Skip to main content

WINTER IN TUSCANY - NO, IT NEVER SNOWS...

The view from our house (what happened to the olive grove?)

Last week I wrote about the snow that's falling on Tuscany, invoking the snowflakes to keep coming. That's what I call positive thinking. Forget the snowflakes, I managed to call in a full blown snowstorm. People in my Tuscan village tell me that they haven't seen anything like it since the winter of 1956. 

And whilst I can't but marvel about the fairy tale beauty of it all,


and about the incredible amount of snow that keeps falling on our olive grove, 



I keep thinking of all the people who fled the cold European North for a sunny weekend in Southern Tuscany, because... I told them so. 

Remember my January posts about winter in Tuscany? All my propaganda about the glory of long Sunday walks on empty beaches and the beauty of sunny afternoons in medieval towns

Easyjet never confirmed it, but I guess their February flights to Italy must have booked up quickly after my posts. 

So If you're one of them - one of the people who cancelled their skiing holiday, so as to have a stroll along a the warm Tuscan beaches - you're probably sitting in a lounge somewhere up north, as Italy's airports are cancelling flight after flight. And if you're already thinking of engaging a lawyer specializing in travel fraud - remember, it wasn't just me. The NY Times too was all go about winters in Tuscany. 

What I'm worried much more about right now, are the tourists who actually made it out here, just to find themselves stuck in a freezing hotel room somewhere between Siena, Massa Marittima and the Tuscan coast. I've heard some of them would like to have a word with me. In private. 

Luckily my kids are already out in the grove; preparing snow balls in my defence.  

Popular posts from this blog

WINE AND ARCHITECTURE: PETRA WINERY BY MARIO BOTTA

Southern Tuscany is home to a handful of wineries, which are often described as wine cathedrals.  The Petra vineyard near Suvereto (by architect Mario Botta) is an interesting example of this new approach in winery architecture. At Petra the world-class architect went beyond designing an impressive wine cellar, but also included the outlay of the vineyards in his aim to form a contemporary agricultural landscape.  Main building of the Petra Winery in Suvereto If it is true that the way to good wine starts in the he vineyard, it is also true that only the quality of the cork,  the design of the label,  and the beauty of the bottle shape will bring the consumer's experience to full circle.  Taking this thought further it's obvious that the birthplace of a good or even fantastic wine, is yes the vine and its grapes, but also the winery building in particular and the whole estate in general.  If you know any of Botta's works,  you'll recog...

Storytellers at the Todo Modo bookshop in Florence

I may not be religious, but I totally worship the Todo Modo bookshop in Florence for its beautiful interior design, central location - a ten-minute walk from the station and Ponte Vecchio - and the cafè hidden among shelves and plants hanging from the roof. UqBar serves some of the best lunches to be had in Florence - especially for people who'd love to forego the usual Tuscan fare for a delicious miso soup . But Todo Modo does another thing well. The shelf-filled spaces in the back can be turned into a small theatre which makes for a great event space among all the books. I had my Across the Big Blue Sea book presentation there and was back last month for a Storytellers night - the first event of a great new series.   Linda and Steve, the team from the The Beehive Hostel in Rome have decided to take their storytellers nights to Florence, and Todo Modo has agreed to host them. Whether residents or just travelling through, English speakers will have great fun...

SAN BIAGIO AT NIGHT - JUNE 7, 2019

San Biagio at night (with Montepulciano in the background) Day or night, San Biagio,  il tempio di San Biagio,  is always a looker. But it's a special treat to be able to visit the interior of the church all through the night.  As one of 150 churches in Italy, Montepulciano's famous temple church will stay open through the night for the ' La Lunga Notte delle Chiese' event. Concerts and various cultural happenings will take place during the long night of churches on June 7, 2019 from 9.15 pm.  Check the event website for details of the participating churches in Tuscany and all over Italy.