October 2, 2016
As an Italian, when I first heard 'reconstructed Italianate village in Wales' my first thought was 'complete disaster.' Then we actually visited Portmeirion. And now it's my favorite place in Wales.
In early October, we'd just moved into our fisherman's cottage in Aberdovey. Looking outside it was an absolutely gorgeous day, bright blue and sunny and not at all October-like. Assuming that this wouldn't last forever, and having read in my guidebook that architect Clough Williams-Ellis' pastel 'Home for Fallen Buildings' is simply 'bizarre' in grey weather, but is overrun in summer, off we went.
The best little tourist attraction you've never heard of
So, British people know about this place - first because it's a crazy, bright and beautiful architectural showcase set in stunning scenery, and second because it was the backdrop for the 1960s cult classic tv show 'The Prisoner.'
Now, I'd heard of The Prisoner simply because I remember telling my parents about a particularly strange episode of The Simpsons that I didn't get at all - Homer made a gossip website and mistakenly makes up a story - flu shots are actually mind control - that turns out to be true. He's then kidnapped and wakes up on 'The Island', dressed in a black sport coat and being called by a number. Every time he tries to escape someone drugs him or he's chased by a giant floating attack orb, and hilarity ensues. It made no sense at all until my father told me that was based on the show The Prisoner, but whenever we talked about it no one but him seemed to ever remember watching as a child in the U.S.
Fast forward a decade later and my parents showing me a few episodes of the actual original Prisoner show online. Amusingly, as the entire plot was about why Patrick McGoohan's character suddenly left his job doing super-secret things for Britain, my parents said it reminded them of me having suddenly run off to North Wales, minus, of course, having worked for a spy agency.
Although I could probably do without constantly being knocked unconscious and drugged by a giant white guard balloon, at this point I don't think I'd have much of a problem being kidnapped and confined even in The Prisoner's version of Portmeirion. At least they got to wear fun outfits and the occasional game of human chess would certainly liven things up.
Meanwhile, back in real Portmeirion
It took around an hour to get there from Aberdovey, and while the entrance fee was a tad high - the setting and uniqueness of the village made it well-worth it.
To back up a bit as I've already taken several tangents without explaining why Portmeirion is here in the first place - in the 1920s British architect Clough Williams-Ellis was traveling in Italy, and came across the Italian sea-side village of Portofino. When he returned to the UK, he was determined to recreate the beauty and harmony of the architecture and landscape at home in Wales. (PS yes, we Italians are so amazing we are constantly inspiring crazy people. I mean creative people.)
After searching for an island to build on and not finding one, he finally found a precipitous piece of land that tumbled into Tremadog Bay. For the next 50 years - yes, he spent 50 whole years building this town - he found derelict buildings from Britain and abroad, broke them down, transported them to north Wales, and rebuilt them into the unique Welsh-Mediterranean town that is now Portmeirion.
Built around a central piazza, the town really does have the unique hallmarks of buildings throughout Europe - and not just the Mediterranean. There is a campanile and a duomo, but also what could easily be a Dutch canal house and a British wood paneled home. Walking around, brightly handprinted signs (a favorite color here is a light teal-ish/aqua) point toward hidden corners where you'll find a giant Buddha, a golden idol dancing on a pillar that could be straight out of Burma, right across from a tiny firehouse that would be at home in Mr. Rogers' neighborhood.
But more than that, everything is just so bright, which, although we live in brightly painted Aberdyfi, is not a theme entirely common to Welsh villages. Bright paint, bright flowers, bright trees framing bright patches of sunlight catch your eye in every corner. It can be hard to take in.
Just as you start to walk into the town, there is a audio recording of Mr. Williams-Ellis describing his vision for the town. Most people seemed to keep walking, but it was worth waiting a moment under the archway to hear about his dream of being able to diverge from the norm of Welsh town planning at the time, and to show that building something truly unique and beautiful was possible - that drab and grey were not the only options and art could have a place in every facet of daily life.
As I've always had a dream of buying acres of woodland in which to build a giant hidden garden labyrinth, with dozens of secret gardens connected by paths, and each based on the unique horticultural practices from across the globe - let's just say Mr. Williams-Ellis' vision spoke to me. [Also if you know of cheap woodlands for sale, give me a ring.]
Even the shopping is adorable
Anyway, everything in Portmeirion is touched by this dream of whimsical beauty. Even home goods stores. Now, I'm still not entirely sure why, but a large portion of what you would think would be gift stores in Portmeirion are devoted to home goods. While you can actually rent the cottages in the village to stay in, I can't really believe there would be that much of a demand for potholders and tea sets among the visiting tenants.
That said, it turned out to be very convenient for P and I. Having just moved into our semi-furnished home in Aberdovey, we were lacking several key household items. As northern Wales is largely rural and the closest largish home goods store is 45 minutes away, while the truly large box stores are at least 2 hours away, we took the opportunity to do much of our housewarming shopping while being tourists in Portmeirion.
I'm now, among other things, the proud owner of a lovely teal coffee maker, local slate coasters and a hand glued wooden cutting board, all available at Portmeirion. I came very close to buying a flower-patterned china tea set. When in Wales.
Not being true shoppers, but being true beer drinkers, we eventually by sheer force of gravity found ourselves at sea level at the Portmeirion hotel, having made a full circuit through the town. Glasses sparkled on tables under square white umbrellas, and beautiful green lawns sloped down to white carved balustrades framing the sweeping blue estuary.
In this setting clearly tables were at a premium. Not being sure whether the tables were self-service or whether there were waiters, we hesitated for a moment to sit down at the single open table. However, noticing some people come up behind us, my better Italian instincts kicked in. I quickly used my inherent ability to 'innocently' steal a table out from under someone else's nose by meandering casually over to it, blocking everyone behind me, and sitting down, while appearing to be wholly unaware not only of my having blatantly stolen it from someone else headed in the same direction right behind me, but also giving off an aura of blissful ignorance of literally anything else in the universe.
And I tell you know, even if the beer was horrifically overpriced, it was worth it. We could have been sitting at a grand hotel in Portofino in the sun.
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After a thoroughly enjoyable hour of sharing 'No seriously, where are we?' thoughts over our glasses of beer and a pleasant tour inside the hotel to hear the harpist - because of course there's a harpist - we did do one of the pleasant meandering walks through the woods around the peninsula. There we found small, brightly painted follies throughout the woods, massive wildly gnarled trees, giant hydrangea bushes, something that seemed like a spaceship that you'd find in a children's playground, and of course sweeping sea views down the Llyn peninsula.
Frankly, I'm still not sure where you are when you go to Portmeirion. It really does seem like another world. Another beautiful, well-landscaped world where everything is bright and cheery and you can buy all the home goods you'll ever need.
Link for Portmeirion
