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



57. The Prince

It's been a month since my friend was here and for us it's the start of a new term. We both have new contracts with the British Institute, which means paid holidays at Christmas, Easter and a whopping 6 weeks in the summer! We're also entitled to free Italian lessons (sorely needed!), art lectures and free tickets to the film appreciation on Wednesday evenings. At the moment they're showing a season of Alfred Hitchcock films, I see 'Strangers on a train', 'Rear window', 'North by Northwest' and 'Psycho'.


The BIF English teaching staff


Today is a very special day, Prince Charles is on a state visit to Italy and we are going to meet him! Apparently he is the Patron of the British Institute, which has actually been going since 1917. He came here in 1990 with Princess Diana and today is paying us another visit, without his new bird, Camilla.

Everything has been meticulously planned for months, there is tonnes of security, we have been told what we are allowed to say and do... no mentioning of Diana of course! In the evening all the teachers and staff, dressed in their finery, are gathered in the library. There is a buzz of excitement as he enters...





He is being presented with a sculpture and a book, written by a distant relative, Kinter Beever, about Tuscany. The Institute itself was founded by English statesman and friend of the royal family, Harold Acton and has had many illustrious visitors over the years, being a reference point for Brits in Tuscany.

He moves effortlessly round the room being introduced to the staff. Surprisingly he actually seems quite pleasant, chatting with the common man and shaking everyone's hand, but then I suppose he's used to it. Then all of a sudden, whoosh! He's off into the dark, Florence night and we can breath a sigh of relief and relax! We stay for some drinks and nosh and then disperse too into the cool evening... surreal, but nice!

Here's a link to the British Institute's website
http://www.britishinstitute.it/en/index.asp


(Original journal entry 4/11/02)
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