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



112. Montegufoni, Cerbaia and Montespertoli

January seems to be going quite well and the weather has been kind to us. While the rest of Italy appears to be under snow, so far we've escaped it! The temperature has kept above freezing and even reached double figures. A little rain and plenty of sun and blue skies... We are really looking forward to moving into our new flat in the big city and everybody seems to be throwing work at me!

This afternoon it's lovely and sunny, so we take a drive out towards Montespertoli. The road from San Casciano to Cerbaia is breathtaking and we spot this gorgeous castle at Montegufoni. The crenelated tower is like a smaller version of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. We enjoy a pleasant walk around it, there seems to be a restaurant inside, but some unfriendly guy refuses to give us any information... obviously they don't need our custom! We just admire the stunning views and can even see the snow-capped Appuan Alps. A short drive on to Montespertoli, where we have a wander before heading back home to Montefiridolfi.


(Original journal entry 11/1/04)
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