A Small Taste of Tuscany

The winding streets of Cortona

Mamma mia! 

Why on earth did I wait 30 years to return to Italy? 

The last time I visited was 1986, as part of my first 'grand tour' of Europe. I suppose I have been busy seeing other places but Kevin and I have often said to each other over the years 'We must get back to Italy...' Somehow it's never quite come off - until now.

Flying over the snow-covered Italian alps

On the road from Pisa to Siena

The catalyst for finally getting back here was my friend Lyndall, who lived in Siena for a couple of years and since returning to Australia has maintained strong ties with that beautiful medieval city. She's currently building a house in the Chianti area, only a short drive away through the Tuscan countryside, and so she's back in Siena to oversee the final stage of the project.

I flew into Pisa which is only just over two hours from Heathrow. Despite having spent a number of years in the UK, as an Australian I am still agog that I can leave grey, crowded London and in a couple of hours be in another world - be it Scandinavia, central Europe or the Mediterranean. So different from being at the 'arse end of the world' where even travelling to the other side of the country takes at least five hours.

Lyndall collected me at the airport and impressed me no end with her ability to drive like one of the locals. We proceeded at warp speed, changing lanes without indicating and communicating with other drivers via dramatic gesticulation.

Late afternoon sun bathing Siena in golden light

And so we arrived in Siena just as the sun was sinking, with the ancient stone buildings bathed in golden light - it was a breathtaking first glimpse.

The apartment where Lyndall is staying is right in the centre of the old city which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and literally a minute's walk from Siena's justifiably famous, fan-shaped Piazza del Campo. After a quick change and freshen up we donned our coats against the chill and Lyndall whisked me away to show off the best of Siena on a Saturday night.

We meandered along the narrow, winding streets, the elegant stores with their beautiful wares beckoning. It was with a sense of drama that Lyndall led me down to the Piazza where I could appreciate at first-hand the glorious gothic Town Hall and Torre del Magni, lit up against the inky blueness of the Tuscan night sky.

The magnificent Torre del Mangia, completed in 1348

Fonte Gaia

Siena - the home of panforte

Despite it being a cold night the Piazza was buzzing with dog-walkers, strolling couples, families taking their evening constitutionals. We headed straight for one of the many restaurants that face onto the square for aperitivo - a terribly civilised thing to do before dinner. Lyndall tells me that drinking to excess, and drinking for the sake of drinking, is frowned upon in Italy. Therefore one takes aperitivo, a drink to open up the palate (mine's a Prosecco, thanks) served with a small selection of appetisers. In our ever-shrinking, generic world it's the little things like this that make travel memorable and I looked forward to the ritual each evening.

After aperitivo we made our way to what is regarded as Siena's best restaurant, La Taverna di San Giuseppe, where Lyndall was welcomed almost as a family member. It seems she has brought a lot of friends to this beautiful restaurant and I'm guessing none of them were disappointed.

The wine was superb, the food based on seasonal availability and local produce, the atmosphere informal but elegant. The building dates from 1100 but it was a treat to be shown around the Etruscan cellar that dates from 200 BC.

Siena by night

Lyndall outside the entrance of La Taverna di San Giuseppe

After dinner we strolled around the city, Lyndall pointing out its amazing history, before stopping at the Tea Room, another venue where Lyndall is no stranger. It's housed within a 15th century building and genuinely is a tea room, but it's also a bar and very popular with students late at night. 

I should mention at this point how delightful it is to be in a city where cars are very much in the minority. The centre of Siena - inside the fortress walls - is mostly accessible only on foot. Cars (other than taxis, police etc) are strictly prohibited, though motorcycles and scooters are allowed.

The difference of being able to stroll around at leisure without the noise and the danger of vehicles is incredible. Combined with the ancient architecture it feels like a completely different way of life. 

Statue of Sallustio Bandini, in the Piazza Salimbeni

Lyndall and Yours Truly with the obligatory selfie

Each day started with a quick breakfast of fresh fruit and then a superb coffee, taken standing at the bar, at one of the nearby excellent establishments. 

On my first morning in Siena we headed off in the car to Lecchi in Chianti, the tiny village where Lyndall's beautiful house is nearing completion. She's got a great elevated spot with views across the valley and the town, and when the village bells chime it's pretty darned special.

The house has been built in the local style, faced with local stone. It's going to be a gorgeous hideaway and I can't tell you how impressed I am with Lyndall's determination to manage the whole thing herself - I watched her spend two hours with three tradesmen as they argued over drainage, timelines and the stability of dry stone walls... almost entirely in Italian, and Lyndall held her own. 

The view from Lyndall's apartment

At lunchtime we drove to the elevated medieval town of Cortona. It was a glorious sunny day but the wind - glacial! It was clearly coming straight off the snow-capped mountains and with much of the town in shadow (narrow streets and low winter sun) we were inspired to walk briskly.

We dined at a tiny little restaurant, nothing fancy but as we found everywhere we went - and as Lyndall's experience confirms - even in the most modest Tuscan establishment one can expect excellent, friendly service and superb local produce accompanied by delicious local wine, at very reasonable prices.

Lyndall seems to know just about everyone in Tuscany, and in Cortona we made an after-lunch visit at her friend Ivan's wonderful art gallery, Il Pozzo. Some years ago he discovered an Etruscan well under the floor and it's now on display as an additional 'exhibit'. 

The Tuscan countryside from Cortona, with Lake Trasimeno in the distance

Basilica of Santa Margherita, Cortona

La Fett'Unta, our lunch venue - what a find!

Sampling the local wine at lunch

The following day we drove out to the house again, and then pootled down the road a few minutes to the picturesque neighbouring village of San Sano for lunch.

I've read tree-change biographies where people have taken up residence in France or Italy, and they often write that even the most humble restaurant in the most far-flung location offers simple but superb food. That was certainly my experience, and at La Grotta della Rana trattoria in San Sano the only other patrons for lunch were local workmen. What a culture! When one compares tradesmen and agricultural workers in Tuscany with those in Australia and England... my goodness, the Italians do seem much more sophisticated. Even their work clothes are far more stylish.

Grotta della Rana Trattoria, San Sano

Another fabulous lunch in Tuscany - Lyndall by the glow of the fire

The afternoon was spent back in Siena, exploring the truly spectacular duomo which was designed and completed in the 13th century, though further works continued for another century.

Incredible striped marble pillars and tower, amazing tiled floor, beautiful illuminated ceiling in the library... this landmark has it all. No visit to Siena would be complete without seeing the cathedral.

Siena Cathedral - full name 'Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption'

The striped romanesque bell tower of Siena Cathedral

Siena Cathedral interior

The incredible illuminated ceiling of the Piccolomini Library, Siena Cathedral

Saints and gargoyles on the facade of Siena Cathedral

How's that for a domed ceiling?

On my final day in Tuscany we drove through the countryside en route to Pisa airport, stopping briefly to stretch our legs at yet another elevated, medieval fortress town - San Gimignano. It's known as The Town of Fine Towers, with good reason. Although many other Tuscan towns have lost most of their towers due to war, natural catastrophe or urban renewal, San Gimignano has managed to retain fourteen of them. Like Siena, the town centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

San Gimignano, another gorgeous mediaeval town just south of Florence

What an incredible four days.

Siena is so beautifully positioned, being only an hour or two by car from Florence, Pisa and Bologna, and only three or four hours' drive from Milan and Rome.

Kevin and I are making plans to travel to Siena together, hopefully sometime when Lyndall is there and he was sorry not to be able to join me on this trip. As a Twilight geek I'm also keen to explore Volterra, which featured in one of the films and which we passed by on our way back to Pisa airport.

It was wonderful to visit this area in the low season; I imagine it is absolutely thronged in summer and Lyndall assures me I would not like the heat. So we will hope to visit in spring or autumn.

Snow-covered mountains and the Ligurian Sea
- goodbye to Tuscany

I couldn't have hoped for a better reintroduction to Italy. What great fortune to have a dear friend with this connection to a beautiful city.

Until next time,
- Maree xo

A Green and Disappointing Christmas

The skating rink at Somerset House

Well, Christmas certainly didn't turn out the way we had planned.

For starters, somebody forgot to inform the weather gods that in Europe it's meant to be cold at Christmas time. We've now officially had the UK's warmest autumn and winter on record (so far) and as you can imagine, I am far from happy with this situation.

All year I await the cold. It's the main reason we are living here in the Northern Hemisphere, and not at home in Australia. As I write this on 1 January, we have had two - yes, only two - frosts the entire winter. One Saturday morning in early November we got a flurry of wet snow for about half an hour. But since October the daily maximum has been somewhere between 10-17 degrees, with the overnight minimum being... well, about the same, really.

Covent Garden dressed up for Christmas

Mistletoe decorations in Covent Garden

Apple Market at Covent Garden

Christmas street lights on the Strand, London

Somerset House resplendent in purple

The Fortnum & Mason Christmas Arcade inside Somerset House

Beautiful - but incredibly overpriced - goodies from Fortnum & Mason

The Nelson Stair at Somerset House

So while England did its best to get into the Christmas spirit, with temperatures more akin to early autumn or even a disappointing summer it really didn't feel very christmassy. All the same we made the effort to get excited about the festive season. 

We each had Christmas functions at our respective workplaces, with Kevin being included in the invitation to attend the cocktail party being hosted by Alexander Downer for High Commission staff at Australia House. I was in charge of organising my own small team's Christmas lunch and as three out of seven of us are vegetarian/pescetarian I decided to wield my limited power and book one of London's best vegetarian restaurants, The Gate in Islington. I'm pleased to say that function was a resounding success with a couple of nervous 'vegetarian virgins' saying it was some of the best food they'd ever eaten - job done!

In November and December lots of towns have special fairs that usually incorporate the switching on of their Christmas lights, and in early December we drove down to Reigate for theirs. It was a pleasant enough way to spend an afternoon, and we had the bonus of discovering an independent health-food store that stocks lots of vegan supplies and cruelty-free cosmetics etc - very useful to know.

Wreaths and bunches of mistletoe for sale

For the pooch that has everything - tweed dog wear!
Surrey has the most well-turned-out dogs in the UK

The mild English weather didn't get me down as much as it might have, because I had the anticipation of once again fleeing to Norway for a 'proper' Christmas. Most importantly, we were going to spend a few days catching up with Graeme and Tero in Finland - dear friends whom we haven't seen since leaving Australia. 

All week I'd been feeling tired and a bit fed up with the cough I'd been struggling with for about a month, but I managed to get up at 5:15am and feel excited about seeing the boys in a few hours' time.

We spent our first night in Finland in a gorgeous holiday villa right on the water about 45 minutes from Helsinki. The boys were travelling with two other couples from Canberra / Sydney, plus another couple who actually live in Helsinki were bunking in with us. We had a great dinner, with some of us floating off to bed around 12:30am and the more hardy members of the group enjoying the outdoor hot-tub and the sauna, before consuming vast quantities of vodka and akavit into the wee small hours...

Alas, even here in the Baltics the weather was unseasonably mild. 

The gorgeous villa we shared with Tero and Graeme and three other couples - just outside Helsinki

The villa had its own jetty and pontoon

Sunset at the pier in front of the house - the Gulf of Finland in Porvoo (Sipoo)

The lovely, rustic kitchen

The beautiful view over the Gulf of Finland from the dining room

The villa was filled with gorgeous antiques

That white stuff is NOT snow - it's sea foam

Sadly the next day brought a decline into severe respiratory infection and by the time we drove into the city to check into our hotel, I was feeling pretty ordinary. 

Our hotel was funky and modern, dripping with Scandinavian style, and I was determined to participate in the planned festivities which included dining at Helsinki's famous Christmas Buffet at the waterfront Kulosaaren Casino, followed by a concert by Finnish a capella group Rajaton at the Finlandia concert hall. 

Entry to the very funky Klaus K Hotel in Helsinki

The Klaus K reception area

Staircase from reception down to the bar

One of the restaurants in our hotel

Even the elevator was groovy!

Despite feeling like death I could appreciate the elegant surrounds of Kulosaaren, with patrons dressed in their Christmas finest. The buffet was amazing but I couldn't do it justice - to begin with it was heavily meat and dairy based, plus I really had no appetite at all. I made a valiant attempt at the starters, skipped all the mains and nibbled on a couple of dessert morsels. 

Finnish elegance in full flight at the Kulosaaren Christmas buffet

Not a great range of choice for a pescetarian - I had no appetite anyway.

We were hoping that 'dry cake' was just an unfortunate translation!

The dessert table, complete with casino scale replica made from gingerbread

During intermission at the Rajaton concert I made my excuses and Kevin and I took a taxi back to our hotel. The next day I had to face the fact that I was not going to make it to Norway for Christmas. Not only would an entire day of travel involving two flights and a four-hour bus journey finish me off, I didn't relish disturbing the entire household with my incessant coughing. Tero and Graeme's local friends managed to get me an appointment at a private medical facility and the decision to fly back to London was made. 

So for the rest of the day poor Kevin wandered around Helsinki on his own and then met up with Tero and Graeme for drinks, while I languished in bed the entire day. I had been to Helsinki many years ago so I consoled myself with the fact that at least one of us was getting to see the city.

Oh, the joy of Art Deco in this lovely city!

Helsinki Harbour

There are some very glamorous restaurants in this town

On our last morning I summoned the determination to take a stroll around for an hour or so, enjoying the Christmas markets and the gorgeous and stylish boutiques. On my previous visit I'd admired the wide boulevards and Russian influences of this tidy city. I was pleased to find it undiminished in essentials. 

The very stylish iittala store

iittala store interior

Such an elegant, stylish city

The Lutheran Cathedral

Uspenski Cathedral is Western Europe's largest Orthodox cathedral 

Christmas handcrafts at the festive markets

And so we bid Helsinki, and our friends, farewell. Helsinki airport is nicer than most, with a lot of high quality souvenirs and produce on sale at very nice boutiques.

All things Moomin are available at Helsinki Airport

Although it was a relief to get home to my own bed where I knew I could cough all night without disturbing anyone but poor Kevin, it was with a heavy heart that I contemplated the change in our Christmas plans.

Naturally my family in Norway were incredibly disappointed but I'm fairly confident theirs was nothing compared to mine. We ended up spending a very lonely and dull Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in grey, warm England - me on antibiotics and both of us picturing ourselves at Marion and Erik's lovely home, gorging on her amazing cooking, enjoying the good company and of course the snow.

Neighbours had been kind enough to leave us a bag of goodies before heading away for their own celebrations, having discovered our early return and the circumstances. So at least we were all set for Christmas pudding, glühwein and chocolates. Their thoughtfulness was much appreciated.

Kevin enjoying a cleansing ale at one of our locals, the Marquis of Granby

I'm still on antibiotics and, in all honesty, not relishing the thought of returning to work on Monday. On the plus side, after such a disastrous Christmas the only way is up!

Here's hoping you all had a more satisfying festive season than we did, and all the best for 2016.

Until next time,
- Maree  xo