Welcome and Benvenuti to all My Lovely Followers around the World,
And, yet another beautiful day in Tuscany!
Yes, it’s Mini-lockdown time here in Italy, so called because it will be short and only up until November 24th. To be honest, I am relieved as things had become far too relaxed. We are back to plan A, exactly the way we survived the last lockdown, only going out for groceries and the chemist (farmacia) when really necessary. We had a delivery of local Chianti Wines yesterday, so that sorts us out for the next couple of months! Also, Senoir schools are mostly closed and it’s a relief to know that our granddaughter will be taking a break from being crammed into school buses every morning! foto The Florentine.
Now if you long to be in Italy but can’t be, I suggest you compensate by doing some on-line Italian classes. I was reading The Florentine magazine yesterday and saw an article about Barbara Livolsi’s Europass Italian Language School in Florence. What a good idea! During this period of Covid-19, she has quote ‘gone beyond any logistical limits and created online courses to be close to foreigners who could not come to Florence.’ My man and I really need an advanced course, despite having been here for sixteen years. We must try and make the time to do this too! http://www.europassitalian.com foto The Florentine.
Meanwhile, I am turning my thoughts towards books for Christmas, it is after all 1st November today! My good friend and writer Rosie Meleady has a new book launch today and it’s based on her move from Ireland to Italy. Rosie is a very amusing and entertaining writer, I think you will enjoy her book; it’s called ‘A Rosie Life in Italy.’ A ROSIE LIFE IN ITALY ON AMAZON
I’ve also just looked at the Book Depository in the UK. I like this site and delivery to Italy has always worked well. They have some beautiful hard-backs that I might well order having just put them on my wish list. http://www.bookdepository.com
Ok, what else? Well, as you know I am not the greatest cook and lockdown does mean cooking everyday! If you love Italian food you should go on-line and watch Judy Witts Francini’s cookery demonstrations. She’s also got a lovely cook book you can buy on-line too. Judy is a friend and neighbour and would normally be doing guided foodie tours, but instead has come up with some really good entertaining live demonstrations. If you are feeling a little brain dead over what to cook, let Judy inspire you! http://www.divinacucina.com
OK, hopefully that’s got you well and truly immersed in things Italian for a while to take your mind off the current crisis.
I love to hear from you, so do drop me a line either by email june.finnigan@virgin.net or leave a comment on this blog! Tell me about your plans for lock-down and what you miss most about Italy!
Have a great week, stay safe and well.
Salute June x
Ps Buy my books for Christmas here http://www.junefinnigan.website
PPs Well done to England for finally winning the Six Nations Rugby Cup!
I am firstly going to take you to Florence as there are two things I want to tell you about. Firstly, have you heard of the Wine Windows? These medieval windows, of which there are more than 150, have re-opened to serve wine to the tourists! This is most appropriate, because back in the late Middle-Ages these windows were created to serve wine to the people of Florence due to the Buconic plague or Black Death, that had swept across Europe, wiping out half of the population! So these windows provided protection for the winery owners whilst at the same time serving the much needed ‘Italian Water’ to the populace. There is actually a society that keeps all the windows registered and looked after. At the following site you can find all the windows and where they are. Fascinating stuff! 
Secondly, I was really taken with the installation of a beautiful sculpture in the famous Boboli Gardens in Florence. It is called simply ‘Give’ and is the creation of Lorenzo Quinnard. Lorenzo had always wanted to have the honour of placing a sculpture in these gardens and he will tell you a lot more about this on his website. I love the fact that an olive tree has been planted in the centre symbolising peace and love. He also made the hands that appeared to be reaching up from the canal in Venice, holding up a building! 
Meanwhile, back in our little bit of the Chianti countryside, I was itching to get down to my sound studio to do a bit of singing. You may recall that my man and I had tried to work out the technical side of things, linking the synthesiser to speakers and mics etc. Well, the good news is, we seem to have it up and running. To make things perfect I need to download backing tracks in the correct key for my voice. Now, you may not be aware that each song will need a different key. My voice is quite low and some songs, designed for men, are OK. But most aren’t. So I was delighted to get an email from ParisMusic this morning telling me they can adjust the keys on downloads without any problems! Hurrah! We have decided to go ahead with next year’s concert on 18 June 2021, with or without an audience. Fingers crossed; I’ll keep you posted!
Anyway, lets bring you down to earth and talk about wasps! Here in Tuscany, this time of year is the busy building of wasp nests (Macro of wasp) and they can be a real problem, trying to set up home in the most inappropriate places! My man found a nest attached to the outside of the kitchen door of the appartment downstairs, where we have the Sound Studio and Gymnasium. So last night around 9pm he donned protective clothes and went down to spray it. Now we hate doing this, but we have both been attacked in the past as they keep a sentry outside just waiting for anyone getting close! I was relieved when my man returned unscathed and this morning confirmed it had worked.
So, what next? Well, we are now overun with tourists, mostly from northern Europe: Poland, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Austria and some French. Most are being strict with their face masks and distancing in our local village of Fiano, but I can’t speak for the more popular tourist hot spots. Meanwhile, the locals are very busy using up the glut of tomatoes to make passatta, including my daughter who has run out of jars and is scrabbling around for more. The countryside is pretty noisy, with constant strimming of the dried grasses and squeaky tractors cutting the meadow hay below our farmhouse. We hear laughter from nearby swimming pools and the cicada’s continue to chirp away. But it is far too hot to stay outside, between 35c and 39c this week. So we batten down the shutters, turn on the air conditioning unit and fans and settle down to work in our studios. But life eeez good, life eeez now.
So is Italy safe? I hear you ask. Yes, it is safe, perhaps less so in the north, just as long as you continue to take those all important precautions: masks, hand cleansing and distancing. Follow the rules! My daughter was in her local town here in Tuscany, trying to go to the farmacia (chemist) and there was a crowd of tourists milling around with no masks and no distancing! She had to shout to be heard when she asked them to give her room to get through! It was so bad that the polizia (police) had to get out a loud hailer and ask them to put on their masks and to spread out! Some people are just ignorant and others, quite frankly, stupid. So it is down to you to remain safe and avoid busy tourist spots if you can! Tuscany is so full of beautiful culture and countryside, it is not difficult to find many quiet and less touristy places to go. The tourist industry is slowly recovering, but you will still find many lovely self-catering properties, like nearby Villa Il Pozzo with vacancies. 
Anyway, enough of that. As I write this blog I am enjoying a delicious breakfast bowl of fresh fruit and some scoops of Mozzarella di Buffala. The peaches are currently to die for, I love this time of year for the fruit and also new potatoes. I have to admit that my man and I do eat out a lot at lunchtime. I find the heat too exhausting to cook. We have an air conditioning unit, but we still need fans as well. So we remain grateful to Paolo at Ristorante C’era una Volta in Lucardo for his coolish dining room.
Well, yesterday, just as the heat was getting to me in my studio, a Luisa Spagnoli email dropped into my inbox announcing a 50% sale! Now, buying directly from an Italian designer, and Luisa Spagnoli is one of my favourites, can be expensive depending on your purse strings of course. So a 50% sale is always something I can’t resist at least scrolling through. Her models are mostly smiley or looking reasonable happy, so that helps too. But, they are very tall! I am your typical English wilting rose, five foot three and short waisted, so I have to be very selective in what I buy. Midi length on me is ankle length, jackets and tops can come down to my knees, which is not the look one really wants to achieve. I have recently managed to buy three frocks on-line from Next and M&S that actually fit and drop to a midi length, which I like. But take a look at Luisa’s sale, if you love beautiful fashion, you will love her sale! 
Back on the subject of food, there is nothing nicer than a big family lunch. It also helps when you have a daughter and granddaughter who love to cook and they arrive at your house with a two course meal ready to serve! All I had to do was lay the table beforehand. This family get together was an extension of my daughter Sharon’s birthday as we did not get to see her on the day. Sharon is the joint editor of EnvyItaly an upmarket luxury travel magazine, which can be downloaded on-line or bought in hard copy form. I absolutely love this publication and if you have not aleady got a subscription, do take a look! 
Yes, it’s yet another Beautiful Day in Tuscany and I’m feeling very chipper. Last thursday I finally returned to my lovely estetista Irene in Certaldo, for a manicure and pedicure. Now in normal times this would not be something to post that was really newsworthy, but when I look at my feet now, it’s like a gift from heaven! For me beautiful hands, feet and hair are so very important. What with my being famous in Fiano, I have to look my best! It’s also to do with that ‘feel good’ factor, which is so important in all our lives. What do you think? Things remain strict here in Italy, you know, masks, hand gels and distancing wherever you go, but this gives me much more confidence about going to these places.
Now whilst this is not strickly about Tuscany, you will probably know that Italians love music and in particular Rock Music. I live in the music world here and many friends are mourning the passing of Peter Green at the young age of seventy-four. He was considered to be one of the UK’s greatest guitarists and was a co-founder of Fleetwood Mac.
On a happier note the world is celebrating the 77th birthday of Mick Jagger, hugely popular with Italians and who always includes Florence or Lucca on the Rolling Stone’s European tours. More are planned for 2021; Rock On that man! The brilliant drawings included for both these guys were done by UK artist Gary Wing, whom I follow on Linked-in. I also own an original of his, not a musician, but my lovely cat Farty Barty who went up to the cat concert in the sky three years ago. Bless him.
Meanwhile, back here in this beautiful part of Tuscany, we are not far from Toscana Resort Castelfalfi, a favourtite haunt of our son-in-law who is a keen golfer. They have opened their new Country Club House and restuarants that look very inviting. I am reliably informed that for people staying there, there are a few things not quite ready yet like the swimming pool and spa centre. However, the re-opening will be welcomed by those who enjoy luxurious facilities and a 27 hole golf course in the most breathtaking Tuscan setting. 
And, what else? Oh yes, on the subject of travelling, I hope you have a passport, because I don’t! If I have to be marooned anywhere, it would be here in Tuscany of course. This is fortunate because, having applied for a new passport last April and being told it was on the way at the end of that month, it never arrived! You may already know that due to the Covid thing, there is a backlog of thousands of UK passports. I only found out a couple of weeks that the secure delivery service given the task of bringing UK passports to Euopean residents, returned a whole batch of passports to London! Meanwhile, Easyjet, in their effort to reward frequent flyers, like my man, made him a member of their exclusive Flight Club. Unfortunately, they stupidly registered me as the member and not him. So when I rang to change a flight free of charge, which is one of the benefits, they said no, we would have to pay £60! So here we are, me with no passport and my man without a decent airline. But we don’t care about that, life eeez good, life eeez now! Here is a picture of my man gazing at the Tuscan countryside and dreaming of returning to the UK, I don’t think!
Welcome and Benvenuti to all my Lovely Followers around the World,
We have developed a liking for Il Bar Querceto, which is an easy walk for us. They serve up the most delicious LavAzza Espresso and you get free biscuits too! You can sit inside, but it is tiny, so for social distancing it is a maximum of four people. The bar is rather beautiful with an inglenook fireplace and wall murals. Over the fireplace is a painting of Oak Leaves from where the name of the bar is derived, The Oak Tree is called Il Querceto in Italian. And, where is this bar? Ah, now that’s our secret, can’t have the place filling up with tourists, now can we? We still pop up to Fiano once or twice a week for coffee but things have yet to return to the easygoing breakfast visits we made every day before lock down. However, there is a lovely new assistant called Ullie, who works from Monday to Friday. She is Austrian and is trying to learn Italian; so we speak in English…..
This last week we made the decision to go to Brico and buy fixed framed mozzie curtains; Tende per Zanzare. We bought three and allowed half an hour for each one as they have to be assembled and cut to size if necessary. Three hours later we had managed to put together one in the kitchen, it was worse that putting together IKEA furniture and the instructions were severly lacking! We worked out the hard way about measuring the opening! What the instructions did not say was to reduce your upright measurement to cater for the plastic foot on the uprights and curtain roll container at the top! Fortunately everything can be cut to size, but what a headache. We have two more windows to do, but we’ll leave them till next weekend! Phew……
Well enough of that. We have been enjoying lunch at least twice a week at Paolo’s, that’s Ristorante C’era una Volta for the uninitiated, and coming away with loads of Zucchini as his vegetable garden is overloaded this year. Our daughter says her sweetcorn are five foot high and she doesn’t know what to do with the huge quantity of tomatoes! There is a limit to the number of bottles of passatta she can fill! So it’s a good year for the Tuscan ortos (vegetable gardens) and the fruit and veg markets too. So, no need to grow my own, I just love it!
So sorry, but unforeseen circumstances prevented me from blogging last weekend. But you’re not forgotten and here is a beautiful picture of the discarded husk of the reborn Cicada! We found lots on our garden bench this last week. Enjoy and I’ll be back this coming weekend.
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