Dolce far niente
Italy was marvellous. Before we left I had been reading Mario Puzo's The Godfather, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I even learned a few useful phrases in Italian like Who is the local Don in your area and I came to pay respect, but it turned out it wasn't necessary. Everybody were friendly, relaxed and smiling at every occasion. I liked how classy and elegant everything felt. Tuscany had the look of being covered in patina of ages, but nothing was left neglected and deteriorating. All buildings were looked after and proudly standing in all their architectural glory. Also people felt neat you could tell they pay attention to look well. The countryside was gorgeous. You could feel it was groomed and hand-made, but nevertheless nothing was destroyed or spoiled. The vineyards and olive groves felt perfectly natural on their slopes, hills and occasional woodlands, all buzzing with life and songbird. Houses weren't intrusive either. They felt old, yet well looked after and totally in their element.
We were very lucky because the house we stayed in had was surrounded by vast olive groves on a downhill slope, so we could use reclining chairs and watch wonderful sunsets over surrounding hills and vineyards. It felt insanely peaceful and soothing.
Tuscany was just 10-15 minutes drive in my wonderful little Smart car, so perfectly in reach. We spent three full days there eating tons of (vegan and sorbet) ice cream, drinking coffee, eating pizza and, most of all, visiting some of the most spectacular art galleries, museums and heritage sites in the world. We also made plenty of trips to other cities and small, yet so charming, towns and villages in the Chianti region. Here are some photographs. I hope Kasia will develop her photographs soon and join me here.
Sunrise over Tuscany. One day we woke up very early and went to catch the moment.
Beautiful Kasia bathing in the sunrise light.
I heard that the old families who were influential and ruled over the region hundreds of years ago somehow retained their power and it's one of the reasons why there are no sky scrapers or office buildings over the horizon.
Tuscany seen from San Francesco monastery in Fiesole. Kasia wanted to join the convent. I wanted to stay and live in one of the vineyards.
The view from the monastery just once more. The place felt wonderfully serene and, well, somewhat closer to Eternity.
Kasia again with San Gimignano in the background. It was the most charming little town we visited and so full of character.
One of the streets in Colle Di val D'Elsa. Another quiet, sleepy town where time runs slow...
Nothing has changed in some hundreds of years...
Perche no? We tried dozens, literally, of ice cream shops, but this one was our favourite. We were very positively surprised that all places offered vegan, non-diary ice cream and the most fruity and lush sorbets you can think of. Heaven on earth.
The Medici palace and gardens. One of the most breathtaking buildings ever with world-class art hanging all over the place and incredible ceilings, interiors and decorations. One of the bathrooms was painted by Michelangelo himself. Some decorations were done by Raphael. And you could find stunning masterpieces like this in every one of I-don't-know-how-many rooms. We found it too opulent in the end.
The main square in Siena. This is where they race for the Palio trophy.
My attempts of "F8 and be there".
The post is getting too big, so I'll finish here for now. But I may post more in the future. Would you like to?