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



87. La Traviata up Fiesole

La Traviata at Fiesole


June has turned into July and it’s new territory for us as this time last year we were back in England enjoying two weeks of solid rain! No such luck here, barely a drop in months and the thermometer is stuck at around 35°C.



This evening is very special as we are having our first taste of Opera in Italy and it’s Al-Fresco! We’ve seen La Boheme, Tosca and Aida together in England and tonight we have tickets for Verdi’s La Traviata in the 1st Century B.C. theatre in ‘uptown’ Fiesole. It’s only a 45 minute drive from home and we arrive at 8 pm, just enough time for a quick coffee in the pretty square, before our 8.30 pm entrance time. In true English fashion, we have brought a bottle of Spumante (smuggled in) and some strawberries and we settle down for what should be a great evening... The sun is still setting and we are surrounded by Roman and Etruscan ruins and a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside, the stars are easing their way out, the orchestra is sriking up and the players are taking their place... Wasn’t coming to live in Italy a good choice?






The Opera is wonderful. La Traviata is athe tragic story of a Parisian courtesan who is ill. She falls in love and moves to the countryside, then back to Paris where she eventually dies.The famous Aria comes early on in act 1. We polish off the Spumante and even manage to squeeze in a tiramisu ice cream in the interval! A great evening... Bravo! Bravo!
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