General Vallejo’s Yankee home

Lachryma Montis, Sonoma (photo: Daniella Thompson, 2007)

We all need a sanity break from Berkeley every now and then, but not everyone can fly off to the Seychelles or to Switzerland when the urge to flee is upon us.

Happily, beauty and calm are within easy reach in northern California. Only 55 miles away, the Sonoma Valley offers a myriad historic, visual, and gustatory attractions.

One of the most beguiling is General Vallejo’s Carpenter Gothic home in Sonoma, which was prefabricated in New England and shipped to California around Cape Horn in 1951.

Now the center of the Sonoma State Historic Park, Lachryma Montis is a charming oasis, especially mid-week, when you can have the place to yourself.

Read an illustrated article on Lachryma Montis in our Essays section.