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



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)
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