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



218. The Winemaker

This morning I am driving out to the tiny hamlet of Ugolino - famous for its stunning golf course and home to one of the most famous oenologists in the whole of Italy, Stefano Chioccioli. He has signed up for an English course with The British Institute of Florence and yours truly is the Teacher designate!




He turns out to be a really nice guy - he is actually a free lance consultant for about 45 wine estates in all but two or three provinces of Italy.

In 2001, 10 of his wines won the Gamberro Rosso '3 -red glass' award (top 250 wines in Italy) and this year he won 5.




After the lesson he presents me with a box of six of his most prestigious wines worth somewhere in the region of 200 euro!!!




What a guy!


(Original journal entry 17/9/05)
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