Lee's Tuscan Odyssey: December 2011

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

107. Cena in Montelupo

The holidays start here...

It's my last day of work and this evening we have been invited to an end of term party at one of Annette's 'DELTA' colleagues, Scottish Caroline. She has been living in Tuscany for 20 years with her Lucchese husband Nani. They have this big, old farmhouse that they have restored in the gorgeous hills of Montelupo, to the west of Florence. It's set in about 2 acres, with its own woods, vineyards and olive grove... Nani farms the land and Caroline runs her own small school. It's taken them 15 years to restore the house and it has certainly been worth the effort!

We enjoy a very warm evening with some of her students and friends, munching on wild boar with chocolate and tandoori chicken! Mince pies and mulled wine. We were inviteed here last summer for a bbq, but couldn't make it... next summer I think we'll try to!

(Original journal entry 19/12/03)

106. Lost in Lucca

November has gone and we break up from school on the 17th of December for 19 days of holiday… whoopee!

It’s the final countdown, with end of term celebrations, governors party, drinks at Beccofino and the staff dinner, pizza at Dantesca in Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Cheese and wine too at the last Orson Welles film night at the library.

There is an international craft fair at the Fortezza del basso, where we pick up the first of our Christmas presents.

Today we are paying our 5th visit to the lovely Lucca with friends Francesco and Ilaria. The temperature is only just above freezing, but who cares! First stop is Piazza Anfiteatro, which like many squares at this time of year has a Christmas market. We stop for lunch at a jazzy place and then get lost in Lucca... We see the tower with the trees and after some time find the church with the famous Dell Quercia sculpture ‘Ilaria sul caretto’ which our Ilaria wanted to see. The streets are jam-packed with shoppers and we enjoy a wicked hot chocolate back in Piazza Anfiteatro and a quick stroll along the walls (too cold for bicycles!) before heading home.

(Original journal entry 14/12/03)

105. Big Night

We've been wanting to have some friends round for a while, but it's taken a long time to get the house in some kind of state where this is possible. I've finished decorating (and re-decorating) the bedroom,kitchen, leaving Miriam's parrot of course! And the upstairs bedroom. The plumber has finally fixed the bathroom sink and so this Sunday we've invited Gemma and Tiziano, who we had round at Olmastrino and new friends, Francesco and Ilaria, who are from Puglia. Annette and I both taught Francesco on a short summer course in July and we've been out together for drinks, pizza and to their flat in the centre a couple of weeks ago to sample Ilaria's 'panzerroti'.

Today we've done the big clean and shop, bought a couple of new lampshades and cooked up a traditional 'English' style roast dinner. Everything goes well and the Italians are intrigued by the delights of Apple crumble...

It's a pleasant, if cold afternoon, so afterward dinner we go for a walk in the countryside around Montefiridolfi. Tiziano displays his forraging skills and collects a big bag of wild mushrooms. Edible I hope! We have a great time and our two sets of friends seem to have got on well...

(Original journal entry 22/11/03)

104. Macchiavelli, San Andrea in Percussina and Antinori

October is coming to a close and what better way to mark the halloween/All-Saints and Soul's celebrations, than to pay a visit t the home of 'old Nick' himself, Niccolò Macchiavelli. He came to live in San Andrea in Percussina, which is a tiny village near San Casciano, to write his world famous novel 'The Prince' - handbook to military megolomaniacs and dictators! There is a small museum here at the house where he lived and a hotel and restaurant, which looks cosy.

Today is All-Souls day and we see streams of locals dressed in black, carrying the funeral flower of choice, crysthanthamums and visiting cemetries to pay respects to their deceased loved ones. We take a peak at the Villa Borromeo in San Casciano, which has been converted into a restaurant. There is a pretty courtyard and we decide it would be nice to come here in the summer... We also explore our new local area of Montefiridolfi. There are lots of nice walks and we stumble across a 3,000 year old Etruscan tomb! Today we opt for a walk down the road at Santa Maria a Macerata, that eventually leads to the tiny hamlet of Badia a Passignano. This is Antinori territory. We check out their Agriturismo at 'Fonte dei Medici'. They also have a villa at Santa Cristina and own many vineyards which go into two of Italy's most famous wines, Tignanello and Solaia. It's a beautiful afternoon and the Autumn colours are coming into their own...

(Original journal entry 2/11/03)