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



43. Moret Sur Loing




After another gruelling 400 miles we find ourselves just south of Paris, in a very pretty little town on the river Loing...

There are posters all over the town of paintings by the English impressionist, Alfred Sisley. Apparently he got here before us and painted some very nice pictures!









We find a small hotel, no honeymoon suite tonight! and take a stroll back through the town.

We get a table at an interesting restaurant we spotted on the way in and settle down to a buffet style dinner.

After a well earned night's rest the next morning we have breakfast in a quaint outside café with croissant and café cremé.





















With baguette and camambert in hand we're off on the last leg of our journey, past Paris and on to Dieppe.

An obligatory stop at the Hypermarket to pick up some bottles of wine, Chateauneuf de Pape of course! and then onto the ferry... back to England






(Original journal entry 30/6/02)
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