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



219. Vino e Piacere - Impruneta

And so onto this year's Vino e Piacere wine festival. It's chucking it down with rain, but we don't let this dampen our spirits. This year their holding it in the cloisters of the church in Impruneta.




Saturday afternoon and we head straight down underground to the the red department, as this year they have two of Italy's most famous wines, Sassicaia and Ornellaia on the list! There are two spaces where the wines should be, but as we know most of the sommeliers we both get a taste of the 2002 Sassicaia... wow! at 105 euro a bottle, it's not every day you get to drink this beauty! The Ornellaia has finished for the day as have some of the other top wines, but that's ok as I return on Sunday a bit earlier to try them too!




Still we enjoy our Saturday afternoon, with Spumante and Champagnes to taste, as well as the white and dessert wines. There is also plenty of food to taste, including some interesting lentil and bean salads and those wicked soft chocolate cantucci biscuits.




So all-in-all a very successful weekend, oh and I still have that box of wine from Stefano Chioccioli to dip into...




(Original journal entry 18/9/05)
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