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| Monte Oliveto Maggiore |
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, particularly for its rather stunning setting high up amongst the olive trees. It was founded in 1313 by the Olivetan order, which is a group of Benedictine monks, named after this location, who were dedicated to restoring simplicity. I felt that the natural setting reflected the humility of this monastic order, but found the red brick exterior of the monastery to be rather characterless and institutional in appearance. However, this was redeemed by a series of faded pale pastel frescoes in the interior cloisters, which relate the life of St Benedict and clearly revealed the artist’s (Luca Signorelli) famous mentor, Piero della Francesca with its colour and architectural, realist style. The stairway leading up to a library was also decorated with beautiful frescoes – ‘The Coronation of Mary’ by Renaissance artist Il Sodoma (1477 – 1549) and ‘Christ’s Deposition from the Cross’ by an unknown artist. The library itself contained an impressively large collection of books (approximately 40,000), many written by the Olivetan monks.
Sant’Antimo, however, was my favourite of these two monasteries with its extreme simplicity that has, not surprisingly, inspired many a poet and painter. It stands on its own in a green valley surrounded by wooded hillside. It is rumoured to have been founded by the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne in 781AD, and the main part of the church was built in 1118 in a very French Romanesque style. In fact it was so quintessentially French that it incited fond memories of our first holiday together, cycling through the Champagne region, when we came across an identical church in a similar humble setting – equally all the more beautiful for its modesty. Inside Sant’Antimo, the honey-coloured alabaster walls echoed monastic plainsong, creating a very spiritual ambiance, which is apparently even more pronounced every Sunday when the monks sing their Gregorian chants during mass. In fact, Sant’Antimo was so inspiring that it became our Christmas card 2011.
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| Collegiata, Lucignano |
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Moving on to architecture: I am fascinated by fortified towns, especially their geometrical lay-out. I thus found the medieval town of Lucignano quite remarkable located on top of a hill built around a series of elliptical concentric rings. We wandered around these curving streets passing by four small piazzas, followed by the Collegiata church whose circular steps reflect the town’s street plan.
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| Piazza del Campo, Siena |
I was most enchanted by
Siena’s cleverly designed Piazza del Campo, when I first visited this beautiful town on a cold frosty new year’s day in the early 90s. I was mesmerised by the vast open semi-circular space, which was practically devoid of people, save a few local Italians (including me and my Italian friends) sitting in the little café-restaurants, which lined the edge of this impressive half-moon shape (incidentally, this was also my first taste of a Cinzano risotto – very warming and quite delicious in its simplicity!).
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| Guidoriccio da Fogliano by Simone Martini |
We, however, managed to find solitude just beyond the city walls, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the beautiful surroundings of a somewhat misplaced garden. It felt and looked private, but the large open gate and occasional fellow-visitor made us realise that it was a well kept secret. We perched on the edge of an old brick wall that lined a path above a well-designed vegetable garden and orchard (somewhat reminiscent of Beatrix Potter’s ‘Peter Rabbit’ books series, albeit the Italian version!). Our lunch was complemented by succulent fresh figs – ‘windfalls’ from the fig tree that we happened to be sitting under. What a perfect find – pleasant tranquility accompanied by my favourite fruit! 
Our holiday ended in the wonderful home of our great Italian friends Chiara and Alessandro. Their house is a typical Tuscan house in the coastal town of Livorno (see video below). We were made to feel most welcome by Chiara and Alessandro Grillo, as well as their two children Maria Vittoria and Nicolas. Just like good old friends, we picked up where we left off and chatted endlessly into the early hours over a wonderful meal, so effortlessly put together by Chiara. We dined in their large garden surrounded by high stone walls; and then enjoyed the comfort of our guest accommodation in their very charming garden house – rather like a miniature version of the main property. Breakfast was, again, en plein air with lots of hot Italian coffee (the Grillo family brand, to boot!), fruit and a delicious selection of cornetti, carefully chosen by Alessandro – just as generous spirited as we remembered him.
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| Livorno
Philip and I realised that we had not seen the Mediterranean Ocean for over fifteen years, so what better a way to spend our day than on the Italian Riviera, or so it felt in Chiara’s family’s private beach side enclosure that was straight out of a Frederico Fellini/Roberto Rossellini movie circa 50/60s!
We later enjoyed a super evening together in a local, family-run trattoria that served excellent rustic fare in a convivial setting; followed by our last breakfast with the Grillo family, the next morning.
We said our fond farewells, but it was not quite over, as Chiara ‘took me down memory lane’ (accompanied by Philip) with a visit to her parents’ house, where I had stayed with her in the early 90s. The beautiful house was just as I remembered it, so typically Italian and elegant in style, within high stone walls joined by a huge wrought iron gate. The manicured geometric gardens were still very much intact, as was the royal palm that stood majestically in the centre of the front garden. I have fond memories of long family meals complete with glasses of Chiara’s father’s own vintage, from the vineyards that stretch beyond the house. We had a fascinating tour around the old wine cellar, which was not just for storage, but complete with press, huge wooden buckets and casks amongst the many other complex pieces of rather antiquarian machinery.
The only thing missing was Chiara’s lovely parents who had made me feel so welcome all those years ago – they were on holiday, so could not be with us on this occasion, but hopefully next time …?
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