25. Medici Chapels

On Monday the guys drive up to Maranello to see the Ferrari museum. They go over the Appuan alps and I think are somewhat surprised to see snow!

Tuesday and they're down in the eternal city, Rome, while Annette and I are working  :O(((  and in the evening we bid our farewells...

On Wednesday I receive a text message from an Italian friend, telling me that this week is 'culture week' and all the state museums are free of charge! So after work my first port of call is to the Medici Chapels...

The church of San Lorenzo is second in importance only to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Consecrated in 393 it was Florence's main cathedral until the 8th century. It was reconsecrated in1059 and entirely rebuilt by the Medici in the 15th century, thereby linked closely to the Medici and ther family, so much so that a extra sacristy and chapel were added on.

Brunelleschi was entrusted with the project and Michelangelo added a 'new' sacristy. This was to be a mausoleum of Lorenzo 'the magnificent' Medici and his family.

Michelangelo created no less than 7 sculptures for the new sacristy. He was between 50 and 55 years old and finally getting his chance to sculpt exclusively.  He did two sculptures of Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano for their tombs, a madonna and child and the most famous, the four reccumbent figures of day and night and dawn and dusk. These are allegorical figures representing the fleeting nature of man.

In the words of Michelangelo himself (yes he wrote poetry too!)


"Dear to me is sleep, dearer still being made of stone, while harm and shame last, not to see, not to hear, to me is a great boon. So do not waken me, aaah, speak, but softly..." 

Sculpture and poetry, what a guy!


(Original journal entry 17/4/02)

24. San Marino Grand Prix

So on to the big day! We wake up at 5.30am and are on the road at 6.00am heading for Imola to join 150,000 crazy Ferrari fans who will be cheering for their hero, Michael Schumacher. I’ve always wanted to experience a G.P. in the flesh, but been put off by the hassle of getting to Silverstone in England.

The journey here turns out to be problem free and as we are here nice and early. Getting into the circuit is fine, Imola is actually about 45 miles from the independent state of San Marino, but a good excuse to have 2 G.P.’s in Italy!  We have tickets for the Rivazza Curve, which by the 9.30 warm up is already starting to fill up. It’s our first chance to see Schumacher and Ferrari team mate, Rubens Barrichello. Of course every time Schumacher’s Ferrari passes, the crowd goes mental!

The engine noise is incredible, as is the splutter of the gear change. Probably one of the loudest noises I’ve ever witnessed, in fact we have been given special ear plugs. At 11.00 there is a Porsche super cup race, with the actual race starting at 2.00 – After 3 or 4 days of April showers the sun has finally come out, it’s a gloriously sunny afternoon and we all come away with Lobster faces! The race itself proves fairly uneventful, the only overtaking is in the pit lane, but Schumy goes on to win and it’s a Ferrari 1, 2. The crowd, almost a complete sea of red flags, is extatic. Ralf Schumacher is 3rd, Montoya 4th and Englishman Jensen Button comes in 5th. A track invasion is obligatory and great fun.


The guys don’t fancy the 45 mile trip to San Marino, so we stop off in Bologna and see the square with the Neptune, yes another naked statue... Which is just too much for them! However I do introduce them to the delights of Cappuccino spiked with Baileys!

(Original journal entry 14/4/02)

23. Rory and Friends - Poggio a Caiano and Lucca

It’s Grand Prix weekend at San Marino and big nephew Rory and three of our friends from England have come to squeeze into our tiny flat for the week. The weather is typically ‘April like,’ however one of the guys has bought me a ticket for the Grand Prix and I get to have my first taste of the local speciality, ‘Bistecca alla Fiorentina’ a 22llb T-bone steak!

Apart from the weekend, we are mostly working, but they have hired a car and get to visit some cool places: Rome, Bologna, Siena, San Gimignano and the Ferrari factory at Maranello.

Poggio a Caiano

I’m reading a book at the moment about the Medici. The Medici were Florence’s most famous family dynasty who ruled over Tuscany between the 14th and 18th century. At one time they were probably the wealthiest family in Europe, their wealth coming from textiles and banking. Fortunately for us, they provided generous patronage to the arts and were a key to funding the Renaissance art movement. During this time, in addition to commissioning countless works of art which today have become famous masterpieces, they also had many country villas built around Tuscany.

Today we have decided to visit one of those villas, probably the most famous, the villa at Poggio a Caiano, which is a small town to the west of Florence. The villa is spectacular. Built for Lorenzo, called ‘the Magnificent,’ Medici, by the architect Giuliano da Sangallo, although the staircase was added later. We go inside too, where there are some wonderful Greek themed frescoes by Pontormo, Del Sarto and Fra Bartolomeo. The rooms are lavishly furnished, as this was also a county residence of King Vittorio Emanuele. There is also a small theatre and billiard room too. Outside, the gardens are pretty wild, the Limonaia is cool as are the huge Cedar trees. One can just imagine Florence’s first family, the Medici, spending some relaxing summers here...

Lucca

We drive on to Lucca, where we meet up with Rory and the guys. Lucca was one of our favourite cities from our holiday a few years ago. I follow my nose to the remnants of a food festival and we are treated to some free wine, homemade bread and cakes! We stroll through the elegant streets, past the pretty Romanesque Cathedral soaking up the atmosphere before heading back home, where some of the others have knocked up a big dinner for us!

To be continued...


(Original journal entry 17$/02)

22. The Brancacci Chapel

 

It's been nearly a week since Chas and Mavis left and our next visitors arrive tomorrow! This morning I arrive in Florence nice and early for work, only to find my English lesson at the Gucci shop has been cancelled at the last minute. (Although I should still get paid for it) So I can either get back on the bus and go home or do something else...decisions, decisions!

The Brancacci Chapel is just across the Ponte Santa Trinita and I'm ready to be impressed...

                                                               Masaccio self portrait

                                                            

The Chapel is inside the church of Santa Maria del Carmine and in 1423, Florentine merchant, Felice Brancacci, commissioned a fresco of the life of his favourite apostle, Saint Peter. He chose the artist, Masolino, who together with his young pupil and 19 years his junior, Masaccio, (whose real name was Tommaso di ser Giovanni di Simone. His nickname, Masaccio, came from 'Maso' from Tommaso, meaning 'big', 'fat' or 'messy' Tom and used to distinguish him from his master Masolino, 'little' or 'delicate' Tom) started the fresco cycle. They worked on it together from 1423 to 1424 and again from 1427 to 1428 and then Masaccio left for Rome. He died there only a few months later at the age of only 27. In 1436 Brancacci, who was an enemy of the Medici, fell into disgrace and was exiled and the fresco was not finished until 1436, by Filippino Lippi. The frescoes were damaged by fire in 1771 and underwent a restoration between 1983 and 1990.

                                                                              

The expulsion of Adam and Eve
                                                                        
                                                                                                               

This is no ordinary Fresco and is sometimes referred to 'the Sistine chapel of the early Renaissance'. At the time it was being painted, many artists of the time, such as Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Boticelli etc. would go along and study from it and make sketches of it. At the time there were no art books for these artists to study and the art of drawing, painting and perspective that the Greeks had mastered, as this had been lost for over a thousand years... It was Masaccio they came to study! It was he who made the bridge from Cimabue and Giotto's masterful beginnings and added the re-discovery of perspective, shadowing, use of narrative drama and tragic reality of human figures, which proved to be a schooling for these famous ‘artists to be'.

As I move round the Chapel I am left open-mouthed at the beauty and honesty of these somewhat crude figures. The restoration has rendered the colours very bright. The sheer shame of Adam and Eve at being expelled from the Garden of Eden, the humanity of Peter, in his orange cloak as he heals the sick, portrayed for the first time here in their tragic state. Also here is Masaccio’s absolute masterpiece of ‘Peter and the story of the tribute money.’

The story is told in three parts in this large fresco. As first in the middle, the tax collector requests the money from Jesus, then on the left, Peter bends down to the lake where he finds the coins in the mouth of the fish and finally, on the right, Peter gives the money to the tax collector.

The depth of colours, use of aerial perspective and vanishing points were all unprecedented at this time and Masaccio is credited with re-inventing these lost techniques. Masaccio’s work contrasts with the more formal frescoes of Masolino and finally Filippino's later more refined and emotional sentencing St. Peter to death.

Ok, so Lee is impressed !






Fiippino self portrait


(Original journal entry 10/3/02

21. 'Chas and Mave'

Spring is now in full bloom. Cream and purple Magnolia trees, bright yellow Mimosa, Forsythia, masses of lilac wisteria and wild irises have appeared along our driveway, although a passer by decides to try and pick some! Tiny lizards are darting about and I find a surprise in our wash room... 8 little chicks have just hatched!


Annette's mum and dad, Chas and Mavis, have arrived for a 10-day holiday to see where I could possibly have brought their beloved daughter!!!

They are just fresh from a 3 week holiday in Spain and this is their first time in Tuscany. It's Easter weekend and we have a week off work, so it should be a little more relaxing than when we had my mum.

It's an afternoon pick up at Florence airport, so before we drive back to Greve, just enough time to take them up Piazza Michelangelo, to build anticipation for the Renaissance city. The weather is great for their stay, 8 days of sun, 1 of cloud and only 1 day of rain!

Thursday and a nice leisurely day for us. We drive into Greve for cappuccino, followed by a picnic lunch up Montefioralle. We bump into a guy who offers to take us for a look around 'Casa Vespucci' Apparently the great explorer was born here!

 

Friday and Annette can't contain her desire to take Chas and Mavis to San Gimignano! We go by way of the Francigena, "look Mum! Don't miss the view!" We reach the 'many towered city' and head for 'that' deli, the Neapolitan 'il Ristoro' one and order the same huge bruschetta with the different toppings as last time. The owner recognizes us from last time and treats us to some wonderful 'Pastiera' Neapolitan cake! As we leave he also presents us with 3 enormous bags of pasta! We enjoy a stroll round this pretty medieval town and peruse the shops. We find a wonderful ceramic shop with a guy at the potter's wheel. They have these great mugs and we buy a couple. Also we spot another nice looking cafe, for another time...

Saturday and we have been invited to dinner by friends. In the morning we check out the market in Greve. We buy some plants for the house and I pick up a jacket for only 8 euro! We have a pleasant drive through to Panzano and Castellina and decide to have lunch back at home.

On Lucia's property there are some vineyards, an olive grove and small woods. In the woods there are a couple of picnic benches. So Annette knocks up a huge salad, inspired by the one we had at Baldovino's, with pesto, sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts and we enjoy a long, lazy lunch. Al fresco eating in March, now we kind of see why it was a good move coming to Italy!  In the evening we check out our closest restaurant, which is within walking distance up the hill, La Cantinetta. Chas and Mavis both have 'Ribollita' which is a kind of thick vegetable soup. Annette has gnocchi and I have Papardelle with a wild boar sauce. For main course, I have the sliced veal with peppers and porcini mushrooms, Annette has the rabbit and Chas and Mavis a char grilled veal and pork chop. All very tasty!

It's Easter weekend and Monday is bank holiday here too. It's called 'Pasquetta' or little Easter and the request is for a certain leaning tower... so Pisa it is then! The leaning tower is just outside the centre of the city of Pisa, which we haven't really checked out yet, although I don't think there's too much to see there. The 'Campo dei Miracoli', where the tower, church and Baptistery are is pretty spectacular though, a symphony of white marble and we have a pleasant time there.

On the way back we spot this tower on a hill and the road signs tell us is San Miniato... so we decide to investigate. It turns out to be a very pretty hill top town. The tower turns out to be the tower of Fredrick. Built in the 13th century, it was destroyed by the Germans, but reconstructed in 1958. There are some spectacular views of the Arno valley and we spot a cafe with an outside terrace overlooking the view. An interesting little detour.

Palazzo Medici Ricardi

Well it's the last day of our holiday (Not Chas and Mavis') and at last we bring them into Florence! Apart from Sunday, when we had a peek at the Cathedral, Gates of Paradise and Piazza S.S. Annunziata. Annette takes them over the Ponte Vecchio, while I park up. We book tickets to the Uffizi for tomorrow and then celebrate with an ice-cream! Chas orders a huge cone and manages to get more down his face than in his mouth, but then he is 78 bless him!

Annette takes them to see David in the Accademia, while, as I saw him a few weeks ago, opt for something new. The old Medici palace is my destination, after I negotiate buying a ticket. This is the spiritual home of the once great Medici family, before they took up residence in the Pitti Palace and where Michelangelo lived during his sculpting apprenticeship. It was built by Michelozzo in 1444, in favour to a more elaborate Brunelleschi design. It's a huge palace and in the grandiose courtyard a great sculpture of Orpheus by that artist hated by Michelangelo, Baccio Bandinelli.

The big draw here are the Benozzo Gozzoli frescoes. They are in a tiny chapel and you can only fit about 30 people in at a time for about 10 minutes. They are very impressive though. On three of the walls is told the story of the three wise men, but in a rural Tuscan setting! And including portraits of the Medici family. In addition to these lovely frescoes there is a pretty Madonna and child by Fillipo LIppi, a frescoed ceiling by Neapolitan artist, Luca Giordano, some medallions carved by Donatello and at the moment a temporary exhibition of Greek marble heads! Obviously a shadow of its former self, as many of the works of art that once adorned its walls are now in the Uffizi or Pitti Palace, but the Gozzoli frescoes were worth coming in for!

Wednesday and I have been hired as the unofficial guide for the Uffizi, seeing as it's my 3rd time in here, only slightly more qualified than the others! Chas and Mavis are suitably impressed, however I do notice that some masterpieces are absent, either being restored, like Caravaggio's Medusa and Raphael's Madonna with the Chaffinch or out on loan at other exhibitions.

For their last full day, Mavis is determined to visit Radda, as she met a woman on the plane whose daughter owns a bar there... so we drive up to Radda and lo and behold we find the bar and the daughter! I am rewarded with a very pleasant glass of Brunello wine and Mavis is happy.

We finish up with a visit to the castle of Verrazzano on the way home. This is the one time residence of Giovanni di Verrazzano, discoverer of the Hudson Bay in New York and look we can see our house at Olmastrino from here. Job done!

(Original journal entry 5/4/02)

20. Monteriggioni, Barberino and the via Francigena

After a pretty hectic week, some winding down is in order. Tonight we have been invited by some friends to a barbecue in Tavernelle, a small town on the other side of the Florence Siena superstrada.

To get there we go on a little detour and decide to take a leisurely drive along the Francigena, which is a medieval pilgrimage route that goes from Rome to Canterbury... I'm not sure what happens at the English Channel? Anyway between Tavarnelle and Poggibonsi there are some spectacular views, with green, rolling hills.

We stop off at a small medeival walled hill top town called Barberino, where we find a pretty pine tree park to sit in and enjoy the view from.

We find a nice spot just outside Barberino for a picnic and spend some time relaxing on our rug.

Monteriggioni's not far, so we go and check it out. It's a small fortress town near Siena that was used by the their army in Renaissance times to defend themselves from the darstardly Florentines. It even gets a mention in one of Dante's 'cantos' in the Divine Comedy. The town is slightly bigger than Barberino and we find a really cool antique shop. After some tasting of the local wine we head back up to Tavarnelle for our March barbecue.


(Original journal entry 23/3/02)

19. Mum! - Our 1st house guest.

We've settled in nicely and after four months we're finally getting our first visitor. My mum is the first to break! She's booked a ten day trip and although she's half Italian and has been to Naples many times this is her first time in Tuscany. Obviously we're both still working, but with our unconventional timetables there will still be plenty of spaces to fit in some nice excursions... After catching a raucous 2-2 draw between Juventus and Inter at the Irish pub in Santa Maria Novella, I dash out to nearby Peretola airport for the 22.40 pick up, emotional welcome and the 1 hour drive back to Greve.



 Piazzale Michelangelo

Sunday and we're in the city, so our first port of call is Piazzale Michelangelo. This is the big square above Florence, it's one of my favourite spots and where you can see the whole city. It's the perfect place to start your tour of Florence, as you can point out all the landmarks and get an idea where everything is before you tackle it.
It's a nice sunny afternoon and the nearby ice cream parlour proves too much of a temptation!

Monday we're both working all day, so Mum gets a chance to relax in our olive grove and take in a bit of that glorious Tuscan sun!

Florence
Tuesday it's down to business. I drop Mum at the Cascine market, a seemingly 10 mile-long outdoor market in the Cascine park which sells absolutely everything. I pick her up after work and we enjoy a leisurely stroll through the historic centre of Florence and we take in some of the main sights, the Cathedral, bell tower and baptistry and Piazza Signoria. We walk over the Ponte Vecchio and finally end up at the Galleria del Accademia, where after a very short queue we are in to see Michelangelo's David, arguably the world's most famous statue. It's my second time here, but a chance to get re-acquainted with the big naked guy again!

David                                                Of course David is the crowning glory of one of the world's greatest artists. Sculpted from a piece of damaged marble that nobody thought was possible to recover. A 26 year-old Michelangelo crafted this 17 ft  masterpiece in only 3 years. Originally it was outside in Piazza Signoria, but in 1860 it was brought inside and can be seen alongside some of Michelangelo's other sculptures, the dying slaves and Madonna.

Wednesday and we've booked tickets for the Uffizi art gallery, yes Mum's going for the whole cultural experience!  We meet up with Annette and buy some sunglasses, as the sun's becoming unbearable.

I'm quite excited as this is only my second time here.

The Uffizi
The Uffizi is the kind of art gallery you can come back to many times... and today the Caravaggio room is open! Our pre-booked ticket allows us to jump the queue and we spend about 3 hours journeying through Renaissance Florence...

There are so many masterpieces here it's quite overwhelming , and so many different styles and personalities and wonderful stories behind the paintings. You can witness the progression and developement of the Renaisance style from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Obviously too many to mention here in one go, but I'll highlight a few of my favourites.

Two of the most famous and beautiful are 'the birth of Venus' and 'Primavera' painted in about 1482  by Sandro Botticelli.

The two paintings depict pagan and mythological themes influenced by a love of Greek ideologies.

Venus emerges from the sea upon a shell that is pushed to the shore from the winds produced by the Zephyr wind-gods amid a shower of roses. As the goddess is about to step on the shore, one of the Nymphs reaches out to cover her with a purple cloke. The model for Venus, Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci was the niece of Amerigo di Vepucci, the discoverer of America and was a popular 'muse' at the time and a favourite of Boticelli. She died very young and Boticelli requested that he be buried at her feet.

Botticelli was a craftsman in his own right. His “Venus” was the first large-scale canvas created in Renaissance Florence. He prepared his own tempera pigments with very little fat and covered them with a layer of pure egg white in a process unusual for his time. He had fantastic results. His painting resembles a fresco in its freshness and brightness. It is preserved exceptionally well: the painting today remains firm and elastic with very little cracks.

The Primavera is a painting filled with mythological and symbolic meaning and has been the subject of much debate. Venus is standing in the center of the picture, set slightly back from the other figures. Above her, Cupid is aiming one of his arrows of love at the Three Graces, who are elegantly dancing. The Grace on the right side has the face of Caterina Sforza, also painted by Botticelli in a famous portrait. The garden of Venus, the goddess of love, is guarded on the left by Mercury, who stretches out his hand to touch the fruit. Mercury, who is lightly clad in a red cloak covered with flames, is wearing a helmet and carrying a sword, clearly characterizing him as the guardian of the garden. The messenger of the gods is also identified by means of his winged shoes and the staff which he used to drive two snakes apart and make peace; Botticelli has depicted the snakes as winged dragons. From the right, Zephyrus, the god of the winds, is forcefully pushing his way in, in pursuit of the nymph Chloris. Next to her walks Flora (said to be a portrait of Giuliano de Medici's mistress Simonetta Vespucci), the goddess of spring, who is scattering flowers.

Leonardo da Vinci is well represented in the Uffizi with three pieces and probably my favourite painting in the whole gallery is his annunciation. It's a very early painting by Leonardo, originally thought to be by Ghirlandaio, x-rays have shown it to be the work of two artists, Leonardo and his master, Verrochio. Leonardo's attention to detail in the landscape and flowers in the foreground show an incredible understanding in his extensive studies of nature. His extremely light brush stroke is just breathtaking!

One of the gallery's most erotic paintings is this gem by Titian. I remember seeing his rather portly ladies in the National gallery in London, when I was a child. However the Venus of Urbino is a more slender young woman with very pleasant curves! In this very suggestive pose the naked Venus is looking straight at the viewer. The painting was comissioned and painted in 1538, probably as a wedding present and we can see the maids rummaging around for clothes to cover her up. Dogs were usually a symbol of faithfulness, so the fact it's sleeping suggests she may have been 'unfaithful'.

My last homage is to Caravaggio. I love Caravaggio's paintings. They kind of go against the grain, he was a rebel artist and painted dark canvases with low life people as the subjects. There are several Caravaggio paintings in the Uffizi, one of which is this Bacchus, god of wine. It was a favourite theme of Caravaggio, he could probably relate to his dark and mischevious nature. He generally painted him as an adolescent, using as a model his young assistant (and probable lover!), Mario Minniti. His pose is almost languid, with the over ripe fruit signifying the transient nature of pleasure. If you look closely you can see Caravaggio's portrait in the carafe of wine. 

There is also a special temporary exhibition dedicated to Massaccio, on the re-discovery of perspection, which I whizz round at the end! 

San Gimignano

After a day to recover from our cultural extravaganza, which mum spends relaxing in our local town Greve, we're off on our travels again. Todays destination is San Gimignano, with a stop at Castellina. It's a bit foggy this morning, but we head out anyway. 1st stop is Castellina, where we have a chance to taste some local Chianti Classico wine and a 4o year-old Brandy! By the time we reach San Gimignano the sun has reappeared and we are able to enjoy a pleasant afternoon. We stumble upon an underground grotto Cafè/Deli run by a Neapolitan family. We tuck into big bruschetta with truffles and porcini, some home made lasagne and ribolitta (a local vegetable soup) We wash it down with a very nice local white wine called 'Vernaccia'. I spot a bottle of limoncello liquer on the way out and we get chatting with the owner. When he finds out we have family from Naples he offers us a free taste along with some chocolate truffles!  We enjoy a pleasant stroll in this beautifully preserved medieval town with the big towers and Mum enjoys all the leather shops!

Fiesole and Baldovino

Saturday morning and Annette and I are working so we arrange to meet up with mum in Florence and head up to Fiesole. She's brought a picnic and we walk through the woods at Mt. Ceceri to that spot we only found a few weeks ago! In the evening Mum has invited us out to dinner and we have chosen a restaurant in the Santa Croce area of Florence called 'Baldovino'. Although we haven't booked, the waiter just manages to squeeze us in on a table near the entrance. During the evening countless people are turned away, so a very popular place! The food is amazing. Mum has an incredible salad with pesto, pine nuts and mozerella. Annette chooses a carpaccio of swordfish with juniper berries and I go for a chunky wild boar papardelle. For main course mum has a creamy linguine, Annette a chicken, pesto and sundried tomato affair and I have a swordfish, scallop and prawn kebab and we share some yummy pumpkin cooked with sage and black olives. No room for dessert... and all for a great price.

Pisa                                           For mum's last full day, Pisa is the chosen destination. It's only an hour's drive away and the temperature's up to 23°C.  We find some free parking 100 metres from the 'Campo dei Miracoli' it's a symphony of white marble, with the Cathedral, the Baptistry and of course, the Leaning Tower. We enjoy our picnic on the lawn and Mum buys some souvenirs from the many stalls lining the streets.

Annette and I are working all day on Monday, but we meet up in Florence for a farewell ice cream. An appropriate end to a very pleasant 10 days, Mum has been a very good house guest, we are all totally exhausted, but I think she had a good time!  

(Original journal entry 9/3/02)

18. Montefioralle and il Caminetto

It's the beginning of March and all this wonderful apple and cherry spring blossom is starting to appear on many trees. Wild flowers, daffodils and anenomes are springing up everywhere and everybody seems to be going on holiday except us! Work has really picked up though, I have regular work with two schools and Annette has even been promised a full time contract from September with the best school in Florence, so it looks like we're going to be able to stay! We love living at Olmastrino and every time we go to pay Lucia our rent she presents us with a bottle of her wine or oil!

Today we've taken a day out just to relax! We grab a bottle of Lucia's wine, knock up a picnic and take a ten minute drive out to the tiny hill top town above Greve, Montefioralle. We find a perfect spot with this great view and enjoy the sun. As it dips behind a hill we drive a bit further round to Panzano, another hill top town, with an enormous inflatable cow to welcome you! Time to enjoy the glorious view, catch up on some reading and let all the tension drift away...

On a day like this, who feels like cooking? Not me! Deciding on a restaurant is the only difficult decision to be made today!  We agree on 'il Caminetto' - the little chimney, which again is only a 10 minute drive away. The car park is full, so it must be good! The staff are very friendly, great decor and a complimentary Spumante, so good start. I choose the pici (a thick home made spaghetti) with a sumptuous duck sauce and Annette goes for a pumpkin and sausage 'sformatino' (small pie) The house wine is only 3 euro for 1/2 a litre and very nice too! For main course I order the Osso Buco and Annette has some great beef rolled with pocini mushrooms and artichokes, both wonderful. We share a chocolate mousse and finish off a super meal and day with complimentary glasses of limoncello and amaro!

(Original journal entry 3/3/02)

17. Volterra, the setting for Twilight 'New Moon'

I've been looking forward to visiting Volterra for a while and this afternoon we have the picnic and rug packed in the car and are making our way down the Florence/Siena 'superstrada'. We turn off at Colle val d'Elsa, where I'm doing some work at the moment, and drive west towards the coast.

We find a great spot to have lunch, where we can just spot the medeival towers of San Gimignano.  Today appears to be the unofficial Italian motorbike championship, as we can see and hear countless 1,000 cc road bikes roaring past us! Obviously a popular stretch of road for them.  The drive towards Volterra is spectacular, it's very high, misty and seems like you're on top of the world!

We arrive a bit late, but just enough time to get a feeling for the place. It's a rather dark, mysterious and forboding. I can see why years later it proved the perfect setting for part 2 of that vampire trilogy, Twilight 'New Moon'.


There is this huge fortress at the top, but unfortunately it's the state prison! So I guess we won't be going inside then...  We wind our way to the main square, which is very pretty and the old town hall is somewhat reminiscent of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

There seem to be lots of shops selling alabaster. Apparently Volterra is a centre for the production of this most ancient of stones. In fact when we were in Florence on holiday I bought a rather nice alabaster chess set, and today we discover that here you can find almost every article ever known to man, crafted from alabaster!

We spot a sign for a Roman theatre and go and investigate... indeed we find this very nicely preserved 1st century B.C. Roman theatre which was only discovered in the 1950's. There are no doubt many other fascinating Etruscan artifacts and frescoes to see, but time is pressing on and we have to get back home. However yet another intriguing town to come back and delve into a little deeper another time.

Click here for the New Moon trailer. The countryside of Volterra is shown at 1:29 (although the town shots are of Montepulciano)    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I75iHY43HLY 

Livorno and  'I Mai Visti'

The Tuscan coast is about an hour's drive away from Florence and we do pay the port town of Livorno a visit, where I enjoy my first ice cream of the year.

I'm also in Florence again to check out another art exhibition. In the storehouses of the Uffizi lies tens of thousands of paintings and every so often the gallery puts on a special, free exhibition. It's called 'I mai visti' (never before seen), so I pop along to have a butchers. Most of the paintings and artists are fairly obscure, but there are a couple of paintings by Titian and Boticelli as well as some Flemish paintings and Greek marbles. Not a bad way to spend a friday afternoon!


(Original journal entry 24/2/02)

16. Fiesole

I first heard about Fiesole from the Merchant Ivory film of E.M. Forster's book, 'A Room with a View.'  It's the scene where they go on a group picnic, Lucy falls into a bed of violets and George, enraptured by the beauty of the scenery and the lovely woman lying in the flowers before him, imprudently kisses Lucy.  Ok so I have to go and check Fiesole out then!

 

 It's a gorgeous sunny Saturday afternoon, warm enough to bring a rug and picnic and find that romantic spot... The drive up through San Domenico is breathtaking, with stunning views of Florence. In no time we're up to the top and after driving around for a bit, see a panoramic sign for Mt. Ceceri. We park up and after a short walk through thick woods we find a nice spot on a cliff edge, with this spectacular view!  Although it's a bit hazy, we enjoy our picnic, basking in the February heat!

A short drive back to the main square, named after the local stonecutter,   Mino da Fiesloe. We spot a museum sign, buy a ticket and go in and investigate... Wow!  There are some Roman ruins, including this wonderful amphitheatre in almost perfect condition. Apparently they show Operas here in the summer... Suddenly living in Florence has got a bit more interesting! We learn that Fiesole actually pre-dates Florence. Built by the Etruscans in the 8th century B.C. and conquered by the Romans in 283 B.C. so there are both Roman and Etruscan remnants. Also included in the small 'Bandini' museum.

We're chucked out at 5.15, which is closing time and notice that people seem to be heading up this hill, so we follow them... There we find this amazing terrace with a view over Florence and what do you know...  It's sunset time!

(Original journal entry 8/2/02)