248. Arnolfo - the origins of the Florentine Renaissance

The first of several new art exhibitions this year in Florence sees one of the early stars and often overlooked geniuses of the early Renaissance, Colle val d'Elsa's sculptor and architect, Arnolfo di Cambio centre stage.

Many of his sculptures have been gahered from around the world and are on display at the museum of the Cathedral works along with many other pieces already on display here. It's a fabulous exhibition and tghe star is a wonderful bas-relief from London.

247. Davide, Rossana and Lorenzo

A frenzied weekend sees the usual pre-dinner shopping, house cleaning and this morning buying of new curtains at the Cascine market. We enjoy a stroll along the river Arno and everybody has come out of hibernation to enjoy some unseasonal sun.







This evening we are hosting my friend, Davide, along with his wife, Rossana and their six year old son, Lorenzo. I knock up my party trick, Melanzane alla Parmigiana and toasty bits to go with Annette's saltimbocca. We have a great evening and little Lorenzo enjoys himself too, colouring, playing noughts and crosses and cards.

My 98 point Wine Spectator 1999 Fanti Brunello di Montalcino (courtesy of friend and maker of the wine, Stefano Chioccioli) is sensational and the Poderina Moscadello dessert wine and Medici ice cream balls finish off the evening nicely. Oh and our new blue curtains are appreciated too!

246. Milan vs Fiorentina at the San Siro

My good pal, Milanese Davide has invited me up to one of the Meccas of world football, the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, better known as the San Siro, in his home town, Milan for the big Serie A game against our adopted city, Florence's Fiorentina. It was fifteen years ago when I last came to Milan and saw the mighty San Siro stadium from the outside, but this evening I get to go inside...

It'a a rather long four hour drive up to Milan from Florence, a quick underground and tram trip and we're at the enormous stadium nice and early to soak up the atmosphere. There are around 7,000 travelling Viola fans and they certainly make themselves heard in this 80,000 seater stadium. We have a great view  sitting near the halfway line, but unfortunately we are seated in the home section, so I may have to subdue any cheers should Fiorentina score...

We don't have to wait very long for a goal as Milan's Andrei Schevchenk scores after only seven minutes! Our 'bomber' Luca Toni manages an equaliser with a cracking goal and the score is 1-1 at half time. Unfortunately in the second half Fiorentina are completely outplayed. A headed goal from Brazilian, Kaka  and twenty yard volley from Gattuso finish the game off 3-1 to Milan and I'm yet to witness a 0-0 game.

A very happy drive back home for my friend Davide turns into a five-hour 'odyssey' as the motorway is closed at Reggio Emilia. The clocks go forward tonight as well, so we arrive home at 5am in the morning!!!

245. Mat and Rita

Well it's taken her four years and four months to make it, but finally my sister, Rita is paying her first visit to Tuscany, having been given the final shove by new boyfriend, Mat. The girls have been left behind and we have five days in which to show her them a good time...

After a chaotic Friday, I arrive well in time to pick them up at Pisa airport at 11pm. A swift drive home and they're in. A catch up on family gossip and late to bed. 

Day 1 Saturday - Florence

A very cold, clear March day greets us for our grand tour of Florence. Mat and I have whipped up some massive rolls, fritelle and cenci to keep us going and at midday we take the bus into the centre. First stop is the Ponte Santa Trinita, where we have a great view of the Ponte Vecchio. We stroll down Via Tournbuoni and a look at some of the fashion boutiques. Next it's on to Piazza Repubblica and the Mercato Nuovo, where we meet Annette, who has been working, at the Porcellino. We have lunch on the steps of the Palazzo Vecchio, in Piazza Signoria, with all the sculptures as a backdrop... not a bad spot!

Then we make our way to Piazza Duomo, for a look at the huge cathedral, Santa Maria Novella, a fantasy in white, green and pink marble, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery. Next it's on to San Lorenzo where we leave Rita and Mat to wander round the market. Our final stop is the Galleria dell'Accademia where the request is to see a certain big, naked guy! Michelangelo's David... who else! We make our over to San Marco and join the surprisingly short Saturday queue. I haven't seen the big fella' for a few years, so it's nice to reacquaint myself with Michelangelo's masterpiece. Rita seems impressed, we spend about an hour admiring his 'Davidness' and have some fun trying to sneak a few hidden photos. 

In the evening we treat Rita and Mat to a pizza at one of our favourite pizzerias, Pizzaiuolo. Of course we get the moody waitress, but have an enjoyable evening. A midnight trip to ice cream heaven, Gelateria dei Medici, where we indulge and take home some of their special ice cream balls. The smiley lady recognises me, have I finally become a regular?

Day 2 San Gimignano and Siena

Another late night means another late start, but not before I've managed to pop to our favourite pasticceria, Giorgio, and bring back some wicked chocolate croissants for breakfast. The sky is still blue and the Siberian wind is making it extremely cold. However in true English fashion we are not put off. I take the scenic route, exiting the SiFi road at Tavarnelle to take the ancient Via Francigena to Poggibonsi, which is as beautiful as ever. Today is the Patron Saint of San Gimignano, Santa Fina's day, which means there is a big market on in Piazza Cisterna. It kind of spoils the atmosphere for me, but we spot a cool rug for only 20 euros. Our mug shop is unfortunately closed for Winter, but there is porchetta! We stop for a cofffee in our favourite bar and I find two bottles of Vernaccia I've been after and while Rita and Mat visit the torture museums, Annette gets an early birthday present, some hand made silver earrings, pendant and made to measure ring, so all in all a very successful visit...

This evening Rita and Mat are treating us to dinner and Siena is the destination. We manage to book a table at 'Hosteria il Carroccio', it's a warm, intimate restaurant and we spot Tom Hanks photo on the wall so we know we're in good company! The meal is awesome and we enjoy a bottle of Chianti Classico courtesy of Castello di Ama. Afterwards we take a late night peak at Piazza il Campo, before heading home.

Monday - Chianti

Today's request is a look at the fotball staduium, (I guess the Ufizzi isn't everyone's cup of tea!) Mat is a big Tottenham Hotspurs fan and so I drive them to the Artemo Franchi. They agree to my suggestion of a drive out into the Chianti. We head out on the Chiantigiana road to Greve and I show them our old house at Olmastrino, I think they like the beautiful scenery. We park up at Greve and stop for lunch at Cafe La Loggia. Afterwards we browse round the triangular square and I buy a fluffy wild boar for Holly and pick up this year's Gambero Rosso Italian wine guide book and the shopkeeper even throws in a free calendar. Mat buys a David lighter to go with his fridge magnet. We of course can't miss a visit to Folorni's butcher's where Rita picks up some different salamis and I my usual pancetta. Last stop is at the wine museum, before we head back home to Florence via Imprunetta. In the evening I knock up a wicked spaghetti carbonara and we enjoy one of the Vernaccia white wines I bought in San Gimignano, a 2002 i Mocali

.

Tuesday

And I'm working all day, so I drop Mat and Rita at the Cascine market and they spend the day walking round Florence and pick up some more souvenirs.

Wednesday - Pisa

It's their last day in Tuscany... after packing we pop to a local shop for some Fiorentina football souvenir goodies and I take them up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a farewell look over the Renaissance city.

We drive on to their final destination, Pisa. Again it's a beautiful sunny day and the icy Siberian wind has gone, so it's a bit warmer. After making our entrance to Piazza dei Miracoli, we stop for lunch and sit outside in a snazzy little restaurant, not bad for the 15th March! Mat and Rita both order a litre of beer each and there is even a singer with an incredible bass voice to keep us musically entertained. Rita and Mat go up the famous leaning tower and then I buy Natalie a fake Louis Vuiton bag. Just time for a last cappuccino at the airport before we say our goodbyes... quite a successful and pleasant first visit I'd say!  

(Original journal entry 15/3/06)

244. More Furniture

The day of reckoning has arrived! I'm picking my sister, Rita and her partner, Mat up from Pisa airport later, but first we have a tri-fector of events, that if they all go ahead will be an Italian miracle! Our new leather suite is due to arrive between 9-12 am and our old suite is due to be collected at 11 am. A new rug we have bought in Prato is also due to arrive at midday. Unbelievably all three events are successful!!!


To add to the new three curtain rails I have put up - our Sicilian curtain is now up and we only have two more curtains and some new pictures to complete the set!

243. Italy vs Germany

It's only 3 months until the World Cup (in Germany) and what do you know the hosts are playing a friendly against Italy, in Florence and Alex Del Piero is starting!

I get myself down to the stadium, snag a last minute ticket and witness an Italian masterclass and a 4-1 drubbing. Goals coming courtesy of Gilardino, Toni, De Rossi and the man himself, Del Piero as I get not only to finally see one of my heroes, but he scores as well! It looks very promising for the World Cup Finals in June...

242. Jazz Opera

A series of jazz concerts at the Metastasio theatre in Prato concludes this evening with 'apparently' Italy's most famous jazz musician, Gianluigi Trovesi, together with a 40-piece horn and woodwind section and no less than 4 drummers!

The theme of the evening is 'from Monteverdi to Puccini', a kind of history of Opera, with a jazz twist... very unusual.

The guy organizing the event is one of Annette's friend, Gemma's student and we meet him before the concert, before disappearing to our very swanky box seat. We have a very enjoyable, but unusual evening. Thanks Gemma!

(Original journal entry 27/2/06)

241. Benvenuto Brunello

Book 9 

'In the whole wide world, wherever the vault of heaven turns. there is no land so well adorned with all that wins natures crown, as Italy. With her men, her women, her pre-eminence in arts and crafts and her wealth of talent.'

Pliny - from Natural History

241. Benvenuto Brunello

'And then we opened another bottle of Brunello...' 8or 42!!!)

Well who would have believed it! Here I am in book nine. Four years and four months later and what better to start my 9th journal than a Sunday trip to the beautiful town of Montalcino. My good pal, Stefano Chioccioli with the son of the president of the 'Consorzio del Brunello', Filippo Fanti and a couple of faxes later and I have two invitations to my first ever 'Benvenuto Brunello' preview presentations. (You didn't think I wouldn't get Annette a ticket!) This event is stictly trade only... no general public here! There are going to be 150 producers showcasing 500 wines, not yet available in the shops or reviewed in any magazines or books. It kind of makes you feel a bit priveleged. After a two-hour drive and a fourty minute wait in the queue, we're in! 

It is being held in the Fortezza and is absolutely packed. We are somewhat spoilt for choice and manage an impressive 42 different Brunellos! Annette comes away singing in the streets of Montalcino! I've taken some tasting notes and have earmarked my favourite ten for possible future purchases... 

(Original journal entry 26/2/06)

240. It's all Greek to me

I end my 8th journal with a return to Greece and memories of our Summer holiday amongst the classical islands. The BIF teachers have broken with their traditional 'Chinese' evenings and we've gone all Greek!

We have a very enjoyable evening at Dionisio in Florence, the winter drizzle is forgotten, work is hardly mentioned and we're transported back to Santorini and Ithaka as we dine on Ambrosia and nectar with the gods...

  End of Book  8

'I follow nature without being able to grasp her, and this river that flows returns, one day green, another yellow and tomorrow it'll be a torrent.'


Monet

239. 'Couples night'

When it rains, it pours! The end of January and beginning of February we meet up with some old couples and are introduced to some new ones.






Riccardo and Bea -7th Jan.




We are invited to the home of our tall, Italian friends, Riccardo and Bea in Florence, near Porta al Prato and get to see their one month old baby, Edoardo, who's very sweet (and nearly one metre tall already!) We christen their new pizza maker and have a fun evening.




Alberto and Nadia - 12th Jan.

Our good friends Alberto and Nadia have invited us round Alberto's for drinks and cenci (a traditional Italian Easter cake) and a look at their holiday photos from a recent trip to India. They have also invited Nadia's boss, Veronica and husband, Nicola (a man's name in Italy) surprise surprise he's into '70's progressive rock music, still we have an enjoyable evening...




Santo and Anna Maria - 18th Jan.

One of my students, Dentist, Santo from Calabria, has invited Annette and I out for a meal with him and his wife, Anna Maria. We meet up at Porta Romana and he drives us in his new VW Tuareg SUV. The plan was to go to Angelino's, but it's closed. So we settle on Trattoria Dante. he treats us to a big slap up fish meal. Annette gets on well with Anna Maria and we have a good laugh.




Silverio and Jane - 2 Feb.




Our landlord Silverio, together with ex partner, Jane have invited us out for a meal. First choice 'Fuor'd'acqua' is off as they've just had a bad experience a week earlier, so we try another of their favourites, 'il Guscio' in Via dell'Orto. They have some great wines by the glass and Silverio lets me choose a bottle of 1998 Cortaccio from Villa Caffaiggio, (one of my otrher student, Stefano Chioccioli's creations) which is stupendous! The food is superb too, Silverio is on first name terms with the manager, who brings out a bottle of Spumante and a nice dessert wine for us... definitely a return venue!


Nadia and Alberto 10 &12th Feb.


A Nadia and Alberto double header, on the Friday evening we go Salsa dancing with them in Antella and afterwards an early morning cappuccino at all-night bar, Pauletti... we feel almost like youngsters!


On the Sunday we have invited them round to our house for a curry, just to try and bring some holiday flavours back to them... I've raided my local Indian shop and surprised myself with making only my second Indian curry ever! We have an enjoyable evening and they are left awestruck by my new DVD of dancing sensations, the Nickolas Brothers. Alberto burns me a couple of CDs and lends me his drill so I can put up our new curtain rails and IKEA light... what a guy!


Davide and Rossana - 11th Feb.

Yet another student who wants to take us out to dinner! In Italy it's a sign of friendship, so things are looking good for us! My relatively new students, 'Milanese' Davide, his Florentine wife, Rossana and thgeir six-year old son Lorenzo. We meet up at their house in Castello and go for a bizarre aperitivo at the famous Caffe delle Fornaci in Sesto Fiorentino for coffee! Their speciality is the 'Café Fornacino' which has white chocolate shavings on the top... Wow! Their son Lorenzo is very well-behaved and spends the evening glued to his Gameboy!


We move on to the restaurant of choice, Ulivo Rosso... It's high up in the hills of Monte Morello and has a wonderful sun terrace (great for the summer) We are given complimentary starters and prosecco while choosing our orders. Again I'm allowed to choose the wine! A 1999 Broccato from Dievole, which is a Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot blend. I start with a truffle tagliatelle and  Davide and me share a bistecca alla Fiorentina. At this point the owner turns up and surprise surprise is on friendly terms with Davide and Rossana. She brings us another bottle of wine, a white label 1998 from I Balzini... it turns out at the end that she has charged them for it! We finish with an array of chocolate desserts for a woondergul evening of feasting...


Riccardo and Bea - 18th Feb.


Carnival season is well and truly underway and we have invited Riccardo and Bea back to dinner at our house. They arrive (Edoardo -less) which turns out to be a good move as they can relax more.


I've made my legend... wait for it! ... dary melanzane alla parmigianaand have matched it with one of Stefano Chioccioli's 2000 Brunellos from Fanti. We move onto Annette's sea bream fish platter with another of Stefano's gems, a 2002 Terre Alta from Livio Felluga which is sensational! 8One of the best white wines in Italy!) we finish with Bea's cream and nutella cake and match it with my dessert wine a 'Khamma' Pantelleria from Salvatore Murano... Probably the three best wines I've ever opened at a meal... What can I say... Good wine, food and friends... what a combination!


(Original Journal entry 18/2/06)

238. You're Bootiful!

The holidays are over and we're back at work. However just to make things better, the king of smooch, singer and ex soldier, James Blunt has chosen to do a concert in Florence and we have two tickets for his 'Back to Bedlam' tour. His song, 'You're Beautiful' was chosen for a Vodafone telephone commercial and he's become quite big in Italy.


We ease our way into a packed Saschall (now called Obihall) amongst all the teenage girls and have a ball! He puts on a 1 1/2 hour show and we have a good ole' bop.The Italians sing along to some of his famous songs, like 'Goodbye my Lover' and High, but can't quite get the pronunciation right... and so 'You're Beautiful' comes out as 'Youre Bootiful' !!!


(Original Journal entry 15/1/06)

237. A 'cheesy' New Year

'That which we observe isn't nature itself, but nature exposed by our questioning.'

- Werner Heisenberg

We've booked 4 nights in an agriturismo farmhouse near Pienza, in the south of Tuscany. We didn't want to travel too far and this is the perfect opportunity to explore a region we only rush through on day it's a two-hour drive from Florence.

Day 1 Buonconvento and Monte Oliveto Maggiore

A nice relaxing start and drive down to Siena and we arrive in the pretty walled-town of Buonconvento just in time for lunch at 'Mario's Trattoria'. A simple pici pasta with porcini and a glass of house wine sets us up nicely for a cultural afternoon visit to the Benedictine abbey high up in the 'Crete Senese' countryside. I came here last May, while Annette was studying for her DELTA exam, so it's a perfect opportunity to show her some of the beautiful 'il Sodoma' and Luca Signorelli frescoes.

We find our 'agriturismo' fairly easily - it's four kilometres outside Pienza, near another monastery, called Sant'Anna in Camprena, which was used in the film 'The English Patient'. We settle in and decide to have dinner in and light our open fire - just what the doctor ordered...

Day 2  Rapolano Terme and La Porta

After a very long lay in and late start, we head out to the first of our two visits to some local thermal health spas. It's our first time at Rapolano, near Asciano. The mystical scenery is stunning, with the gentle,rolling hills giving you a feeling of serenity. We arrive and polish off our sandwiches and plunge into the 39 degree thermal waters of this gorgeous pool... very soothing! This holiday is about relaxing and we come out walking on air... on our way out we check out a couple of small churches in the town.

For dinner we have booked a table at an interesting restaurant called, 'La Porta' in a tiny hamlet called Montichello. It's our first chance to try out our new 'Slow Food' guide book. It'a a wonderful setting in a pretty medeival town, which has an outdoor terrace with a great panoramic view.

Menu:

Complimentary appetisers of radicchio wrapped in pancetta lesd nicely into appetisers of local cold cuts and Annette's pecorino cheese  and truffle souffle is wicked! My papardelle pasta with local Chiannina beef just edges Annette's pici pasta with a duck sauce. For main course though Annette's lamb 'trilogy' surpasses my pork and truffles. We share a chocolate cake and an awesome red dessert wine from Sicily. Wine is courtesy of Tenuta di Trinoro and a four French grape blend bombshel!  A nice opening dinner...

Day 3 Castelmuzio and Pienza 1

We take a drive out to see some local places. A hidden gem is Castelmuzio - a small hill-top town with some spectacular views - lunch and a drive on to what turns out to be a cool woods, the Philosopher's garden, complete with mysterious writings... 'What do we really know?' - Montaigne

We stop off in Pienza for an early evening stroll and a mug of hot chocolate. We stay in at our lovely farm house for dinner and whip up a roaring fire and in true Francis Mayes style, we 'open another bottle of Brunello' and continue our Champagne... pure indulgence!

Day 4 Val d'Orcia, Castelnuovo d'Abate, Sant'Antimo and Montalcino

A very early dawn uprising to see the golden sun emerging over the gentle hills of Pienza, into a clear blue sky. Perfect for our trip through the Val d'Orcia as we head towards San Quirico and stop off at Bagno Vignoni for lunch. To our surprise the thermal hot spring pool is open tomorrow, so we plan to return. We carry on o Castiglione and Rocca d'Orcia. We are skirting the imposing Monte Amiata, which dominates the whole area. We enjoy a brief stop in Castelnuovo d'Abate, a medieval town south of Montalcino. Our destination is Sant'Antimo, a 12th century Romanesque abbey. It's a very beautiful structure, well it would be, but unfortunately it's covered in scaffolding... doh! Well we'll just have to come back another time...

We head on to the wine heaven that is the hill-top town of Montalcino, it's my third visit and Annette's second. After a customary browse round the Fortezza, we lose ourselves in the countless enotecas and shops. We find a restaurant, highlighted in our new 'Slow food' guidebook and book a table for 8.30pm. It's only a half-hour drive back to our farmhouse, time enough for a cup of teaand a well-earned rest, before heading back out to Montalcino and the Osteria 'il Giardino'.A very pleasant evening ensues. We're straight onto the 'primi' both choosing the gnocchetti with a wicked truffle sauce- wine is Rosso di Montacino courtesy of Maccioche. A vegetable-less secondo of rabbit and beef and to finish with the most incredible ricotta and torte... infact it is a dessert we would go on to talk about many years later as our best ever!!!

Day 5 - Pienza, Montichiello and Bagno Vignoni '3'

And so onto our final day... A final trip into Pienza for some serious pecorino cheese purchases and a return visit to Montichiello for a daytime look at theis cute, medieval town with the famous, ziggy-zaggy cypress lane. There is also a famous 'Teatro Povero' small theatre at the top with these words of wisdom...

 'When you want to see me again, look within your heart and you will see me. Because living things do not die. We are branches of the same tree with its roots in the sky.'  - Traditional Folk theatre, Montichiello

Our last stop is at the thermal hot spring at Bagno Vignoni. It'a our third time here and so far our favourite hot spa in Tuscany. After lunch in the very pretty cobbled square, we're stripped and into the 52° C thermal waters. It'a another cloudless day and we enjoy the warm sun's rays in between dips in the steaming pool. It's been a great 5 days, with some serious relaxing, eating, drinking and trips into the local countryside... A perfect start to the new year!

(Original journal entry 6/1/06)

236. New Year's Eve in Piazza Signoria

Well I've never celebrated New Year's Eve outside before, so this year we brave the freezing weather and head for Florence's Piazza Signoria.

There is a classical concert being performed by Giuseppe Lanzetta and the orchestra of the 'Camera Fiorentina' in the beautiful Loggia dei Lanzi. The orchestra are wearing scarves and fingerless glove! And competing with huge bangs from fireworks all over the city.

The square is packed and at midnight everybody, us included, pops open the Prosecco and Spumante, bopping away to the can-can as we count down the new year...

We finally leave at around 1.30 am... after many encores for the poor orchestra!

235. Bolle Ballet

Our second trip to the Teatro Communale this year and we're going to see one of the hottest male ballet dancers in the world, Roberto Bollet. (He danced at the Queen's 50th Jubilee)

This evening he is performing two dances. A classical piece from Mozart's Pas deux and a more modern piece called 'Por le petit mort' by Tchaikovsky. Both dances are superb.

After the interval the company perform some of Romeo and Juliet by Prokoviev. For us it is a memorable evening seeing one of the world's great dancers, although one stupid woman down the front isn't so happy with the modern interpretation...