments, the garden, and a path down to fountains. I thought it was so picturesque with the ivy growing everywhere.

A tiny church is also on the property.

The tour did not include the inside, and oh boy did I wish it did. I would love to see how they updated a 17th century castle into modern and luxurious living quarters.

Here is the real princess.

And a few last pictures.

They occasionally allow weddings to be performed on the property. Can you even imagine?

If you have some time in Tuscany, I would definitely recommend looking up the Princess Aldobrandini castle. I wonder if she ever makes an appearance?

Thanks Gwenn, for the great idea of garden tours!