Out the front door of il Patio awaits Jack's steed du jour
View down Casciano di Murlo street, just down the road from il Patio
Our curious neighbor
Stefano, the motorized scourge of Montalcino!
A dead end street although people seem to go there anyway - inhabitants are tired of giving directions!
Montalcino from the fortress gardens
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A Tale of Two in Tuscany
A is for Asciano village of pink and black flags and laundry to match.
B as in Buonconvento where we dined at picnic tables with 400 villagers during a sagra.
C is for the Cortonesi family, our welcoming and gracious hosts.
D is for duomo; Siena’s striper reminds us of licorice and Christmas ribbon candy.
E as in Etruscan whose elegant culture’s remains surface in unexpected places.
F as in formaggio, shavings of pecorino over a salad or paired with a dollop of honey.
G is for gnocchi, slippery with green pesto sauce in the Taverna di Casciano.
H is for horse, our friendly il Patio neighbor, and hilltoppers Cortona, Montepulciano, and proud San Gimignano.
I is for Il Patio, our cozy haven with “ahhhh” patio chairs on which to laze the mornings away.
J is for “just about everything in sight” (preface that with “What we ate:”)
L as in La Taverna di San Giuseppe, Sienese eatery where Jack ate cinghale (wild boar) more than once and where I nibbled warm figs and pancetta, also more than once!
M is for Montalcino with its cobbled streets and glorious panorama, not mention the wine!
N as in noontime salamanders slithering down the roof of il Patio and landing softly on the flagstones.
O is for olio, liquid heaven from Giorgio.
P for Pienza, gem of a papal village and pheasants who scuttled across roads at dawn.
Q for San Quirico whose garden sculptures intrigue and tiny churches delight.
R as in Eros Ramazzotti whose music orchestrated our drives.
S as San Antimo’s abbey and vineyards, Gregorian chants melting into the air.
T is for Torre del Mangia in Siena to whose lofty heights we climbed and climbed. . .
U is for uva, the succulent orbs the grape fairy left on our patio table one morning.
V for Volterra, Etruscan hilltop village of cobbled streets and alabaster shops.
W as in wisps of fog in the morning, dogs barking and hunters’ guns popping.
X is for xylophones for sale at Buonconvento’s market, as well as bras, pots & pans, shoes, funghi, buttons, thread, tassels, mattresses, chickens and Elvis T-shirts.
Y as in Y not go to Tuscany as often as possible??
Z for zzzzzz, refreshing sleep at the end of another day in Paradise.
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