70. Villa Vignamaggio pt.3

March 20th and the world is officially at war. At least the US, Britain and Iraq. The rest of the world including Italy seems to be against it. Everywhere people are hanging out the rainbow-coloured peace flags from their windows.

This sunday we have finally got our Villa Vignamaggio appointment. After two fruitless visits searching for suitable accomodation for Annette's brother Phil, we're checking out the one-time residence of the Mona Lisa... It's a gorgeous sunny afternoon and we are on a mission. While we're waiting a housekeeper kindly shows us around the villa. Built in 1404 it still has the original floor and many antique pieces of furniture and heraldry. The views are sensational and it even has its own pool. We get to see the 'Mona Lisa' suite, a snip at 350 euro a night and complete with four-poster bed.

What an incredible place! Apparently the villa was hired by Kenneth Branagh for much of the filming of 'Much ado about nothing'. Afterwards we discover that the villa is private and we shouldn't have been allowed to look around! Thank you cleaner! We tell Phil we like the place, hopefully we can come and visit him here next month...

Here is a link to their website

http://www.vignamaggio.it/index-english.html

(Original Journal entry - 22/3/03

69. 4 Lions and 1 big Pig!

A weekend restaurant double header as we are introduced to two Italian traditions...

Saturday and one of Annette's classes have arranged to take her out for lunch. I get to crash the party as they're going to Quattro Leone (4 lions), a small restaurant on the 'Oltrano' side of Florence in a small square. Apparently it's quite famous and judging by all the photos plastered over the walls, we are in the presence of greatness. Dustin Hoffman, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sting, Italian film directors, Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci and Franco Zeferelli. Not bad company eh? We settle around a large old wooden table. lunch is simple and tasty. Farfalle with fresh pesto and some wicked steak, with plenty of house red to wash it down. We have a very lively time. I wonder if they want to add my photo to the wall?

Sunday and we get to witness our first 'Sagra'. Which is a special evening organized by the local town to raise a bit of money. A huge marquee is erected and volunteers cook up a themed meal, there is usually music and dancing and everybody turns up to have some fun. It's the Italy that you see in films and that everybody imagines and yes it does actually happen!

This evening our local town of Strada-In-Chianti has organized a 'cinghiale' or wild boar sagra and it's too good to pass up. We turn up promptly at 8 o'clock and it's already packed! All the locals are out and we queue up, put in our order and collect the grub. It's wild boar salami for antipasti. Papardelle pasta with a rich wild boar sauce and yes you've guessed it, wild boar stew with polenta for the main course! Mmm I'm in Cinghiale heaven! One thing though, all the people here seem to be boss-eyed? Maybe too much pig will do that to you!

(Original journal entry - 15/3/03)

68. David Gray in Florence

After 1 year and 2 months we're going to our first 'pop' concert in Italy! Not many international artists come to Italy and those that do go to Milan, so Florence tends to lose out on the big artists. As Milan is 3 hours away we generally don't get to hear who is coming and a 6 hour round trip seems like one odyssey too far!

Not tonight though! As Mr Babylon himself, singer songwriter David Gray has decided to buck the trend, learn some Italian and has brought his wild band to the Renaissance town... The Saschall theatre to be precise. It turns out to be quite a nice venue, somewhat reminiscent of Brighton's old 'Top Rank Suite', very intimate with pretty good acoustics.

Babylon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QPb1BsNsY8

He plays for about 2 hours and includes some of his 'White Ladder' hits, Babylon Sail Away etc. and showcases his new album, 'A new day at midnight' with the haunting, 'Other side' a great show! Hopefully we will see more artists coming to Florence...

Other side
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxeWW3m2--E

(Original journal entry 10/3/03)

67. Big Rory II and Pizzaiuolo, Castles and Ladies day.

Our favourite nephew Rory is in the country and is paying us a visit. This time he is touring Italy with some friends, what a cultured guy! He's in Florence for three days and Annette meets up with them on the Monday to take them on a tour of the city and up Piazzale Michelangelo for ice-cream.

Monday evening and we have arranged to meet up in Sant'Ambrogio at Florence's 'premier' Neapolitan Pizzeria, Pizzaiuolo. It's great to meet up albeit for a short time and his friends are charming. One of them, we already know, Manuel, who used to live in Milan. The pizza is great and afterwards we drop them off at their youth hostel where their staying. Next they're off to Milan and Venice, before heading home.


Ladies Day

Today in Italy is 'Festa delle donne', which I only discover later is International Women's day. A celebration which is held all over the world, except in England. Anyway here in Italy, men give sprigs of a bright yellow flower, called mimosa, to women they come in contact with throughout the day... most women seem to be enjoying the attention, others are more cynical and are saying that men should treat women well every day!

As it's nearing spring several more family members have expressed a desire to come out and stay with us. Today's assignment is to find somewhere for Annette's brother Phil to stay, as he will be visiting us next month. We drive up to nearby Castello Vicchiomaggio and have a look at some of their rooms, the views up here are incredible, but the rooms just not up to scratch! The search continues...

(Original journal entry 8/3/03)

66. Fab Feb, Piazza and Cintoia

Fab Feb!

February is usually the worst month in England, but here in Italy, although it has been cold, almost every day has been sunny with clear blue skies...

Also there has been plenty of things going on to keep us busy.  We've made use of the Odeon, a historic theatre/cinema on the ground floor of the school we work at (and we get a discount!) and at our libray, another historic building called palazzo Lanfredini we continue to make wednesday night film night as they show a Henry James season and then a Josef Conrad season.






We've also found a nice little cozy reataurant called Santo Bevitore, to catch a quick plate of pasta and glass of house wine, which turns out to be a real gem... and the wine is fab!

Feb 14 is San Valentino and as you can imagine a very popular day in Italy... however we go to an 'anti-Valentine' party at single friend, Jane's house, for some chocolate, booze and boogying!

We take a drive out to a small village called Fiano near San Casciano to search for that wonderful wine we had at Santo Bevitore. After searching around for a bit, with our never-give-up atitude, we end up in a cellar and bump into the owner, a certain Mr Ugo Bing... he turns out to be very accomodating, giving us a tate of his loose, sfuso wine, of which we fill up our 5 litre fiasco and then takes us into his kitchen and gives us a taste of his Chianti Colli Fiorentini and riserva, of which we buy a bottle... 9 euro for the 5L and 7 for the 1 bottle of riserva!


Piazza

Sunday afternoon and after a hard week at work a well-earned drive in the countryside is in order. We pay a visit to the tiny hamlet of Piazza. I discovered it on a drive back from a lesson I did with a guy from the Carapelli olive oil producers in Sambuca. It's set on the side of a beautiful hill with gorgeous views. There's an interesting looking restaurant that overlooks the valley, but it's closed up for the winter. We will definitely have to return and check it out. For now we make do with some relaxation on our rug at the foot of an olive field. 

Cintoia

  

Lucia's personal estate agent friend has set us up with another viewing  here in Cintoia, just round the corner from Greve. Cintoia is a town famous for its spring water and very pretty it is too. The flat, which is an ex barn, is very tastefully decorated, although there are no windows and no garden! We decide against...







(Original journal entry 21/2/03)

65. Vinci

Bacon and eggs for breakfast and a drive out to the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci... what better way to spend a Sunday morning!

We're actually checking out the Montelupo area as a possible location to move to, but stumble upon nearby Vinci, another pretty hill-top town. It's very cold and carnival day in Montelupo. All the children have got their bright, colourful costumes on and are covering one another with tiny pieces of coloured paper which the Italians call confetti! The Montalbano hills and contryside are very picturesque here, you can certainly see where Leonardo got his inspiration from...We wander up to the old part of Vinci and come across this Medeival castle.

It now houses a museum dedicated to who else, but Leonardo da Vinci, so we decide to take a peek...
Surprisingly it's very good. There are loads of machines and models of some of his fascinating inventions and we spend a few hours in the company of one of mankind's greatest minds... I would definitely recommend a visit here.


There is a small cafe where we have earned a well deserved cappuccino and slice of cake!

A model of Leonardo's 'Vitruvian man' in the castle grounds.

(Original entry 9/2/03)