When I was six months old my parents moved to Tuscany for work. I lived in the province of Florence, and then of Siena, for over six years before returning home, to Imola. Since then, and almost thirty years have passed, I had only been back to those places in passing, and never to see again the farms where I had lived. In 2007, after so much postponing, the decision to devote a little time to remembering my childhood
Day 120 Jul 2007
To the Islands
We leave Imola on Friday morning, a little early. We avoid the motorway and reach Tuscany via the via Montanara, from Fiorenzuola, then Barberino del Mugello and Florence. We cross the provincial capital and then head towards Isola and Olena, near Poggibonsi, where I lived from 1971 to 1974. The farm is still there, it just seems dustier and more ramshackle. But it's exactly as I remembered it, including the driveway lined with olive trees. Once this first nostalgic visit is over, we set off again towards Greve, where we have found accommodation in a beautiful b&b.
Volterra, how hot...
Day 221 Jul 2007
In Chianti
The next morning, and it's hot right from the start, we leave early even though the night before in San Donato we ate and drank far too much. Our first stop is Castellina, then we go to San Gimignano, Volterra and Monteriggioni, where we spend our whole day. In the evening we have dinner in Greve, at a pizzeria, to follow the reasoning of an American journalist who is a "friend" of mine. Good, but next time we'll take him to a restaurant of our choosing.
Monastero d'Ombrone, my second home has become inaccessible
Day 322 Jul 2007
Siena and the Monastery
It keeps getting hotter, but we move even further from home, heading towards Monastero d'Ombrone, in the Siena area, where I lived from 1974 to 1978. We find it, even though it's a bit tucked away, but we can't see anything of the circular monastery, the courtyard with the well, the small village below, the house where the old farmer's wife always cooked me breaded fried chicken. It has become a luxury farmhouse, and it's all closed up. The visit is quick and leaves us time for a stop in Siena, before setting off again towards home. One last stop at San Pellegrino to eat the diabolical ficattola, then home.
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