Hello From Tuscany
Tuesday April 29, 2008
Ciao!
I
can't believe I've already been in Italy
I
am so grateful that the antibiotics kicked in right away and I have not felt as
bad again as I did Friday. On Sunday,
the 12 of us met Kevin, our host and tour guide and we were transported to a
GORGEOUS villa in the Chianti region of Tuscany
Our
Villa Il Leccio was built in the 18th century and has continued to be owned by the original
family line.
Maria Luisa is 62 and she
is the owner and main caretaker of the villa.
Her niece, Elenora, is in her 20's and I gather that she is being
groomed to carry on the family business.
It's almost like living in a castle.
It gets very cold at night. In
the day, we open our windows wide. My
room faces an interior courtyard and the birds’ singing is so loud I awaken at
5. Will have to wear earplugs if I want
to sleep in!
I
have the biggest bathroom of all (imagine that!). :) It
is just beautiful.
The gardens are lush,
there is a swimming pool, and you can see for miles across the
countryside.
The
tennis club is on red clay and is a few miles away from the villa. Roberto was
the instructor of my small group and he is a BEAUTIFUL young
man. I made sure to get a picture with
him first thing before I began sweating like a man (as I do when I play).
We had lots of fun playing yesterday in the
Tuscan sun. Then we went to a tiny
village (population 100) to walk around and take pictures of each other in front
of the little homes and gardens. I got
some great pictures of Irises, Lemon Trees, and Roosters! What a combination. Everywhere I turn it is a treat to the
senses. Just incredibly beautiful.
 |
| Joyce getting her picture taken |
After
that we went back to the villa and had a cooking lesson. We all got aprons. I wore my apron and then I took pictures of
everybody else cooking. HA Ha...it is
just not my thing. But I sure did enjoy
eating the fruits of everyone's labor.
It was by far the best meal I have had here. Everything was fresh from Maria Luisa's
garden except the pork and the pears in wine sauce that we had for
dessert. We ate in what used to be the
stables, which has been closed in. The
table is huge and square and fits all 13 of us.
 |
| Barb is working on Dessert |
 |
| Nicki, Janice and Norma |
 |
| Maria Luisa and Elenora |
 |
| My Favorite Part of our meal |
My
group is a great group. Only one man,
though...he and his girlfriend are from Cape Town
in South Africa UK and then 8 retired ladies
from Chicago
 |
| Seated: Barb, Cathie, Pat, Glory, Joyce, Nancy Standing: Janice, Louise, Alan, Mary Ann, Nancy, and Nicki |
This
morning we went to Greve which is another quaint town with wonderful shops, a leather factory, and
a wine museum. I am in Florence
Sunday
night we had our first meal at the villa.
Afterwards, an artist who hangs out there sometimes began playing the grand piano. He played for over an hour and a half and he knew so many American songs...old show tunes, The Carpenters, many movie songs...a lot from the 70's. We sang along when we knew the words. Isn't that such a picture? Here I am in a villa inTuscany
 |
| Janice, Barb, Joyce, Pat, Norma, Mary Ann, Cathie, Nancy |
 |
| So good! |
Afterwards, an artist who hangs out there sometimes began playing the grand piano. He played for over an hour and a half and he knew so many American songs...old show tunes, The Carpenters, many movie songs...a lot from the 70's. We sang along when we knew the words. Isn't that such a picture? Here I am in a villa in
 |
| Glory, Nancy, and Norma enjoy the music |
If
I had an inkling of what awaited me, I would have been even more excited prior
to the trip. It is beyond my
expectations.
Don't
be frightened about my 500 pictures. I
promise not to force them on you! ha ha
I
will try to write again later in the week.
Ciao,
Janice
Irises, Lemon Trees, and Roosters, you had me at Irises, my favorite flower. As for the cooking class I would of certainly enjoyed that.
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