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



81. Andrea Bocelli in Siena

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Today is a very special day for me, one of my favourite singers, Andrea Bocelli, is performing a free concert in Siena. The concert is on behalf of his charity, ARPA, there are about 500 paying guests and around 30,000 free spaces for the general public!


The setting is the very grand Piazza del Campo, with it's shell shape making for the perfect outdoor theatre. The concert doesn't start until 9.30 pm, Annette is doing her DELTA course today and is coming with one of her colleagues, Gabriella. So I drive down to Siena and arrive nice and early at about 5.00 to save some spaces. It's a gorgeous, sunny afternoon and I relax and soak up the sun's rays and the atmosphere of the square slowly filling up.






At around 7.00 the orchestra come out and start warming up with Intermezzo from Cavaliere Rusticana and one by one the violinist, sopranos and baritone singers flex their muscles. Finally the man himself Andrea Bocelli comes out to rapturous aplause with one of his son's, Matteo on his shoulders! We are treated to an incredible 20 minute warm up by the master...



Annette, Gabriella and her husband find me at 8.30, somehow I have managed to keep some spaces free and at 9.30 the magic begins... 2 hours of the most wonderful music and Bocelli's soft, sweet Tenor voice soothing and teasing the crowd along. Although he doesn't possess the power of Pavarotti his voice is truly enchanting. A very special evening, never to be forgotten!




(Original journal entry 24/5/03)
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1 comment:

FOODalogue said...

I'll be there in October...I guess there's no hope of repeat. Lucky visitors and locals.

June 28, 2011 at 2:22 AM

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