Happy 1st May & Buona Festa to all my Lovely Followers around the World,
Yes, I’m back again, this time lifted from a few hard working weeks by the month of May. I just love the first May. It feels like the start of something important and beautiful. The sun is breaking through the overnight mist and my man is sounding cheerful!
Every year I am overwhelmed by the flowers, both wild and planted, painting the garden and countryside with splashes of colour like an artist’s brush. The lilac tree has already flowered and moved on; instead we have hundreds of white Acacia trees dripping with blossoms. I think these trees, described locally as weeds, are the most beautiful in Tuscany at this time of year. Weeds because they grow quickly and everywhere, needing controlling if you prefer your view to be open and the garden tidy. I like a bit of both, I mean, how much view do you really need? And, I love trees.
If you have visited our lovely former Monastery Farmhouse, you will remember that just inside the main gate is a sloping semi-circular scrubby patch of garden, currently overun with flowering weeds, which is something and nothing. On one side is the lilac tree and on the other a big bunch of Irises. Now, we are very lucky to have a beautiful and talented daughter who, amongst her other achievements, is a qualified garden designer. So I asked Sharon if she could come up with some ideas for creating an easy to manage ground covering of flowering plants. Now ask Sharon a question and she will come back with the most brilliant answers. Here is her specially prepared ‘Mood Board’ for our consideration! Watch this space.
The other thing that really excites me is the mass of spring vegetables available and the seasonal foods coming into the shops and markets like Burrata cheese, which I adore. Here is a picture of one of the most mouth-watering salads served up at Tenuto Monterosola, Burrata with peaches and washed down with glass of Vermentino. http://www.monterosola.com
I have booked another on-line cooking class with Judy Witts Francini, as I am desperate for some ideas on dishes using seasonal veggies including Fava Beans, known as broad beans in the UK. Here in Tuscany the locals eat them raw when young. I tossed some with cubes of pecorino cheese and balsamic vinegar, which was delicious, but that’s my limit! Why don’t you join me on Thursday 6 may at Judy’s class! Go to http://www.divinacucina.com
OK, I know I’ve bombarded you with plants and veggies, but to be honest I just wanted to talk to you about happy things, rather than pandemics and not being able to book an inside restuarant table for lunch. We are currently in a Giallo (yellow) zone, which is not too bad for shopping etc. But the rules for masks and distancing remain strictly in place, which I agree with.
I have two questions to answer recently put to me by faithful followers. Firstly, no, my fourth book ‘Assassin’s List’ will not be available shortly as I have had other very important things consuming my time. However, my heroine Joana West is knocking on the inside of my skull trying to get out, so I will have to get back to her soon. So please bear with me and I will aim to get the book done in time for Christmas, or with a little bit of luck, beforehand.
Secondly, The Rock Chick Band is aiming to be back for a big bash on June 24 2022, so I hope you will diary date to join us then.
OK, time to edit this blog and get it off to you. I hope you are all remaining well and protected; it will be a while yet before Italy has got her act together.
Do contact me, either through this blog or by email at june.finnigan@virgin.net. I love to hear from you.
Oh and do buy my books if you have not already done so! http://www.junefinnigan.website
Have a great week and Amore to you all.
Salute june x
Stop press – Bee Eaters have just arrived!
Meanwhile, back in the here and now, we have made the sad decision to cancel the Rock Chick Band concert in June. Whilst things may have improved by then and the restrictions lifted, we do not want to bring together friends and family and to put them at risk. It is particularly sad as it would have been our 10th anniversary as a band and I have enjoyed performing with the guys so much. But lets look to June 2021 and make sure it is a really good party!
And, on a much lighter note you will be glad to know that our lower terrace is ready to welcome you all, the minute it is safe to do so. Yesterday, my man and I enjoyed a bottle of Chardonnay there before lunch and it was glorious in the warm breeze with the perfumes wafting across from the Acacia, roses and cut grass. Whist we have been unable to go out and buy plants, the garden is still looking lovely thanks to nature’s own contribution
Well, the weather here on the edge of Chianti has been glorious. This morning’s early stroll around the garden turned out to be nice enough to stop and sit under the European Oak tree, where one of our English Garden Benches now sits. The Acacia trees are now dripping with perfumed blossoms and the view is fantastic; we will never tire of this glorious vista. There is no longer any traffic smog down in Certaldo’s valley and the view to San Gimignano is as clear as crystal. We are so looking forward to meeting our family there for a nice lunch soon.
Yes, it’s that time of year again, Easter Weekend and the Tourists have poured in from every part of the globe. Cars and mini-buses are cruising past our Old Monastery Farmhouse with big-eyed faces staring out of the windows. Then there are the walkers. As we are surrounded by agriturismo places to stay, it’s normal to hear the sound of footsteps on the gravel track and wondrous voices in many different languages. But, we don’t mind, as this weekend heralds the run up to summer and it’s a pleasure to see and hear visitors enjoying themselves. Anyway, we have our giant spider guarding the gate; just in case.
Now the tourists will have found ninety percent of shops, bars and restaurants closed on both the Sunday and Monday. This includes our usual haunt La Dispensa in Fiano as Fabio, Sandra and Rossella have taken a well deserved two-day break. The Italians like their festa days and most will have gone off to the seaside or mountains. But if you know where to go it’s not a problem. On both days we dropped down to Certaldo and Jam Caffe where you will find the best pastries in the region and of course very good coffee. The weather is beautiful at the moment so you can enjoy sitting outside on the big terrace. We like to be inside looking out.
On the subject of coffee, which the Italians serve up so much better than anywhere else in the world, on Saturday I spotted this advert for illy coffee. Yes, I know, the hunky guy in the advert did draw me in. But look at his face; which look do you like? Clever advertising this; Classico, Intenso (intense) & Forte (strong). I must say I do rather like the Intenso look; that hint of danger in the eyes….. Sorry, where was I? Oh, yes, I was about to mention that I do buy the tins of illy classico coffee. I like the tins, they look great on the sideboard and the coffee is seriously good too!
On Saturday morning, the Mercato in Certaldo was heaving. We stocked up with fruit, veg and Cheese, but our lovely plant lady had not turned up again. I asked one of the neighbouring market holders and was told she had not been there for months. But the good news is, I suddenly remembered a flower kiosk at the top of the hill next to the old cemetery, where our old friend Simon Moody rests in peace, bless him. The kiosk was busy, but to my delight I found lot’s of plants for sale as well as flowers. I bought quite a few, but will need more, so will go back next weekend. I’ll send you some fotos of the finished pots next time.
OK, what else. obviously the National news has not been too good this last week, what with the Notre Dame fire. Here in Italy we have a Joint Deputy Prime Minister who likes to dress up in various uniforms, depending on where he is appearing, so it was inevitable that one of our Italian cartoonists would come up with this cartoon of Matteo Salvini. We quickly move on….
Meanwhile, the various Leonardo exhibitions and festas continue and for a change I will mention Prato, which is a rather attractive town between Florence and Pistoia, where there is an Ingenuity & Textile Exhibition going on at Il Museo del Tessuto. I’ve always been fascinated by machines, big and small. I love steam trains and the workings of clocks and watches. In fact anything that is not dependant on electricity or technology. Prato is also good for historical buildings and excellent restaurants! 
In a moment I’m going to wax lyrical about the plants and wild life in and around our beautiful garden here on the edge of Chianti. As before, I am not going to talk about Italian politics, other than the fact that we still have no government; you will just have to keep watching this space.
So, back to our garden and what a wonderful week we have been experiencing. Last weekend the Acacia trees started dripping with white blossoms and the Fiorentina Irises we planted last year have burst into flower! We have been swamped with butterflies, including the Swallowtail and the birds, well, the birds! We now have an owl which we have yet to identify, who hoots in the daytime, pairs of pheasant, Jays, Hoopees, swallows and wood pigeons. Arriving anytime soon will be the colourful Bee Eaters. Two visiting hares, deer and the occasional cinghiale (wild boar). And, the weather has been glorious, so my man and I have been able to spend aperitivo time outside, breathing in all the exotic perfumes! Fotos J Finnigan
And continuing on the subject of aperitivi, I’m really pleased to tell you that the last two weekends have seen us back over in Montespertoli for cocktails, a lovely village just twenty minutes from here. It is a year ago that we stopped going as the pressure of writing deadlines had me working away every weekend at the keyboard. But with the weather having turned to sunshine we have returned, and it is so nice to greet old friends again and watch the occasional vintage car rally hooting past. Foto J Finnigan.
One friend is the lovely Caterina, or I should say The Baroness Caterina de Renzis Sonnino. Caterina is a very hardworking lady who entertains guests from all over the world giving guided historical tours of Il Castello, Educational visits and Wine tastings. Yesterday the newspaper printed this article about a visit by Gucci, the Label having chosen Il Castello Sonnino as one of seven cultural projects. Now, I will try to find out a lot more when I next speak to Caterina, but in the meantime you should visit Il Castello’s website. My man and I were very lucky to have been given a private viewing a few years ago, and believe me it is an incredibly beautiful and atmospheric place to go. Oh, you can also stay there, so check it out here! 
Meanwhile, back in the world of Music, I noticed that good old Ringo Starr, or Sir Richard Henry Starkey, was in the news and is doing a tour in July/August. He will include Lucca, Marostica and Roma. Now I have been to outside concerts in Lucca, which is just over an hour from us, and the setting is fantastic. Open air concerts are held in one of the most beautiful piazzas and the acoustics are amazing. Now, in case you did not know, Ringo does do more than just play the drums; he also sings, acts and paints. It will be interesting to hear the old boy performing, he is seventy-eight, bless him! I think it’s great that so many of the oldies are still performing live, so there’s still hope for me being discovered at a late age and being sent off on tour! Rock on I say. Foto La Repubblica. See Ringo’s dates here 
Now, lest we forget, the 25th April was Liberation Day and it should be remembered that there are a lot of Partisans still alive today who can tell you all about the German Occupation. Apparently, we are supposed to say Nazi Occupation these days, strange how things get changed for the sake of the modern lifestyle and the now friendly relationship with Germany. There are some amazingly heroic stories still to be heard about the fight to rid the country of the nasty Nazi’s. My novel ‘The Italian Connection’ includes a bit based on a partisan’s real life experience, my having interviewed a lovely man called Gianfranco in Montespertoli a few years back. Foto La Nazione. Visit my author site at 
Meanwhile, something else being celebrated last week was the 50th anniversary of La Vespa. That iconic scooter that we all loved seeing in the sixties films and still to be seen today weaving in and out of the traffic in the major Italian cities, and whizzing through the country villages at the weekend, often in big convoys! Tourists can also hire bright red ones in Florence and surrounding areas, so I’m told. Did you ever have a Vespa Scooter or were you a Rocker like me, dangerously hanging off the back of 650 motorbikes? Hey ho! Send me some of your Fotos. Foto La Nazione. Visit Vespa’s site at 
And finally, lets end with another beautiful Italian fashion shoot, this time found in La Repubblica magazine. I just love this casual yet sophisticated colourful summer look. And, the models are so enjoying wearing the clothes, which as you know is something I strongly support, not the usual miserable lot many designers employ. Also, the weather here is now warm enough to enjoy having one’s feet back in sandals and flip-flops; wonderful. Visit Oltre’s site at 
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