Montalto & Monticello

Well, here we are again. What is living in Charlottesville without a trip to its biggest attraction (except for the Dave Matthews Band)?! The primary reason I wanted to visit was to take a tour of Montalto (1278 ft), the larger mountain rising 410 feet above Monticello. Myla actually went up there to look at student housing, but the waiting list was very long. I always wanted to go up there just to see the views. It was worth the wait.

As you can see, you get an excellent view of the surrounding countryside. You can see up to 60 miles or so from up here. You forget Virginia is flat when you leave the Piedmont since we live amongst the mountains. It is looking east where Jefferson and his guests said (and Myla observed when she first went up the mountain) they were looking at a sea or some large body of water on the horizon. Also, you witness how close the Rivanna River is to the house and where Jefferson's other farms are in proximity to the main house. It really gives you a great context to what you read about the plantation. Jefferson owned 574 acres of the mountain with grand plans to build a waterfall and observation towers on the side. No go-impractical and highly expensive. The TJF purchased the property in 2004 for $15 million dollars in order to preserve the view shed. They also plan to use some existing buildings for a mini-campus for teachers and students.

--Bryan