Welcome and Benvenuti to all my Lovely Followers around the World,
Firstly, we were really delighted to see the arrival of a community Drinking Water Fountain/dispenser in Fiano, our local village. I am so very pleased because if this is happening in all the communities, then Italy is already making a massive leap towards reducing the plastic bottle problem. Tap water in Italy has always been a little suspect, so the demand for bottled water has been enormous. Now we can just refill our existing bottles with fresh still water absolutely free! In the picture is Milko demonstrating how to use a plastic card, which you can purchase from his Cartalibreria next to the Fountain, should you want the chilled or fizzy variety. The cost for these is only a few centesimi per litre. Brilliant! Foto J Finnigan.
Equally exciting is the arrival of the new red wines which many Italians like to drink young, not aged. This year the grapes are very healthy and the harvest is expected to be an excellent one. It is a time of celebration.
Meanwhile, Fiano is gearing up for Il Calambur and the big annual dinner will be held in Piazza Gasparri this evening. This then marks the run-up to the Calambur contest itself, which will be held in Certaldo on Sunday 16th September. The contest involves the five teams of the Commune di Certaldo wearing medieval outfits, who compete to win the coveted banner. Fiano’s team is all in red and is called Le Fonti. The contest involves all kinds of races and intelligence tests. It’s all sooo exciting! Visit the website for lot’s of colourful pictures from last year. Website
Meanwhile, I spotted this gorgeous jacket in La Repubblica as I was enjoying my coffee in La Dispensa this morning. I know, I do go on a bit about fashion and particularly those modelled by happy models. And, yes, Luisa Spagnoli has done it again with a jacket you could wear smart or with jeans & T-shirt. OK, she is not cheap but in my view something like this is timeless and therefore a very good investment. website
OK, enough all ready. Next week I hope to have found my September Hunk of the Month and more Autumn Fashion colours for you to drool over.
Oh dear, I nearly forgot! My man’s new Man Bag, which we purchased in Barbarino Val D’Elsa last Thursday, is really beautiful. Hand-made (fatto a mano) and it fits his apple lap-top perfectly. So he’ll be swanning around London posing in his hand-made shoes, bespoke suit and his new bag casually slung over his shoulder! Don’t you just love him? I do.
Well, must go and organise Sunday lunch. My man wants to cook today, which means starting early and finishing late, as he has to weigh everything due to his lack of experience in the Kitchen. He has just told me, the lack of experience is nothing to do with it, he just likes to be ‘properly organised.’ Does your partner cook? I resort to restuarants as often as possible……
Have a great week and do drop me a line, I love to hear from you. Salute June x
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Firstly, just to remind you that my Short Thriller story can still be downloaded absolutely free of charge from any Amazon site around the world, or directly from my site at 
In the countryside, the Vendemmia (grape harvest) is underway; the white grapes are already in and the red harvest is just starting. And, droves of tourists are arriving to enjoy watching and being part of the harvest. Many are taking organised vineyard treks that take wine lovers through miles of picturesque vineyards, stopping off for the odd tasting here and there. A very productive and satisfying time of year.
Oh yes, I really must tell you about the discovery of a Leather Atelier in Barbarino Val D’Elsa near Tavernelle. I was out and about with my visiting sister-in-law yesterday and went to the town, because I had seen an Artisan market advertised. The town is a tiny hilltop place, beautiful and old, but little to offer in the way of restaurants or caffè bars. But then we discovered the shop Colleregio (Firenze) owned by Francesco Bojola! Well, you know what I am like with handbags, so you can imagine how I felt when we walked through the door. Everything was handmade and beautiful, no rubbish there, oh no, and the prices reflect this of course. To me a handbag bought from a place like this is an investment. It also occurred to me that this was the ideal place to bring my man who has his Italian shoes and suits hand-made, and he really needed a smart shoulder bag to carry his Apple Mac and stuff whilst in London. So we took the man in this morning and he was impressed. The lovely owner, Francesco, will have just what is needed brought over from his other shop on Thursday, so watch this space! Foto from their brochure. Website 
And so to the beautiful month of September in Tuscany. As if by magic, with the arrival of the new month, the weather changed from hot and humid to sunny and fresh with the odd shower, overnight. Although not really autumn yet, I do love this season for the weather, the return to normality and the fashions. It is also the time for new wine and the run up to the Olive Harvest, which will be in full swing come October. Wonderful. Foto – our September garden – J Finnigan.
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
I love this outfit in the foto, which I spotted in La Republica. Luisa Spagnoli 
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