2008 Events

HIDDEN TUSCANY: The Magic of Simple Food in Lucca and the Garfagnana
VILLA TEXAS DOES ITALY
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Explore with us the hidden bounty of cheese, honey, olive oil, pork, porcini, polenta, and much more ---simple country food finds and gastronomic discoveries in northern Tuscany. Join Heather and Harold, a.k.a. "partners in culinary adventures"!, as they share first hand knowledge and passion for "eating local", plus learn details on 2008 itineraries---exciting epicurian journeys in this lesser known area of Tuscany!

2007 Events

LAVENDER LANDSCAPES
Art Past Dark Special Event
Friday - Saturday, November 9 & 10, 2007
In June, Coppini plein air landscape painters from Central Texas captured the VILLA TEXAS Lavender Farm in full bloom. Artists transferred the purple haze and sweet fragrance to their canvas.

CUCINA TEXAS EVENT
The Pastry Queen Christmas book signing
Saturday, November 10, 2007: 9:30AM to 11AM
VILLA TEXAS will open early to welcome Fredericksburg's own Rebecca Rather! She will be signing her NEW cookbook, and encore to her widely acclaimed original, The Pastry Queen.

DARLENE IN ITALY
September 26 - October 16, 2007
Follow Darlene's footsteps in the Veneto on her mini-Palladian pilgrimage and VILLA TEXAS "research," and as she joins Harold Partain in Venice to launch their VILLA TEXAS DOES ITALY journey. Travel vicariously to Italy via Darlene's daily photo entries on her ITALY FEVER Travel Blog.

VILLA TEXAS Lavender Farm on the Pedernales River
will to be open to visitors:
June 9-10 : Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 9 AM to 3 PM
June 14: 6 PM to 8 PM Nature Journaling Workshop
June 16-17 : Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 9 AM to 3 PM
June 23-24 : Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 9 AM to 3 PM During farm events, visitors are invited to pick fresh bouquets of lavender, enjoy picnics, and peruse the seasonal farm store full of lavender luxuries. Free lavender-growing discussions and lavender-craft demonstrations will be ongoing along with other activities. The farm is also available during the week by appointment only for private groups such as garden clubs and artist associations, contact us at info@villatexas.com to schedule tours for groups.
NOTICE: Dogs (on a leash at all times) are welcome except within the lavender field. Due to anticipated heat, the setting may not be ideal for pets. Please prepare for the heat (hats are highly recommended) and terraine (comfortable, sturdy shoes recommended). You may also encounter honey bees, and other country bugs and critters! Light refreshments will be available for sale on site. Carpooling encouraged.

NATURE JOURNALING WORKSHOP
JUNE 14 (6 PM to 8PM)
Participate in hands-on workshop for exploring techniques, an evening full of tips and inspiration. Experiment with creative ideas for capturing your adventures --- via sketches, watercolors, or by collaging "treasures" from your wanderings in nature. A selection of watercolor and sketching materials including fine Italian paints and paper, fine art pens, wide array of journals and more will be available at our onsite farm store (or feel free to bring your own art supplies). Fun for all skill levels. FREE

FREDERICKBURG LAVENDER TRAIL: Farm to Table
May 19 through the end of June
Enjoy the collaboration between lavender growers and area restaurants to promote lavender via culinary tourism. The spring-summer trail is hosted by VILLA TEXAS lavender farm and four other area lavender farms.

BECKER VINEYARDS ANNUAL LAVENDER FESTIVAL
Saturday, May 19th and Sunday, May 20th
The Lavender Market at VILLA TEXAS will be at Becker Vineyards Lavender Farm to celebrate all things lavender. Our booth will be bursting with some of our favorite lavender products and wonderful decorative accessories. Join us for all of the fun and festivities. For event details, visit Becker Vineyards.

CREATIVE JOURNALING:
A Hands-On Workshop for Exploring Techniques
Saturday, February 24, 10:00 AM to 12:00 NOON
Experiment with creative ideas for capturing your adventures--- via sketches, watercolors, or by simply collaging "treasures" from your wanderings in nature or abroad. $15. supply fee, includes pocket sized Moleskin journal and other materials. Limited space available.

2006 Events

JOURNALS OF ITALY:
An Exhibit of Personal Travel Memoirs
Art Past Dark Special Event
Friday - Sunday, November 10-12, 2006
From hand-written postcards to published travelogues, and from pencil sketches to watercolor illustrations . . . artist Darlene Marwitz shares personal sketchbooks, plus her private collection of favorite travel narratives by other artists and writers. Be inspired to create artistic journals of your own!

"A Taste of Venice, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna"
VILLA TEXAS DOES ITALY Travel Event
Friday - Saturday, November 3 & 4, 2006
Mark your calendar and join us for an in-store special event exploring the incredible food, wine, and cultural offerings of Venice and the Veneto and an introduction to the Emilia-Romagna regions of northern Italy. Darlene Marwitz and Harold D. Partain will share their experiences and knowledge providing you with valuable travel information on this region “at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.” We are pleased to welcome Harold back for the second in our “TEXAS MEETS ITALY” series. Harold is the Executive Director of McCabe Travel Group located near Dallas and has traveled extensively throughout Italy. Be among the first to learn about our premier offering of a lifestyle travel experience called “VILLA TEXAS DOES ITALY” as we present details for our first tour in Italy, “Exploring Venice, the Veneto & Emilia-Romagna” available April 24 – May 6, 2007. We offer you this travel opportunity to experience the lifestyle of La Dolce Vita hand in hand with Darlene and Harold as they walk with you and share their passion and love for this often overlooked and misunderstood area of Italy. Explore traveling in Italy!
Friday November 3 (5:00 to 6:30) Regional Orientation
Slides of Italy • Discussion
Saturday November 4 (10:00 to 11:30 and 3:00 to 5:00)
Program Overviews • Slides of Italy • Discussion

ARMCHAIR TRAVEL TO ITALY
at the Texas Book Festival
Saturday - Sunday, October 28-29, 2006
Travel vicariously to Italy via the VILLA TEXAS booth (#200-201) at the Texas Book Festival in Austin this month. Join Darlene Marwitz, author of ITALY FEVER: 14 Ways to Satisfy Your Love Affair with Italy, and her husband, David Marwitz, for a weekend of armchair travel---to Italy---books, maps, travel gear and music, plus learn details on VILLA TEXAS DOES ITALY travel event.

ITALIAN FLEA MARKET Event: Summer SALE
July 28 - 29 - 30, 2006
Summer savings on in-stock merchandise include: Chantal casualware (25% to 75% off) - Arte Italica Italian chocolate dinerware (50% off) - selected colors/styles Baggallini (25% off) - selected Caldrea products (25% off) - Milano photo albums (50% off) - Italian Murano glasses (50% off) - selected baskets (25% to 50% off) - furniture (25% to 50% off)- and more!

BOOK SIGNING Event:
The Architectural Legacy of Alfred Giles
July 29, 2006 10 am to 12 noon
Meet author, Mary Carolyn Hollers George, and have her sign a copy of her newest book on Alfred Giles and his enduring contributions to Texas architecture.

Darlene Marwitz - local historical preservation consultant and owner of VILLA TEXAS - will display a period photograph of the Gillespie County Courthouse (one of Alfred Giles' enduring legacies). The Architectural Legacy of Alfred Giles (retail $60.00) contains before-and-after photographs of restored buildings in San Antonio and the Hill Country of Texas, including: the Albert Maverick Building, the Crockett, Soledad, and University Blocks, and the L. Wolfson’s Mercantile Store, all in downtown San Antonio; San Antonio residences including the Carl Groos Residence, the Maverick-Carter House, the Floyd McGown Residence, and the James Milton Vance Residence; the Second Gillespie County Courthouse in Fredericksburg; the August Faltin Store, Ingenhuett-Faust Hotel, and the Post Office, all in Comfort; and various other buildings in the Hill Country area.

After emigrating from England, Alfred Giles practiced architecture in Texas and northern Mexico from 1873 until 1920. He designed unpretentious domestic residences and showy mansions, county courthouses, and institutional and commercial structures throughout Texas. Giles was the architect-of-choice for prominent families of San Antonio, Comfort, Kerrville, and other central Texas towns. He designed a dozen county courthouses, of which six survive, as well as more than forty buildings at Fort Sam Houston, a National Historic Landmark.In the last thirty years, many of Giles’s works, which were in sad states of repair, have been restored—largely as a result of the interest in Giles created by Mary Carolyn Hollers George’s first book on the architect, Alfred Giles: An English Architect in Texas and Mexico (Trinity University Press, 1972).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mary Carolyn Hollers George is the author of Alfred Giles: An English Architect in Texas and Mexico (Trinity University Press, 1972), Mary Bonner: Impressions of a Printmaker (Trinity University Press,1982), and O’Neil Ford, Architect (Texas A&M University Press, 1992). She lives in Austin, Texas.Photographs by W. Eugene George Forward by F. Lawerence Oakes, Executive Director Texas Historical Commission

"TEXAS MEETS TUSCANY" Travel Event
Friday - Saturday, April 21-22
Join us during a weekend exploration of exciting travel destinations in Tuscany!
From cooking classes and art programs to remote mountaintop retreats, and from “Slow Food” itineraries to basic question-asking opportunities for do-it- yourself travelers. . . this weekend does it all.
Friday April 21 (4:30 to 6:30) Slides of Italy • Resource Displays
Special “Tuscany Orientation” at 5:30 presented by Harold D. Partain, CTC, Italian travel specialist with McCabe Travel Group and Board of Directors Member of the International Culinary Tourism Association
Saturday April 22 (9:30 to 11:30 and 3:00 to 5:30) Program Overviews • Slides of Italy • Resource Displays
Harold D. Partain and Darlene Marwitz (author of ITALY FEVER: 14 Ways to Satisfy Your Love Affair with Italy) will offer Brief Presentations and Ongoing Dialogue with an emphasis on the culinary arts and architecture of Tuscany and Italy.
During our travel event, we will have a special SALE on selected BAGGALLINI bags, Italy books and maps .

2005 Events

SNAPSHOTS OF ITALY
Art Past Dark Special Event:
Friday - Saturday, Nov. 11-13
Special weekend exhibit and sale (Friday-Saturday 10 -
5:30; Sun 11 - 3:00) of eclectic imagery depicting a love of Italy including works by photographic artists including selected photographic works by Laura Calfee of Driftwood, Texas. Special sale (20% - 40% OFF) on selected Maimeri watercolor and other art supplies during the Art Past Dark weekend.See the ART PAST DARK Web site at www.artpastdark.com for additional details
and concurrent events in and around Fredericksburg.

Austin Junior League's
30th Annual CHRISTMAS AFFAIR
Wednesday - Sunday November 16-20
Join us at Austin's Palmer Event Center for a weekend of inspired holiday
shopping. Introducing new items and showcasing selected favorites; you
won't want to miss this shopping extravaganza.

Villa Texas will be located on Rodeo Drive
(on the main isle- booths 307 and 309).

Palmer Events Center is located at 900 Barton Springs Road- Austin.
For information and tickets, contact the Austin Junior League at
512-323-0668 or www.jlaustin.org.

EXPERIENCE A SLICE OF TUSCANY IN TEXAS
Saturday, June 25— 9am-6pm
Sunday, June 26—11am-6pm
It's a riverside festa of lavender harvesting and shopping at our VILLA TEXAS Lavender Farm on the Pedernales River. Stroll the fragrant field and gather fresh wands of lavender as breezes drift from the river. Bring scissors and a water container for cutting and transporting blooms!$5 per bundle of about 35 stems (tax included)You'll also be able to shop in our Riverside Farm Store for this two-day event.
-- Terra cotta pots (30% off) and seeds from Italy
-- Provencial baskets
-- Soaps, lotions and other lavender luxuries
-- Selected SALE items exclusive to this locationSeparate "in-town" specials also underway. See you there!

NOTICE: Dogs (on a leash at all times) are welcome except within the lavender field. Due to anticipated heat and the presence of small children, the setting may not be ideal for pets. Please be geared up for the heat (hats are highly recommended). You may encounter bees,and other country bugs and critters. Available for sale on site: cold bottled water and snacks. Carpooling encouraged. Please telephone VILLA TEXAS at 830.997.1068 for updates if it's raining!