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



209. George Benson - Lucca Summer Festival

My 20-year wait is over... 11 albums later and I'm finally going to see the king of Jazz fusion, Mr 'Bad' Benson. It's a short drive to Lucca, a nice pizza in our 'local' pizzeria and we're in!



After a half hour delay, the man appears - dressed in what seems to be brown pyjamas! He's looking good for his 62 years. A magical two and a quarter hours follows.




He belts out all the old classics - Lady Love me, Breezin, Never give up, In your eyes, etc. Give me the night gets everybody off their seats and On Broadway closes out a memorable evening. All played out in the beautiful Piazza Napoleone under the starry Tuscan sky.





(Original journal entry 9/7/05)
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)