Welcome and Benvenuti to all my Lovely Followers around the World,
After this morning’s fill of SKY and BBC world news, I realise that the only way to treat all this bad news is to concentrate on all the good things in life. Here in our little bit of Tuscany on the edge of the Chianti Hills, the countryside is bathed in morning sunshine. It’s cold and frosty in the shade, but wrap up warm and it’s perfect for a country walk. Then back to light the log fire! Ah, that feels better!
It’s just six days to Christmas and my thoughts turn to our lovely family and friends and organising some video calls. Also, there is much fun in doing some on-line shopping therapy; I’ve just ordered some new leisure wear from Next Italy where they have a huge range of labels on board. My man thought I should go for more colours, rather than my usual black. As he is treating me I have chosen navy, pink and green. I have also noticed some lovely stuff on James Lakeland’s UK site which are made in Italy. Sadly, if I order stuff from the uk I have to pay a heavy import tax now, but hey ho! I just love this really colourful Christmasy retro look frock; if you like it too and are in London you could pop in and buy it whilst the shops remain open! Otherwise go to http://jameslakeland.net
Dare I say it? Yesterday I discovered another hand-made Italian handbag site. All the Italian designers are up there now. This is a godsend if you can’t get out around the shops like you used to! I love this snowy white bag with colourful changeable strap and make-up bag/purse from Elisendra. Well, I hope Father Christmas is reading this! All the presents that I know about are under the tree and it all looks very inviting. http://www.elisendra.com
Oh, I must mention that my man collected his fig and walnut Panettone from Certaldo yesterday and it came in the most delightful box! The packaging here in Italy is wonderful and you are always asked if it is for a gift. Your purchase is then immediately wrapped in colourful paper and bows and place in a luxury carrier bag! No charge.
Well, I hope you’ve got your stock of wine in for the festive period. There’s nothing quite like a warmed bottle of Chianti Classico by the side of the log fire! Put out the cheeseboard and antipasti, pour the wine and away you go! Salute!
OK, time to go and get festive! If we don’t speak again before Christmas do have a wonderful time, stay safe and I’ll see you soon xx
Buon Natale June x
Well, I always say that if you are feeling a little down, buy clothes or better still a new handbag! And, that’s exactly what I did on Thursday. My man felt sorry for me and offered to drive me across to Barberino val D’Elsa and my favourite atelier Colleregio Firenze. I have mentioned this place before; for me it is the ultimate shop for all types of bag, purses, belts and hats. However, I must fill you in with the run-up to buying this, my latest bag, and the importance of understanding how these specialist shops operate. Or don’t as the case may be. Two weeks ago I did the round trip to Barberino and arrived at the shop during opening hours, to find it closed! OK, well things happen, so I decided to ring and check that they were open before going for a second time, this time with my man, and yes the nice lady said she would be there. Guess what, they were closed! So late afternoon I ring again only to find that the nice lady had been waiting at their other shop in Castellina in Chianti; apparently the telephone number goes through to her wherever she is! But no worries, the shop in Barberino would open for us that evening. We arrived and yes the nice owner Francesco, had come up from Florence to open it for us! Thank heavens they had the bag I wanted, otherwise, I would have sunk into a bout of despair. The moral to this story is ‘be very precise.’ If you ring a shop, make sure they know which shop you want to go to, as they may have more than one, If you turn up on spec you may be disappointed. It was all worthwhile, I love my new bag!
Anyway, Last weekend was a pink one. Yes, pink or Rosa in Italiano. Montespertoli and Certaldo were bedecked in pink balloons and flags as it was the first time that the big cycle road race, Giro D’Italia, had passed through in sixteen years. Pink is the colour for this very popular event, the winning cyclist ended up being presented with, yes you guessed it, a pink shirt! There was a lot of excitement being generated in our local village of Fiano, which is half way between the two towns! The Tuscans love a festa and especially if it involves cyclists!
And, this weekend was another celebration, that of Street Food! Certaldo hosted a street food festa over a long weekend in Piazza Boccaccia, which is normally the central carpark. I walked through it on Friday evening and it was heaving with people and children enjoying the fairground type rides. I couldn’t help but notice two tourists who had obviously arrived by train, pulling their cases through the crowd heading for the funiculare, the little cable train which would take them up to the safety of Certaldo Alto, the historical centre. They both looked scared to death! There had also been a train strike that day, which only ended in the early evening! Poor things. But they will love Certaldo Alto!
But enough of that. Life eeez good, life eeez now! back in Fiano and reading the papers over coffee, I notice that a new film is about to be launched simply called Leonardo. You may think that there have been enough films and documentaries made about the great man, but apparently this is not the case. I really enjoyed the Medici films so I will look out for this one too.
OK, where are we? Oh yes, just a little cautionary story. Italy is a very welcoming country and particularly Tuscany. But down in Rome, some not very nice eatery charged two tourists 81 euros for two hamburgers and coffees, which is totally unacceptable. So just beware of the tourist traps!
OK, let’s get it over with. I know that many of you have seen enough snow to last a lifetime and have been dreaming about soaking up the Tuscan Sun. Unfortunately, here in our little bit of Chianti we were not to escape the same deluge of awful weather and it is hard to believe that our view from here just over a week ago looked and felt like Siberia! Now it is much warmer and raining, spring flowers are bursting through and when the first tourists start arriving at the beginning of April, they will find it difficult to imagine how cold and bleak it was in early March. Foto J Finnigan
Anyway, onwards and upwards and to remember just how lucky we are to have the Italian lifestyle of morning coffee and pastries and of course, beautiful handbags. ‘What has handbags got to do with lifestyle?’ I hear you ask. Well, everything actually. Without a beautiful Italian handbag over one’s arm or shoulder, a person would be improperly dressed, even in the local caffè bar!
OK, and so to Italian Fashion. In my last blog I promised to only post Italian fashion worn by happy models. So here for your delight, and mine too, is a beautiful outfit in my perfect colours. The great thing about the internet is that most of the designers can be accessed and purchased on-line these days. As much as I like to go to gorgeous Italian designer shops, time is of the essence. So for this beautiful outfit visit Dixie (pronounced Dixieh) at 
Dio, what to say, what to do about Italian Rugby? Our great team here in Italy has managed to lose six consecutive matches in the Six Nations. Sadly, the only newspaper foto was squeezed into the bottom right of La Nazione sporting pages and hardly noticeable. I do wonder if the lack of investment into the sport here makes a difference. Italy is so orientated towards Football (Calcio) and the children are encouraged to join local teams at an early age. Another interesting fact is that the schools here do not have their own sports fields; Children have to go to outside clubs in the evenings or at the weekend. Siena has a great rugby club where our grandson is playing with the under 18’s. However, the facilities are pretty dire and, for strength reasons, they have recently merged with Arrezzo, which has not proved too successful. But the players remain ever enthusiastic!
Don’t worry, I have not forgotten my hunk of the month. However, having decided to choose the great Sicilian detective, Montalbano, I was devastated to read that he actually gets married in his most recent series! No, I know that should not preclude him as Hunk of the Month, I was just a little bit shaken, that’s all. In fact, even my own heroine, Joanna Wilde, gets married in my latest book ‘The Italian Connection,’ which will not preclude her from continuing to have exciting new adventures!
Well, I’m starting off today with the music scene, here in our lovely bit of Italy. I could write the whole blog and never leave this particular subject, as so much is going on musically. But worry ye not, there is much more to read about below. But I am sure you would want to know that the aging Bob Dylan will be gracing us with his presence on 7th April, appearing at The Nelson Mandela Forum in Florence. I was interested to read that last year he was made Poet Laureate for his song lyrics, unusual choice, but open to discussion. Foto Tour promotions. For details of all his Italian concert dates go to 
Also touring during February and March is the hugely popular gravelly Italian singer, Zucchero. Zucchero translates to sugar, and a very sweet man he is too. His real name is Adelmo Fornaciari and is described as a blues artist who has sold more than sixty million records in his lifetime! At sixty-three he’s still going strong. Foto La Reppublica. Buy tickets at 
Anyway, on a brighter note, I found this gorgeous Sodini handbag in La Reppublica’s weekend magazine. I think it is truly beautiful and it’s so nice to have a relaxed happy model in the picture. Oh, dear, I have just discovered that the brand can be bought in Certaldo, at Magnolia in Via Giugno. What to do? My man will kill me if I buy another handbag! I’ll have to find an excuse somehow! Visit 
Just lately, I have been getting really put off the fashion shows as so many designers use these awful miserable looking models that don’t even seem to be enjoying the clothes they are wearing! Sorry, I just don’t understand it. They may as well just use remote-controlled robots, that would at least be more interesting.
This is also Silvio Berlusconi’s party, which is currently holding third place in the opinion poles. Posters are now appearing on the big metal boards erected a couple of weeks ago. Although we are residents here, we don’t appear to have voting rights. Mind you, I would not have a clue as to who to vote for, but then I felt the same way when we lived in England in the distant past! I’ll keep you posted. Foto La Nazione.
OK, let’s get Mick Jagger sorted, then we can return to what else is happening in Tuscany and further afield in Italy. Mick aged seventy-four, the Stones (or should we say the stoned) and entourage arrived at Pisa airport in their own fast jet, emblazoned with their red lipped logo. In Lucca, just north of Pisa, outside the ancient walls of the city, fifty-six thousand fans roared their approval, whilst clutching probably the most sought after concert tickets of 2017. It seems Mick also made a private visit to see the original statue of David at La Galleria dell’Accedemia prior to the concert and he ate a gelato on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, as did the other English visitor of note this week, Theresa May. Well, that was exciting! Foto La Nazione.
OK, enough of that, what you really want to read about is Italian Fashion, don’t you? Well, you could hardly ignore the fact that we have just had Milan Fashion Week. Now, I take a serious interest in Italian fashion, as you know, and I can honestly say that the most beautiful clothes will not be found there.
Reading the national and local papers every day, I come across many small fashion designers who produce the most gorgeous clothes that are actually wearable! The only well-known name I really like is Prada, particularly for handbags and shoes. So here are a couple of really nice outfits that I found this week. Don’t you just love these Autumn colours? Fotos La Repubblica.
And, as I mentioned Prada handbags, here is a seasonal one to fawn over! Foto La Repubblica.
Meanwhile, back in the glorious Tuscan countryside, we are enjoying a return to lush greenery after lots of rain, cooler weather and sunshine. What a relief. And it is that time of year when the enthusiasts head off on foot or bicycle, for a three-day wine and food Slow Travel Fest. I love this idea and if my little legs were stronger, I would be there with them. It started yesterday, the 22nd from San Gimignano, past Abbadia Isola and Monteriggioni and covers thirty kilometres with fabulous views all the way; you might like to look out for next year’s event! Foto copyright Easyvoyage.
But for me, the real event this week was my plate of pasta with freshly grated Tartufo Bianco (white truffle) over the top. This is food to die for. The pasta is lightly tossed in a little butter and nothing else but the Tartufo is needed. That was Friday evening and Paolo at Ristorante C’era una Volta wasn’t sure if he would have any more this weekend. Well, I think my man and I will pop over for lunch today, just in case! If not, there are plenty of Porcini mushrooms available. Yummy! Foto J Finnigan
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