The Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta on the road from Pienza to San Quirico d'Orcia

In 2001 I came to live in Italy. I had some fun, wrote a journal and this is the blog of my story...

"Tuscany is a state of grace. The countryside is so lovingly designed that the eye sweeps the mountains and valleys without stumbling over a single stone. The lilt of the rolling green hills, the upsurging cypresses, the terraces sculptured by generations that have handled the rocks with skillful tenderness, the fields geometrically juxtaposed as though drawn by a draughtsman for beauty as well as productivity; the battlements of castles on the hills, their tall towers standing grey-blue and golden tan among the forest of trees, the air of such clarity that every sod of earth stands out in such dazzling detail. The fields ripening with barley and oats, beans and beets. The grape-heavy vines espaliered between the horizontal branches of silver-green olive trees, composing orchards of webbed design, rich in intimation of wine, olive oil and lacy-leaf poetry. Tuscany untied the knots in a man's intestines, wiped out the ills of the world. Italy is the garden of Europe, Tuscany is the garden of Italy, Florence is the flower of Tuscany." Irving Stone from my favourite book " The Agony and the Ecstacy" A fictional biography of Michelangelo



24. San Marino Grand Prix

So on to the big day! We wake up at 5.30am and are on the road at 6.00am heading for Imola to join 150,000 crazy Ferrari fans who will be cheering for their hero, Michael Schumacher. I’ve always wanted to experience a G.P. in the flesh, but been put off by the hassle of getting to Silverstone in England.



The journey here turns out to be problem free and as we are here nice and early. Getting into the circuit is fine, Imola is actually about 45 miles from the independent state of San Marino, but a good excuse to have 2 G.P.’s in Italy!  We have tickets for the Rivazza Curve, which by the 9.30 warm up is already starting to fill up. It’s our first chance to see Schumacher and Ferrari team mate, Rubens Barrichello. Of course every time Schumacher’s Ferrari passes, the crowd goes mental!




The engine noise is incredible, as is the splutter of the gear change. Probably one of the loudest noises I’ve ever witnessed, in fact we have been given special ear plugs. At 11.00 there is a Porsche super cup race, with the actual race starting at 2.00 – After 3 or 4 days of April showers the sun has finally come out, it’s a gloriously sunny afternoon and we all come away with Lobster faces! The race itself proves fairly uneventful, the only overtaking is in the pit lane, but Schumy goes on to win and it’s a Ferrari 1, 2. The crowd, almost a complete sea of red flags, is extatic. Ralf Schumacher is 3rd, Montoya 4th and Englishman Jensen Button comes in 5th. A track invasion is obligatory and great fun.


The guys don’t fancy the 45 mile trip to San Marino, so we stop off in Bologna and see the square with the Neptune, yes another naked statue... Which is just too much for them! However I do introduce them to the delights of Cappuccino spiked with Baileys!

(Original journal entry 14/4/02)
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