RASHA OMRAN and KIM ECHLIN in MONTEPULCIANO: July 17, 2017

Readers of my memoir Aross the Big Blue Sea know about the courageous Syrian family who after a horrendous journey to Sicily stopped over at our refugee home in the Tuscan countryside. The plight of Syrians at home and in exile is at the base of poet, dissident and journalist Rash Omran's work. Omran, who has been living in exile in Egypt since 2012, will present her recent work this July in southern Tuscany.

The reading will take place in the garden of beautiful palazzo Bracci in Montepulciano. The literary event is part of Montepulciano's longstanding Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte, the Tuscan wine town's art and music summer festival which is in its 42nd edition.

Portraits of poet Rasha Omran, writer Kim Echlin and musician Ashti Abdo

DEFY SILENCE - SFIDARE IL SILENZIO: Poetry, music and translation between war and exile
Rasha Omran, Kim Echlin and Ashti Abdo in Montepulciano
Monday, July 17, 2017 - 9.15pm
Palazzo Bracci, via delle Case Nuove, Montepulciano.

Rasha Omran has been invited for the first Writer to Writer residency by the newly set up Palazzo Bracci association. Omran will read her poems in Arabic followed by the English translation by Canadian writer and translator Kim Echlin. The two writers will discuss Omran's work, the meaning of political activism and the influence of Omran's life in exile in Egypt. The event will be musically underlined by Italy based Kurdish Syrian musician Ashti Abdo.

THE TALE (and some pics) OF THE PERFECT TUSCAN CHRISTMAS LUNCH

I'm writing a book (which has been published in the meantime). Hence I raise the word count by cutting down on aperitifs (not an easy feat in my Tuscan village ), and I keep the storyline going by dodging invitations to Sunday lunch. But when I know that the table will look like this... and the food like this it's hard to resist... Hence we drove to the Chianti and followed the crowd through the woods to jump into the midst of the clatter, chatter and laughter of a Tuscan Christmas gathering, which was cleverly interrupted by countryside walks to make sure there was room for more, until - inevitably - the moment arrived, when all the plates were licked and the last bottle of Chianti was emptied and it was time to go home (you said you drive, right?). INGREDIENTS FOR A TUSCAN GATHERING Lunch was organized by Emiko Davies and Giulia from Juls' Kitchen , who with the help of their respective partn...

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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...

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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...

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