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



148. Porto Venere, Liguria

Summer is now in full flow, poppies have given way to fields of tall, bright yellow sunflowers and we have decided to take a dip into the Liguria region of Italy. Liguria actually borders Tuscany to the north, so is one of our neighbours! We came to this region two years ago on a day trip to Cinque Terre and I would like to visit Portofino one day, but today we settle on the less well known Portovenere.




The drive is surprisingly short and in no time we are walking along the very picturesque harbour, sipping on cocktails and settling down on a pebbly beach. The weather is gorgeous and we spend the afternoon swimming and diving off the rocks. We enjoy an ice cream and decide to stay in the evening for a slap-up fresh fish dinner.




Our first taste of Portovenere is a success, it's a very pretty, quaint and unspoilt harbour town of pastel coloured houses set amongst a rugged coastline somewhat reminiscent of Amalfi.

Aphrodite sleeps,
on still Ligurian shores,
awakens passion.

(Lee's Haiku)
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