Well this could be something of a ritual. The outdoor pool in our local town at Greve-in-Chianti opened today and the day we've been waiting for since it closed at the end of last summer in September has arrived! Summer is officially here...
This year we can enjoy June at a more relaxing pace safe in the knowledge that we don't have to go back to England in July and August for work, hurrah! Our contracts at the British Institute mean we are being paid through the summer and so don't need that extra work.
The temperature has settled at around the 35°C mark, wisps of fluffy cloud, mostly sunny days and the odd light breeze bringing some light relief. None of those 15°C drizzly summer days we were used to in the Uk... Our regular annual courses have finished, exams nearly over... let the celebrations begin!
We have been invited to no less than 4 end of term parties and most importantly are only working mornings doing kids summer courses, leaving the afternoons free to go down the pool! I knew becoming a teacher was a good move!
Wed. 11th
My Wall St. boss, Luigi is treating us to a pizza at a local pizzeria near Piazza Ferrucci, called 'Affe di Bacco'. We meet a couple of English guys who are working at the Prato branch and one of Annette's DELTA colleagues, Mary is here to keep her company. The pizza is good and we have a nice evening.
Sat 14th
After another easy week of work in the morning and relaxing at the pool in the afternoon we are off to meal number 2. This is with one of Annette's profficiency students, Russian Julia. She's married to a Tuscan and they have a 12 year old daughter. They've invited us to a friend's restaurant in the city. We meet Julia for an aperitivo in Piazza Liberta and then on to the restaurant, which is a small, intimate place, with a very creative menu (which Annette helped translate). Julia's husband, Cesare, is an ex-Physicist, he used to work for the Eropean Space Programme and is a complete eccentric!
We enjoy a very philosophical evening and at around half midnight the chef comes out for a chat and I enjoy a wicked Grappa di Brunello! We stay chatting till about 2.30 in the morning... a great evening, but totally exhausting!
http://www.ilmicio.it/
Still... pool in the morning!
Wed. 18th
On to meal number three. This time it's with Annette's intermediate class and it is hosted by Silversmith, Donato at his very nice house, which is in the Pratolino hills to the north of Florence. We meet up with two other students, Leonardo and Donata in Impruneta and follow them up to Pratolino meeting some of the others and host, Donato in a small square on the Via Bolognese with spectacular views... We follow him to his house which is a bit tricky to find. He takes us on a tour of the house, it is filled with lots of his handicrafts which he has made over the years. There are mirrors, candelabras and two magnificent bas relief carvings, one a scene from Greek Mythology and the other a scene from Dante's inferno! A true craftsman... All 13 (unlucky number for Italians) of us are seated outside on his terrace to begin a quite memorable evening... Annette is presented with a silver plaque engraved with 'To the best teacher in the world.' (I come a close second!) We begin with Prosecco and some very tasty, spicy antipasti that Donato has brought back from a recent trip to Puglia. There are some sweet pickled shallots, huge green olives, artichokes, peppers and home made bread with some mouth-watering toppings, rounded off with cantaloupe melon and Parma ham. From here it's staight on to the main course of 'Spezzatino' slow cooked steak, mushrooms and roast potatoes all washed down with four different kinds of wine, our San Andrea Chianti Classico riserva and the pick of the bunch, a 1993 Castello di San Polo. The coonversation and rude jokes are flowing...
In Need of a food break, Donato tries his magic trick out on Annette, with great success! And then we are treated to his daughter playing some Chopin on the piano, accompanied by elder statesman, Mario recing some poetry... leaving everyone speechless!
And so it's on to dessert. First we split a huge Provolone cheese that Donato has also brought back from Puglia, again with more red wine and then we continue with a sampling of the many cakes that people have brought along, of course accompanied by no less than 3 different bottles of Spumante! Including a 1983 Contessa Rosa, which has just been released and is quite sublime... Just when you thought you've finished, we have coffee, followed by Cantucci biscuits and Vin Santo and another bottle of Spumante is uncorked just to finish us off! How much can these guys drink without passing out???
We bid our parting farewells long after midnight and somehow manage to drive home... How we make it I'm
not quite sure?
After work the next day... pool of course!
Friday
and meal number 4. This time it's with my Upper-Intermediate class, who have arranged to go out for a pizza. First choice, Capponcina in Settignano, is booked up, so this evening's destination is Edi House in Piazza Savanarola. We meet up at 9 pm. Unfortunately not everyone could make it, but we an evening with 5 of the ladies. Diana is getting married in 3 weeks and honeymooning in the Maldives. A very enjoyable evening... see you all next term? I hope so!(Original journal entry 6/03)
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