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



71. Antella, San Donato in Collina and Paglietta 3

Something that not many people can say in Italy, "I've been paying too much tax!" But finally the tax man catches up with me and gives me a nice hefty rebate! So I treat myself to some new jeans and sunglasses to complete the 'Italian' look...
Sunday afternoon and we try to buy some plants, but all the local nurseries are still closed, so instead we decide to drive out to Antella and San Donato in Collina, two names that keep popping up in housing magazines. Even though the house hunting has been put on hold due to the Iraq war.



Antella is in an area called Bagno a Ripoli, an up-market place south-east of Florence, pretty but expensive. We take a wrong turning and end up in this gorgeous, elysian paradise amidst olive groves overlooking the city.




We drive on to San Donato, which is not bad either!




By now it's too late to cook, so we book a table at our now favourite restaurant, La Paglietta. A quick change and we're back in San Polo munching on wild Boar, guinea fowl and other such delights...  

(Original Journal entry - 29/3/03)
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