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



45. UK Interlude - Part 2 - August

Saturday 3rd of August and again we escape Worthing, this time we spend a nice day in Chichester. They have a very pretty old town and some nice individual shops. We go on a mad shopping spree! I find some cool linen trousers and shirts and Annette buys about a thousand tops from one shop!








Wednesday 9th we go and see my Neapolitan' Grandmother, Giulia and she cooks us a tasty dinner including my favourites, 'Melanzane alla Parmigiana' and 'Pastiera' now I feel right back home in Italy...



Saturday 10th it’s our nephew and niece, Rory and Bernice's 'happening' party.








Sunday 11th and my family are at the Gun restaurant in Findon for a meal, cooked by my sister, Rita's boyfriend.



 Cambridge -  Saturday, Sunday 17th/18th


We only just manage to make it up to Cambridge for the weekend, to visit Annette's brother, Phil, wife and daughter, Leonie. We drive up and arrive Saturday afternoon. England is enjoying a heat wave, with temperatures nearly up to 30°C! In the evening we have dinner in their garden, with some very nice Australian wine...



Sunday and we enjoy a great fish lunch at Loch Fyne and in the afternoon I finally get to go Punting on the river Camb. Phil rows up stream to show us how it's done and I row back down stream, a lot slower! But at least we don't fall in! A memorable weekend comes to an end as we drive back to Worthing....





It’s our last week in England...work has gone well and we have almost run out of time



Monday 19th and we just manage to squeeze in an evening with Worthing's answer to the Von Trapp family, the all singing, Alison, Rusty and 4 daughters. We enjoy an evening of food, fun, games and music!



Wednesday 21st and a final meal at the Downlands with both our families. For me it's an emotional evening as my brother, Carl is down from Devon.



Friday 23rd and the Nissan Sunny is packed full of various house hold stuff we couldn't fit in the first time round. We say farewell to England, take the night ferry to Dieppe and head toward the Alps! This time we are doing the trip in two days with only one stop in France. We find a hotel in the middle of nowhere and have a cool dinner in their restaurant. I enjoy a wicked cheese platter from a wheel that has cheese so ripe, it's dripping off! We arrive home in Florence on Sunday evening, exhausted, but glad to be home...


(Original journal entry 1/7-28/8/02)
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