Mio marito (my husband) and I decided to sit at a table located on the terrazzo outside Bar Centrale, hoping the beige awnings would provide some protection from the impending rain.  I chose the tavolo (table) in the far corner thinking we would read the Siena giornale (newspaper); the cool metal of the silver chairs feeling … Continue reading The Tuscan Sweet Life with Gli Antichi Sapori (Pasticceria)

It was a mere fifteen minutes after seeing him leave the Casale (house) when my husband quietly reappeared from the yard. As he gently shut the chestnut doors behind him, he said with a look of disbelief; “I can’t concentrate, I have tried to read the same chapter of my book over and over again, … Continue reading Grilli (Crickets) of Tuscany​

The crickets had been singing a boisterous melody throughout the day, their chorus was in response to the increasingly hot temperatures. As the evening approached they seemed to soothe themselves by performing a more enchanting song; as if setting the stage for a much-anticipated Cena (dinner) at our neighbors Penny and James. The neighbors Casale … Continue reading An Authentic Tuscan Cena (Dinner) prepared by the Tuscan Chef “Marta”

We arrived in Tuscany, just as the vibrant red poppies began to blanket the fields outside Pianella.  It was as though Jackson Pollack, the famous American abstract artist had taken his brushes and gently flicked paint on the Tuscan fields; brilliant red for the Poppies, vibrant yellow for the Ginestra, just a bit of purple … Continue reading A Summer’s Return to Tuscany

We have been in Italy a mere three weeks and already my “life’s suitcase” is filled to the brim with lessons from Tuscany and the Tuscan people. That is the power of this country; it expertly weaves you magico (magical) memories, which can be worn like fabric for a lifetime. “What you leave behind is not … Continue reading Gioia (Joy) in a Tuscan Garden