Welcome and Benvenuti to all my Lovely Followers around the World,
Fresh Tuscan Grapes on my kitchen table. Fot J Finnigan
As we strolled through the carpark in Fiano on Saturday morning the air was full of the sweet smell of crushed grapes and back in our little bit of countryside the cracks in the tarmac outside Villa Bacio were full of wine overflows, you could almost get drunk on the fumes! So yes, the vendemia or grape harvest is almost complete and the new young wines are already being drunk by the locals. What a wonderful, if noisy time of year!
Earlier in the week two copies of that gorgeous magazine Envy Italy arrived. I do like the hard copies, but you can also read it free on-line, so no need to miss out! My beautiful daughter Sharon is joint Editor of this lovely publication, which is full of everything you need to know about the best things that Italy has to offer. The theme is ‘Eat, Stay, Love’ and this Autumn Winter edition has a focus on ‘gourmet’ featuring the finest foods and wines in the Country. Wonderful features too, so go on spoil yourselves! Envy Italy Mag
Meanwhile, Fiano is preparing for the formal celebration of the winning the much coveted banner at the Calambur event a couple of weeks ago! If you woud like to meet the locals and join in the celebrations get your tickets ASAP!
Something else to celebrate here in Italy is the wonderful range of mouth watering cheeses. Italy’s main source of milk for cheesemaking is from the herds of sheep, many are moved across the countryside herded by shepherds from one bit of pasture to another.
They are often assisted by the big gorgeous white Maremmena sheepdogs, easily mistaken for sheep, which certainly fools any predators! The resulting cheese is called Pecorino (Italian for sheep) and is truly delicous ranging form a very soft young version to a very mature hard one. Other cheeses to love include Buffala Mozzarella and the creamy soft Burrata, which I adore, the latter being made from both cow and sheep’s milk, so you woud need to check if avoiding Lactose. Foto petGuide.com
Meanwhile, yesterday Sunday, the weather was lovely and Roberto Manetti, our local sculptor, finally unvieled his lovely sculpture, ‘Le Speranza che Le Mani’, which does not easily translate into English. So perhaps one of my local Italian readers might send me the English version. The sculpture shows three of Roberto’s charming little characters holding hands across a globe, which signifies to me the reaching out in friendship across the world. I love it. Foto J Finnigan
And, the final celebration of the week was Silvio Berlusconi’s 83rd birthday. Well, love him or hate him, he keeps forging on, at the edge of the political scene with his long suffering and much younger fiancé, Francesca Pascale, who was absent from the birthday party in Arcora. How long are you normally a fiancé? It’s been a few years now. I wonder who is postponing the wedding; Silvio, Francesca or Dudu the dog. There are rumours……watch this space!
Well, enough of that already. Time to get this blog off to you lovely people and relax in the sun before lunch.
have a great week and do drop me a line. I love to hear from my readers.
Salute June x
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The Continuing Adventures of Joanna Wilde
Meanwhile, that other great Italian beauty and brilliant actress Sophia Loren, has been celebrating her 85th! Can you believe it? she still scrubs up very well indeed and why not I hear you say. For me Sophia will always be the most iconic Italian actress of all time. She was so good at serious and funny parts, playing opposite the likes of Peter Sellers and Marciello Mastroianni. I have a whole collection of DVD’s and, dare I say, old videos of her films that I will watch again at Christmas! Just noticed in the paper that she accompanied eight-five year old Valentino to his Green Carpet Fashion Award ceremony! Rock on Sophia!
Back in our local village of Fiano, my man and I take our morning coffee and read the newspapers at La Dispensa. By the way, La Dispensa translates to The Larder. An English friend thought it was a little confusing because it sounds like Dispensary, which is normally found in Chemists. So here you are, the true meaning is correct as it is a grocers, butchers and bar combined. Back to yesterday’s paper and I noticed an advert for a new Festive Art Exhibiton at the famous Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. This one I must attend as it brings together the likes of Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso! It starts on 28 September and runs until 12 January. Yes, I know, yet another excuse to have lunch in Florence!
Meanwhile, September is the month for the Annual Slow Travel Fest, which is hugely popular and takes walkers slowly and gently through the Tuscan countryside whilst stopping off for wine and food tastings, Art and Music. What a lovely way to spend three days. Go to 
Roberto Manetti, our lovely sculptor friend and all round nice man, has donated a sculpture to Fiano, but oh no, heavy rain has postponed the unveiling so make sure you are there next Sunday 29 September at 7pm instead! The sculpture will be unveiled in the Communual Gardens behind the apartment block opposite La Dispensa. My man and I visited Roberto’s studios a couple of years ago, his characters seem to be part of their own world of little people and, most of his works have a little dog or cat looking out. I just love them. See next week’s blog for pictures of the actual event!
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