Impressions of Italy - Part 2
My previous blog, Impressions of Italy - Part 1, finished in Fiesole, a hillside town overlooking Florence.
From there, I headed to a villa in Tuscany, just outside the small town of Barberino Val D'Elsa. This blog will cover half of my second week. While going through the images, it soon became apparent that a third blog would be needed in the series. There was simply too much to include, even in two fairly busy postings.
Before I move on to today's images, I just want to waffle a little about my blogs. When I read over "Part 1", I wasn't entirely happy with it, to be honest. The pics were ok, some I was pleased with, but overall it sounded a little too formal for my tastes. I have been trying to make sure the grammar is current, I keep enough facts and information in there, all that proper stuff. And that's good, but at the same time, I think a little of myself gets lost in the formality. That doesn't seem right; this is my blog; it should reflect me and not try to be some sort of Encyclopedia Britannica. I was even getting Grammarly alerts about "tautologies". I've no idea what a tautology is, and I seriously doubt many people do. So, tautologies be damned, I'm going to roll my own way in this blog and see what comes out of the mix.
(In case you missed it, “my own” in the previous sentence is apparently a tautology. The definition is something like “two different words being repeated to coney the same idea”. There you go, you’ve learned something today. You’re welcome!)
Right then, Barberino Val D'Elsa. A quaint wee town roughly halfway between Florence and Siena and an ideal base for exploring the surrounding area. This was a reasonably sizeable family-and-friends gathering for a special birthday, and the aim was really to avoid major arguments as well as celebrate the occasion. On the whole, it was pretty successful, with maybe a couple of blips. But that's just families, as I'm sure you know. Throw a large group of diverse people into a villa for a week, chuck in crateloads of wine and mix in some tiredness, jetlag, short tempers and strong opinions - then, well, lively discussions ensue. But let's move on to happier aspects. It was only for a week, and there were lots of good times and happy memories.
There was also a wee bit of confusion where, on a day we had planned a group excursion, two buses turned up to take us on tour. I hesitate to point fingers at who was to blame for two large coaches blocking a narrow Tuscan Road, but as the person who had organised the whole trip, I accept that some blame may lie with myself. The solution was easy, though. One bus had arranged lunch, and the other had not. So, off you go, son - on your way - we're taking the lunch bus. Problem solved.
To this day, I've no idea how the mix up happened. I suspect sabotage from another member of the group. But let us not dwell on such things, let us move on to photos, facts and fantasies. The images here all shot on a Canon 5D Mk iii unless Leica is noted.
Well, here it is, the villa that was to be my home for a week. There is an annex out of shot to the left, but this was the main building. A swimming pool at the bottom of the garden added to the beauty of this place. I would very happily go back. (Leica)
A fairly typical view in Tuscany. This was taken on the Leica, looking from Barberino Val D’Elsa towards a neighbouring town.
Now, I simply could not write a blog from Tuscany and not include some food images. Now, I simply could not post food images from Tuscany and not include Bistecca Alla Fiorentina — a thick-cut, char-grilled T-bone steak that is one of the most famous dishes from the region. Well, unless I was a vegetarian. Which I am not. So here it is. Drool at will. This was taken on the Leica, but to be honest, the camera model/lens not ideal for food shots for a variety of technical reasons that I won’t go into here.
Again on the Leica, this was a saffron risotto with crispy ham. Both this dish and the steak were from a local resto in B V D’E. I’m not typing out Barberino Val D’Elsa each time, can’t be bothered with that. For a small local restaurant in a small town, it sure did serve up some delicious food. That was certainly my experience across Tuscany, excellent food at every stop.
Another typical Tuscan view, taken from just by the villa. Pretty sure they are olive trees in the foreground. The landscapes in this area can be breathtakingly beautiful.
When we did finally sort out the bus fiasco, we were taken to Siena, a central Tuscan city noted for its medieval brick buildings and the fan-shaped central square, Piazza del Campo. The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site.
And here is the fan-shaped central square, Piazza del Campo. Apologies for the massive shadow cast by the Cappella di Piazza. It has been there, annoying photographers, since the 14th century. After this snap, I headed up to the alley in the top left of this shot.
And from that very alley mentioned previously, I snapped this one.
The Duomo in Siena lies in a piazza above the Piazza del Campo, a Gothic building filled with artwork by Pisano, Donatello and Michelangelo. Here we see the vaulted ceiling.
From Siena, we headed to San Gimignano, known as the “Town of Fine Towers”. The centre of the town is again a UNESCO world heritage site. Truly beautiful, I visited this place twice and would have happily stayed here for several days.
A typical view in San Gimignano
In the centre of San Gimignano you can find the Gelateria Dondoli and here we see the maestro himself, Sergio. His gelato has won countless awards and global recognition. The range available in the shop includes flavours such as cream with saffron and pine nuts and pink grapefruit with sparkling wine. His gelato is exception and Sergio is often on hand to entertain the queues that form outside his shop. It’s exceptional.
Shot in San Gimignano on the Leica, here we see a group of local lads, with The Don in the centre. I love this shot, one of my favourites from the whole trip.
Tuscan pottery is a popular souvenir item in San Gimignano. Sadly, I had spent all my pocket money on gelato, so was unable to buy any.
Well, that almost finishes this particular blog, and I shall wrap up my “Italy series” in my next ramblings.
I hope that you have enjoyed at least some of this, and before I finish this one with a final image of some food, I apologise for this small section of self-promotion - some of my pictures can be found online in various formats. OK, here we go:
Jigsaws 1,000 piece jigsaws, various images. I have ordered a couple of these myself; they are good quality!
RedBubble Mugs, wall art, stickers and other bits and bobs
Displate Prints on metal
Amazon recommendations My website, with links to recommended Amazon books
OK, that done, one last image for today!
A crostini selection - chicken liver pate, basil pesto and pecorino cheese and something with mushrooms. To be honest, I can’t stand mushrooms. If you want those, fill your boots and no complaints from me. But hands off the chicken pate.
On that happy and belly-filling note, I shall sign off on this particular blog and set about preparing the next one. I wish you all, even the vegetarians and those lusting after the chicken pate crostini, the very best of days!
Stay safe, stay strong, be kind!
Fatman xxx