Welcome and Benvenuti to all my Lovely Followers around the World,
I know you will forgive me for starting this blog with an emotional outburst about the state of our roads and bridges. Last week was the great holiday exit to the coast and mountains, so the roads were full of happy Italians heading off for their little bit of paradise, meeting up with family and friends, some never made it……. The loss of so many lovely people with the collapse of the Morandi Bridge is unforgivable. There will be thousands of people counting their blessings, including ourselves, who have driven over the same bridge in the past. We have lived here in Tuscany for fourteen years. The first thing that hit us was the terrible state of the roads. Roadworks and bridge repairs are started and left unfinished, the weeds taking over and years passing before the work is completed; some never finished. We see it every day! Thank you for listening.
Meanwhile, families gather round and support each other, many still on holiday and so help them, they will still enjoy the rest of the time they have on the beach. August is not our most favourite month of the year, but nevertheless, when we sit under our big ash tree and gaze across these Chianti Hills towards San Gimingiano and beyond, where our lovely family lives, we are reminded just how lucky we are.
Other things to celebrate include Our local restaurant, C’era una Volta, which continues to serve up the best Tiramusu in Tuscany,
And, Jam Caffe in Certaldo, which continues to make the best early morning pastries and our lovely local Villagers in Fiano who continue to smile and greet us like we are old friends. Life eeez good, Life eeez now. Fotos J Finnigan
And, some good news for us fashionisti. Autumn fashions are starting to appear in the shops and newspapers. This is my time of year for both the colours and the styles, and as my man and I will be off for a short luxury break on the coast in the near future, its time to check my wardrobe.
I love this outfit in the foto, which I spotted in La Republica. Luisa Spagnoli website is one of my favourite Italian designers. Did I tell you that I have dropped a dress size after I stopped drinking alcohol last January? Living in Tuscany surrounded by vineyards is wonderful, but it can also have its negative effects. No my friends, this does not mean I will never drink a glass of Chianti wine again, but it may be some time before I do! Salute x
And, down in our local town Certaldo, it is time to celebrate that beautiful glossy red onion, with La Sagra della Cipolla, famous for its flavour and uniqueness. I may have mentioned before, but I keep a stock of Certaldo Onion Marmalade in my cupboard; it’s delicious.
So, as you can see, there is a lot to celebrate and be grateful for in beautiful Tuscany.
Have a great week and do drop me a line and/or visit my author site at My site
Salute June x
PS Just sending off my short story & thriller ‘The Man in Black’ for publishing. It will be available to download free, so watch this space!
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!
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