141. Luminari di San Ranieri - Pisa

After witnessing the San Giovanni celebrations in Florence and in particular the fireworks on several occasions, this year we've decided to check out neighbouring Pisa's version of their patron saint's day, or evening to be specific, the lesser known San Ranieri.

We make the 80 km drive to Pisa after work and arrive at around 9.30 pm. Of course we are usually here to visit the leaning tower with guests, so it's interesting to see another side of the city. On this special day parking is a problem, but eventually we find a space! The centre of Pisa has been turned into a huge street market and the place is heaving with bodies!

We head to the river Arno, where all the action seems to be and are greeted with a spectacular sight... all along the river candles have been placed around doors and windows - apparently some 70,000 of them! illuminating the buildings. At just after 11 pm there is a firework display and we both agree it is a little better than the one in Florence!

The celebrations continue well after midnight and we stay soaking up the atmosphere...

Viva Pisa!

(Original journal entry 16/6/04)

140. Party time in June

It's the end of our annual courses at school, the heat has been turned up a notch and all the outside concerts and festivals are beginning to start... it's party time!

Wednesday
evening and a trip to Prato for a pizza courtesy of one of my employers, Wall st. and boss, Luigi

Saturday
evening and my teenage class have booked a table in Florence for another pizza.

Sunday
evening and I'm at work colleague and friend, Peter's house for a meal and a heartbreaking 2-1 loss for England at the Euro's against Portugal.

Thursday
evening and we've been invited to a barbecue at Scottish friend, Caroline's house in the hills of Montelupo. It's their end of term party and we enjoy the food, company and views.

Saturday
and the party moves to work colleague, Alison's house in the fashionable, Borgo Pinti in Florence. An evening of music, food, drink and friends goes on till the wee hours and we finally stagger home some time after 3 am!

The Heat is on!

This evening we are in Piazza S.S. Annunziata to watch Italy vs Bulgaria on the big screen, even though Italy win, Denmark and Sweeden play out a calculated draw and Italy are out of the Euros... our local team, Fiorentina eing demoted to serie C and B for match fixing have been promoted back to serie A, so some good news!

Forza Viola!


(Original journal entry 20/6/04)

139. 'Secret' San Gimignano

Some lesson cancellations and all of a sudden we have a free day... yippee!

In desperate need of some mugs, there is only one shop on the agenda and it's in the gorgeous medeival town of San Gimignano.

We're usually here with guests so it's a nice chance to spend a day at our favourite town just wandering at our own pace. We park up and find a new small square, San Agostino, where we enjoy a simple lunch in an outdoor osteria. It's a beautiful, hot, sunny June day, we find our two green mugs fressh off the wheel, in the small pottery shop, Balducci - perfect!

Some browsing in the small art galleries and quaint shops, customary ice creams (Champelmo/Vernaccia white wine/Choco-ginger flavours of course!) follow.

We find a great looking terrace restaurant and agree it would be good for another time and a wonderful garden complete with harpsicord player and the most incredible views of the surrounding countryside...

More days like this please!

(Original journal entry 10/6/04)

138. Perseus and 'Open Pool'

It's over!!! After a year and a half of studying, Annette has finally finished her EFL Diploma course... Her final exam was on Wednesday and this evening the celebrations begin!  The Champagne is in and we have a date with one of Florence's top restaurants. Annette has been here many times with her student, ex mayor of Sasettta, Saverio. This is where the Florence conoscenti come (including the Fiorentina football team!)

Perseus

We have a very cosy cellar room and indulge in a huge bistecca alla Fiorentina T-bone steak and a bottle of Chianti Classico riserva courtesy of Ruffino Ducale d'Oro! What a place! And more importantly... No More Studying!!!




Open pool

Sunday and the pool at Greve has opened its outdoor pool for the summer season.

The weather is nearly up to 30° C and it's lovely and sunny, so only one place to be then... poolside!

(Original journal entry 6/6/04)

137. Cantine Aperte

It's that time of year again when the wineries of Italy open their doors and cellars to the public and offer tours and tastings, free of charge!

Last year we visited our neighbouring vineyard at Castello di Verrazano in Greve-in-Chianti. This year I decide to dip a little deeper into Chianti, literally! Making an early start on my 'historic tour' as I take in three of the oldest cellars of the region.



Castello di Fonterutoli

My first stop is in the tiny hamlet of Fonterutoli just south of Castellina. I actually came here last April with brother-in-law, Phil to buy some of their wine. The buildings date back to 998 A.D. and they are in the process of building some new modern cellars. The tour is very interesting and I'm introduced to a new phrase, 'wine library' where a collection of some of their older vintages are kept for periodic tasting and celebrations, like birthdays.
We finish with a tasting of three of their wines, including their award winning Chianti Classico riserva, though not their 70 euro 'Super Tuscan' Siepi!



Pentecoste in Castellina

On my way out of Fonterutoli I pop into Castellina and stumble across yet another wine festival!!! Beautifully set under the barell-vaulted archways and showcasing some of Castellina's finest wines... I taste some great wines, including Rocca della Macie's 'Roccato' and yes, the Siepi I couldn't taste at Fonterutoli!


Badia a Coltibuono

Next stop is this ancient monastery just outside Gaiole-in-Chianti which dates even further back to 778 A.D.
It's a beautiful building and again inside their cellars I get to see their wine library, which includes some 1930's and 1940's bottles which they occasionally open to the general public!



Castello di Brolio

My last date is with the 'Iron Baron' himself, Bettino Ricasoli and his enormous Castle near Gaiole too. Ricasoli is the man responsible for laying down the criteria and blend for making Chianti Classico wine in the  19th century and was the first prime minister of the newly formed Italy in 1861.

They have a huge cellar underneath their modern enoteca at the foot of the castle. Some tastings there bring to an end a great day of history, new discoveries and of course some fabulous wines! I wonder where I will go next year?

(Original journal entry 30/5/04)

136. Pontassieve and 35th Toscanello d'Oro

At the moment I have a lesson with a group of peole at the jewellers, Zoppini in Ponte a Emma in the south east of Florence. While I'm there I pick up a flyer in a bar for another wine festival in Pontassieve, which is another town to the east of Florence.

Saturday evening I go and check it out. Arriving just in time to sample some of the loca delights... The wines here are from the Chianti Ruffina region further up in the hills. Pontassieve isn't a particularly beautiful town but this evening there is a huge street market and band playing.

I have a very pleasant evening discovering an interesting area, oh yes and some nice new wines!

135. Villa Le Corti

The long awaited 'Villa Le Corti' wine festival has arrived!

Saturday

I drive up to San Casciano with Annette to this lovely countryside villa, park up in the olive groves! Get my glass and head for the tasting booth...

We taste some of the best wines Tusany has to offer and even bump into the host of the event, Prince Duccio Corsini himself and have a chat by the pool! Some of my favourite wines are:

Petrolo's 100% merlot, 'Galatrona'

Bibi Graetz's Testamatta

Frescobaldi's 'Luce

Some great cru Brunello's; Manachiara feom Silvio Nardi, Poggio Banale from La Poderina, Poggio al Vento from Col d'Orcia and Vigna del Fiore from Barbi.

We even buy a bottle of dessert wine, Pourriture Nobile... wonderful!

The weather isn't as sunny as last year, but the wine more than makes up for it!

Sunday

I return with work colleague and friend, Peter and his wife Alessandra to check out some wines I missed yesterday... the weather is slightly better and I get to see wine legend, Piero Antinori, who is hosting a lecture and vertical tasting of his mythical 'Tignanello' wine, sounds interesting...

I taste about 40 different wines.Some of my favourites include;

Il Carbonaione from Poggio Scalette

Tenuta di Valgiano

Avvoltore from Moriss farms

Antica Chiusina from Del Cerro

See you next year...

134. Roma 8 - Caravaggio & Quincy Jones

A surprise change of plan for this weekend... I had wanted to go to a concert by the Neapolitan jazz maestro 'Pino Daniele' in Florence, but unfortunately the tickets all sold out... shame!

However, I then see an advert on MTV for a mega charity concert being staged  in Rome hosted by the legendary Quincy Jones!!! Of course I just have to be there... Annette is studying all day, so unfortunately can't go, but reluctantly (for her!) has given me the ok!

I'm on the 9.42 am Eurostar train out of Santa Maria Novella heading for Roma termini... by 11.30am unbelievably I'm walking on the ancient cobblestones for the 8th time in my life...

The concert isn't due to start until 6.30 so I have seven and a half hours in the Eternal city to continue my art trail that began many years ago. One of my favourite artists is Caravaggio and seeing some of  his masterpieces is today's goal. I head to the Capitoline museum on Michelangelo's epic Campidoglio, where I see Caravaggio's 'Fortune teller' and 'John the Baptist' along with some other famous pieces here too. The huge Constantine head and feet, the dying Gaul, Praxiteles' Capitoline Venus and Phidias' Amazonia. For me it's a real treat to finally see some otrf these absolute masterpieces of the ancient world.

After an overwhelming morning I stop for lunch, a very tasty mozzarella-in-carozza and I'm ready for part two...

I head off to Piazza Navona, to oggle at the magnificent Bernini sculptured fountain, but of course I'm really here to see one of Caravaggio's best pieces, which is in a small church just round the corner. San Luigi dei Francesi to be precise. In a dark corner of the Contarelli chapel is this exsquisite three-cycle painting of Matthew by the master of low life painting. The calling, inspiration and martyrdom of Matthew. He changed the inspiration painting to suit the requirements of the priests, but they are breathtaking nonetheless. It is incredible to come in off the road and find yourself in the presence of such greatness... I am speechless!

And so on to the reason I am in Rome today... I walk on to the Circus Maximus, where the crowds are beginning to gather... I find a spot near enough the stage to see, but far enough back not to be squashed. It is truly an all-star cast of some of my favourite artists, all directed by the man himself, Quincy Jones and a 70 piece orchestra. The concert is entitled, 'We are the future' a reference to his 'We are the world' project from the 1980's.

Seven hours of music follow, with performances by Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Carlos Santana, Patti Austin, Herbie Hancock, Andrea Bocelli, Ennio Morricone, Take 6, Zucchero, Damian Marley etc. There are also some famous celebrities on hand to introduce the acts: Mohammed Ali, Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, Lionel Richie, Francesco Totti, Naomi Campbell etc.

It is truly a memorable evening, finishing sometime after 1 am with a half hour version of 'Oye como va' by Santana...

Grazie Roma!

133. The Iris garden and Alla Vecchia Bettola

After a busy morning at the office and a nice lunch with colleague Peter and his wife Alessandra at the 'Ristorante Accademia' near San Marco I'm off up Piazzale Michelangelo for a date with some irises!

The Iris garden to be precise. This year I've timed it to perfection as they are just hitting their peak. Irises from all over the world of every colour imaginable... I enjoy a well earned rest amongst these coloured beauties!

As Annette is doing her DELTA lessons this afternoon, while I am sunning myself, I decide a treat is in order...

We check out a restaurant that I've had my eye on for a while. It's in the San Frediano area of Florence and right next door to one of my private student's house and whenever I pass by, scores of locals are packed in and seem to be having a ball!  It's called 'Alla Vecchia Bettola'.

We book a table, which is actually two places at a very long table with other people... The meal is traditional Tuscan and very tasty. We order a pretty impressive bottle of Chianti Classico from Castello di Ama (the same as aone we bought for Annette's brother, Phil) and wonderful it is too!  A future local???

132. Castello di Celsa

Open Gardens and Courtyards

Today many villas, gardens and castles in Tuscany are opening their very substantial gates to the general public for free!

I've decided on this rather spectacular castle just south of Siena. It's an hours drive an a bit tricky to find. Eventually I happen upon the tiny town of Sovacille and spot some cars parked up down a long drive... bingo!

The Castle dates from the 13th century and was refurbished in the 16th century and the Italian gardens replanted and restored to their former Rennaisance glory after the second world war.

It's a balmy spring day and the extensive grounds are beautiful. I've brought my sketch pad and relax on the rug and put it to some good use. The castle is covered in ivy and some pretty yellow spring flowers carpet the lawns. I enjoy a couple of hours in this truly paradisaical setting...