Vizcaya One More Time

While we were in Miami last week we had a couple of hours of free time so Hubby and I took our oldest daughter Em to Vizcaya. We had visited the grand villa before she was born on my first trip to Miami and knew she would love all the fabulous gardens and rooms there. John Deering built the Italianate villa in 1916 when it was still legal to remove antiquities from European countries. As a result, there are Roman vessels, Elizabethan ceilings, Louis XV chandeliers, and Medieval Danish tapestries all in one house.The city of Miami runs the villa as a museum and it is number one on my list of things to see in Miami. This is the side of the house that faces Biscayne Bay. The weather vane has the sea horse motif that is repeated all around the house. It was the choice of the decorator. John Deering wanted a caravel(Spanish ship) so those are also found in stained glass and reliefs. This is probably my favorite room although it's very hard to choose just one. The Louis XV chairs and settee and massive chandelier make it feel like you've just walked into Versailles.