We stumbled into Trasierra at two am after an exhausting day in Seville. We tiptoed along cobbled winding pathways illuminated by fairy lights, catching glimpses of bougainvillaea, oleander, wisteria, lavender and oversized clay pots. Giggling and trying not to wake slumbering guests we were shepherded to our rooms by Seraphina. past swaying, palm trees and poplars stretching up to touch the stars, It was the perfect way to enter Trasierra, as it is a secret place which reveals itself slowly and the white moonlight made our arrival all the more magical.
My room was calm, white, beautifully and simply decorated. It is also pleasantly cool at night, I slept like a baby.The next morning I found my way to the breakfast room, which seemed an ongoing feast. Again I was struck by the attention to detail. The décor, crisp white and blue even extended to the home-made jam, the pots are covered with blue and white fabric. This blue and white theme winds itself silently through the property giving a calm, orderly but relaxed impression.
I flicked leisurely through a magazine and found an article on the extraordinary Charlotte Scott, who single-handedly has created this paradise, and then to my surprise she walked through the door. So I put down the magazine and listened to her story. Charlotte Scott is the daughter of a diplomat and was born in Madrid, which explains why she was drawn toward Spain. She moved back to London at some point and became an interior decorator in London in the drab 70’s. On an impulse, dreaming of the sun and her child being raised with more freedom, she decided with her husband Nick Scott to decamp to Spain. She found Trasierra quite early on in her search, on a grim rainy day. A neglected, broken down manse, but to a woman of enormous determination, this was no deterrent. She relished the challenge and saw this was the place where she could shape her vision for her family and their future.