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



228. Extra Virgin

One of my students, Andrea from G.K.M. has invited me to help with the olive harvest. His father has about 500 trees that will take about a week to pick. Of course I jump at the chance to get back to nature and so on Sunday morning, Annette and I are on our way to Cerbaia, on the slopes overlooking the Castle of Poppiano.




Andrea has also invited some of his friends from different parts of Italy and so it makes for a really fun day. The weather is unbelievable, blue skies and very warm.



After a hard morning stripping the tres with little han rakes we all stop for a huge picnic lunch with slabs of pecorino cheese, prosciutto ham and Tuscan bread. The red wine is flowing and someone has brought a wonderful Amarone di Valpolicella from the Veneto.



We continue picking after lunch and manage to haul in many crates of olives. In the evening we're invirìted for dinner. It's here we discover the most incredible panettone, Christmas cake that someone has brought from a local pasticceria in Cerbaia.It's 'artigianale' and has apricots inside. Apparently they serve in in the 'Tende Rossa' a two-Michelin star restaurant also in Cerbaia. After dineer we listen to Andrea playing drums with his rock band to finish off a fabulous day!
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