Lee's Tuscan Odyssey: January 2015

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

179. Giselle at the Teatro Communale

Well we are bidding a very sad farewell to the Teatro Communale... After only a year in this very upmarket area of Florence, Corso Italia, we are moving on.

What better way to go out in style than by a trip to see the Ballet. It's actually my first complete Ballet, as I've only ever seen highlights. What a superb initiation as Italy's latest rising star, Roberto Bolle is performing! And what a splendid performance it is!

All the dancers are wonderful, the scenery and music are beautiful too and after all, how often does a trip to the theatre take less than two minutes? I'm going to miss this place...

178. Cerreto Guidi

Well it's the last day of our holiday... Christmas, New Year and Befana have all come and gone and here we are in 2005! We have our fourth Salsa lesson and I've joined the gym!

Today we are paying the small, pretty town of Cerreto Guidi a visit. Cerreto Guidi is just north of Empoli which is about 20 miles west of Florence. The town is basically a ring of houses with the huge Medici villa at the centre! The imposing villa was built as a fortified hunting lodge for Cosimo I and it's design was attributed to Buontalenti.

We take a look inside and what do you know there is an exhibition on by the Bardini family which includes some gorgeous portraits. As well as this there is a permanent exhibition dedicated to hunting, complete with various weapons and stuffed animals! A very cultural afternoon then...

177. Scansano and Saturnia

Still in the midst of our Christmas break and in between Veuve Cliquot, Brunello, our favourite Gelateria dei Medici ice cream and chocolate panettone we have also managed to arrange our annual trip to the hot thermal spas of Tuscany. This year it's the turn of Saturnia, which although still being in Tuscany is actually a three-hour drive away!

We pick a day which is sunny and cloudless and that just turns out to be New Year's Eve! So what better way to spend the last day of the year but getting our kit off and swimming al-fresco!

We stop off on the way for a very tasty and cheap lunch in the very pretty little town of Scansano, famous for its red wine, Morellino - We enjoy a bottle of 'Sicomoro' the top wine of the local cooperative producers.

We eventually reach saturnia. The scenery around here is breathtaking and we can see the steam rising from the hills. We find the hot springs and park up. The pools where you can bathe are very large and we gingerly strip and plunge ourselves in to the warm, curative waters... They're not quite as hot as those at Bagno Vignoni and are a lot smellier! Still we enjoy a long, relaxing soak, before embarking on the rather long journey home, still an interesting day!

(Original Journal entry 31/12/04)