This gallery contains 14 photos.
According to the locals this summer in Tuscany was not good – lots of rain and wind, and not the usual warm temperatures. But we didn’t notice – for our two day stay the weather was glorious. It was a short stay but we … Continue reading
Just north of Pienza in Tuscany is a stand of Cypress trees that have been photographed more often than most others. The reason is they seem to represent Tuscany to tourists and they are visible from the main road. In each season they summarise the beauty of the region.
It’s not unusual to see half a dozen cars stopped at the side of the road with the occupants out shooting the grove of trees.
Interestingly very few people turn around and look the other way to a view that, in my humble opinion, is even more Tuscan. Captured here in late Autumn.
It began as a day like all others as the sun climbed over the Crete hills to the east – except that we were up early enough to enjoy the sunrise and completely confuse our girls when we gave them each a pat on the head and departed for Siena. We were cutting it fine and the mood in the car was sombre. There was none of the usual banter as we headed along the SR2 into Siena.
Thankfully we didn’t get stuck behind any of the local autobuses on the way and as we drove through the Porta Tufi and into the old city to park we had 10 minutes left for the walk to the Campo.
It was Rugby World Cup final day. Half a world away two teams were about to go head to head to determine who were world champions – our might All Blacks or the unpredictable and dynamic French.
We arrived at the bar in time to find a seat amongst the small but growing number of New Zealand fans and the far more numerous French fans. We ordered our usual RWC colazione (breakfast) – cappuccino and tea, followed by white wine and birra. The discipline required to start drinking at 8am was something we had mastered over the preceding 6 weeks as we had watched the pool games, the quarter finals and the semi finals. In fact we were well known in the bar and our order arrived at the table the same time we did.
The game was engrossing. What everyone expected to be an easy All Black victory became an arm wrestle with the French doing what they do best – being unpredictable and playing ten times better than they did in the early rounds of the tournament – and with 15 minutes to go the score was 8-7 to the All Blacks. The remained of the match was agonising with neither team able to get in the killing blow.
The tension in that little bar in Siena was palpable. The Kiwis had gone quiet while the French supporters were vocal as the underdogs refused to roll over.
Victory for the All Blacks, when it came, was more relief than triumph.
After congratulations all round we left the bar and stepped out into the sunlight of the Campo. We headed to our usual bar – Al Mangia – to celebrate with a glass or two of Prosecco.
At Al Mangia the talk was not of rugby but of motorcycling. Motorcycle ace and local hero Marco Simoncelli had died after falling off his bike in the Malaysian MotoGP earlier that morning and the bar patrons were noticeably affected. Simoncelli was just 24 years old.
It was, it turned out, a day of triumph overshadowed by tragedy.
This gallery contains 2 photos.
Every so often, as we sit here in the middle of Wellington’s winter, there is an echo of our time in Italy. Over the weekend we hung a picture on the wall. It was painted by our friend and talented … Continue reading
This gallery contains 27 photos.
My nephew’s girlfriend and her sister are planning a trip to Tuscany in September. We have been asked for some advice on where to stay and what to do in and around Tuscany. It sounds as if the girls are … Continue reading
One thing we are struggling with at present is our distance from Tuscany. The whole reason for this blog was to let friends and family know about our time in Italy which is now over – for this year at least. As our stories are no longer about Italy should we change the name of the blog? Should we broaden the name to cover, well, our travels in general? Should we continue the blog at all?
Everytime we have thought about this it has made our collective heads hurt.
But, after much thinking we have arrived at a decision. Although we are back home in New Zealand, our hearts remain in Italy, in the sun, enjoying “la dolce far niente”.
We are still, and will always be, kiwis in Toscana.
This is our 200th toscanakiwi post. When we started the blog it was to keep friends and family informed about our little adventure in Italy. But reading back over some of the last 200 entries I now realise it is also a collection of memories for Jean and I. It might be old age or just the passing of time but little things get forgotten and one adventure gets confused with another in our minds – but the blog is always there with the real story.
In September 2011, post number 100 was sent from our cottage in Tuscany. At that stage around 4,800 visitors had read the blog since it’s launch. As of today that figure has increased to 11,541.
A huge thank you to all our lovely readers. Your feedback is always welcome and knowing that our adventures are providing a little interest and entertainment is all that we can ask for.
Ciao
Graeme and Jean
This gallery contains 74 photos.
Last year was quite a ride for Jean and I and the girls. We started it in our home in Wellington, New Zealand, doing what we have done for the last 20 years and ended it in a pub in … Continue reading
With space at a premium on the drive to Positano, we had to find room for the girls in amongst the vast quantity of luggage we had filled the car with. Daisy travelled in style in the back seat on a stack of blankets and pillows which raised her to around window height. Great for her as she had a view of every person, car or bike we passed, but bad for us as she barked at every person, car or bike we passed.
Poppie travelled in the front on the knee of the lucky passenger. Poppie has eaten well in Italy and her current weight of 7.2kgs does, after a few kilometers become quite heavy. This necessitated regular stops to allow the poor passenger to regain some degree of feeling in their lower legs.
Oh the glamour of travel.
Inside stuff to pack
It has been a fantastic 6 months reveling in the Tuscan way of life but all good things must end. And our ending is just a new beginning as we swap Tuscany for Positano on the Amalfi Coast.
We were there in July when it was summer and it was almost tropically hot. In November it should be cooler but still as warm as a summer’s day back home.
Outside stuff to pack
We shall see, but first we have to get there and that means cramming everything we own into our Renault Megane Wagon and driving south for about 5 hours … 6 with stops for the girls.
Farewell Tuscany, hello Positano.
Note: For a larger version of the video click the “Share” button when the video is playing and select “Download Video”. A new window should open with a larger and better quality version of the movie.
The changing landscape of Tuscany – from our arrival in May to our departure in October. The photos are taken from the terrace at our place, 6 months apart.
This gallery contains 8 photos.
Siena is full of restaurants and most of these are either fully or partially outdoor. This is particularly true of those that ring the Campo. In summer outdoor dining makes perfect sense with umbrellas or awnings giving protection from the … Continue reading
Morning in the cottage means chores – dishes, bed making, vacuuming, all the usual stuff. Recently the girls have started watching this happen from the safety of the couch. Neither Jean nor I can make a move without two sets of eyes tracking us.
If we show any sign of deviating from the routine, all hell breaks loose.
When we headed to Europe in April, we didn’t really expect to be here when the weather started to cool down. As a result, winter clothes weren’t something we brought with us.
But in the last week, althought the days are still sunny and warm, the temperatures at night have started dropping. It was clearly time to go shopping for something warmer to wear than shorts and a t-shirt.
The good news is that Italy is a great place to shop for clothes. So stocking up wasn’t difficult.
For those interested, our new winter wardrobe consists of:
His
1) Geox winter jacket with fur lined hood
2) Mid grey coat jacket from Sisley
3) Wool scarf from Sisley
10) Cream V neck jumper
11) Grey and blue round neck jumpers
12) Hilfiger casual boots
Hers
4) Knee length cream wool coat
5) Geox winter jacket with removable fur hood
6) Max & Co grey top with gold buttons
7) A long woolen top
8) Assorted pants including Calvin Klein jeans
9) Classic cream roll neck jumper
13) Geox sports shoes
14) Black nero boots
15) Fur lined suede boots
Having looked at the photo of the clothes Jean’s comment was “where’s the colour”? So that’s something we still need to add as well as some gloves and hats. After that, bring on winter.
Our stay in Tuscany is coming to an end. We leave at the end of October but our original plans to head home have changed a bit.
We have decided to chase the warm(ish) weather south to Positano and have arranged to stay for 6 weeks at Villa Greta looking out over the ocean. After we spent two weeks there in July we always said it was somewhere we wanted to return.
So, at the end of the week, we pack up the Renault and head south until early December.
It sounds simple when you say it fast but after 6 months we are quite settled in our tiny cottage in Tuscany. We have a lot to take with us. Slightly more, we suspect, than our 3 suitcases can carry.
La dolce far niente 