VERMONT OVERVIEW

Twice a day along some Vermont highways, the traffic comes to an absolute stop. For most in this day in age, this would be an all-too-familiar rush-hour sight, except for the fact that cause isn't congestion: it is dairy cows on their way to and from pasture. But what's truly amazing about Vermont, and perhaps the northwest portion of the state in particular, is how the place has become seamlessly modern without losing its soul. That marriage of fresh sophistication with a grounded spirit is on display in magnificent Vermont luxury homes.

The twenty-first century economy has been kind to cities such as Burlington and the mountains around Stowe, yet the region has managed to keep its commercial development low-key and tasteful, so as not to distract from the area's natural beauty. While Stowe is known largely as a winter destination, the summer months afford an opportunity to take in the beauty of the region from a different perspective. Leave the skis and snowboards behind and strap on your hiking shoes for an amazing scenic trek through Stowe's trail routes, or navigate the historic Toll Road that twists its way up Mt. Mansfield.

Those with their own Stowe luxury home can take pride in the fact the elegance of their estates does not come at the expense of the rejuvenating surrounding landscape. In his later years, poet Robert Frost spent summers near the Green Mountain village of Ripton. How appropriate that a man who took a road "less traveled" would end up in a state that has done the same.