From Tuscany with Love

Hello everybody.

Once again, sorry for the lack of updates. I have limited internet access - too busy with food and wine, oh and work too.

For those of you who do not know, I am spending October living at a farm near Sinalunga, Tuscany, Italy. It is a gorgeous area and I have very much enjoyed my last few weeks here. Food is a major part of the Italian lifestyle and I have enjoyed the most amazing meals since I have been here. I think I will go into withdrawal from lack of olive oil upon my return to Canada.

My hosts, Barbara and Ugo, are fantastic. They run a small-scale farm that harvest olives, grapes, and some wheat. Each of these is primarily for personal consumption and the farm is more of a personal passion than a commercial enterprise. As such, there are many jobs to be done, but they are more varied than they are intence. We have been working on everything from harvesting grapes to setting in drainage pipe to planting trees. The variability makes the work enjoyable and the beautiful weather has made the outdoor work very pleasant.

While here, I have been fortunate enough to travel a little around the area. I have seen the following:
Siena - great small city with a wonderful feel to it. I only spend a morning here, but the views were great and the city is full of life.

Firenze - full of art, history, and museums. I spent about 4 days in Florence and really enjoyed the city. Everywhere you walk there are shoe stores, leather stores, and (of course) restaurants. The buildings are beautiful and each of them could feature in a post-card. I had the opportunity to visit the Uffizi gallery, saw Michelangelo's sculpture of David and visited many of the city's great cathedrals and piazas.

Pienza - Pienza is a great town that was built by a pope after ascending to his glorious position. The old town is nestled among old walls that provide a great view of rolling scenery of various fields of crops criss-crossing along the horizon. The view is gorgeous. The valley below Pienza is where the wheat field scenes of Gladiator were filmed.

Cortona - Cortona is another gorgeous town with great views. Once again, its protective location high on a hill provides amazing sunset views and wonderful visions of small fields is a geometrically complex pattern. Near by, there is the chapel where St. Francis came to pray to the Madonna. It is built into grey stone and presents an impressive facade along a great hill.

Lucca - Although a much greater town exists, I only spent a day within the old town walls. That said, the walls themseleves are one of the most impressive sights in this great city. There are chapels steeped with myth (such as a executioner's blade that spared an innocent man's life, and a bottomless pit which swallowed a blasphemer etc.) but the walls are great. They combine all the goals of modern active living. There is fresh air, great historical sites, beautiful trees and plants, and plenty of room for biking, running, walking, and just enjoying the scenery. The fact that you are 50 feet up and on top of ancient city walls is just a great bonus.

Take care,

Mike