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



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)
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