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



253. Flick and Stan

Annette's niece Felicity and her now 2 1/2 year old son, the very cute Stanley are arriving this evening on their first trip to the 'Bel Paese. A very late pick up at Pisa Airport and we arrive back home at 12.30am




Thursday 4 and an early morning trip up Piazzale Michelangelo for their first look at Florence. It's a nice sunny day and the sky is blue and cloudless over the Renaissance city... We pop into the iris garden and most of the flowers are hitting full bloom. Stanley races round and has no trouble with all the steps!




Friday 5 and I'm working most of the day, but Annette has the day off, so she shows them round Florence for the day and I think Stanley liked the bronze pig! In the evening we go for a pizza at Antica Porta in Porta Romana. The pizza is a bit disappointing, but the couple on the next table adopts Stanley for the evening!


Annette is working in the morning, but I have a cancellation, so I take them down the local park, for some swinging fun!




Saturday 6 afternoon and we pack up the picnic basket and head out to San Gimignano. Our usual picnic spot is covered with dead branches, so we stop in a vineyard! It-s a gorgeous day again, no one kicks us off our spot, under a huge cypress tree. On to San Gimi and the usual wander through the medieval streets. Annette gets her new ring enlarged and I pick up my two bottles of Vernaccia wine! We check out a cool art exhibition and enjoy a wicked champelmo ice cream at Dondoli. Would you believe it our mug shop is closed for the afternoon! We mosey on up to the rocca at the top for a panoramic view and stop at our favourite café for a drink. Felicity picks up some more souvenirs before we head back home...




Sunday 7 Lucca and Pisa


Despite a busy Saturday, we're out at 11.30 for our trip to Lucca and Pisa. The request for a cycle on the walls of Lucca and that leaning tower are fulfilled. We arrive in the walled city at about 12.30 and head to Piazza San martino for lunch at one of our favourite restaurants. Annette's seafood pasta is pick of the bunch and after lunch we walk to the Piaza Duomo and Piazza Anfiteatro, where we stop for coffee, while Stanley chases and feds the pigeons!



Then it's off to find some bicycles. and we have a great one-hour tour of Lucca on the ols walls, which are packed with other cyclists. We just have time for Pisa and make the short drive. I park outside the old walls of the Piazza dei Miracoli and wait with a sleeping Stanley, while felicity and Annette check out the leaning tower.




Mon &Tue Annette and I are both working and Stan is ill, so they stay at home.


Wednesday 10  and their Tuscan experience is over as I drop them back to Pisa airport...






(Original journal entry May 3-10)
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