to freedom … to exploration … to adventure … to life …
preface The impulse decision I made to leave my home, my country and all the beautiful people in my life came at a time when I was less than happy and becoming increasingly restless within the life that I had found myself in. I needed a change and I needed to change, so I decided to take the biggest leap of my life and set myself free into the unknown world. I bought myself a ticket to Italy, found myself a job, packed up my life and left. Just like that. I didn’t question my decision; I just knew it was something I had to do. I could not have predicted what transformations the journey I was about to embark on would take me through. It is only now, as I return to Tuscany again, for a second summer that I can fully grasp and understand the change that I have been through. I have included here some of my memoirs, personal diary entries, emails that I sent home to my loved ones, poems that I wrote along the way, travelling bits and pieces and also some words about each of the months that passed me by in beautiful Tuscany. Enjoy ‌
For all those beautiful hearts and souls that I have had with me every step of the way. And to those that I had the pleasure of meeting along the way, these words are dedicated to you, to freedom and the joy that comes with stepping onto new territory and exploring this beautiful earth and the adventures and experiences that ensue. May your lives be as rich and colourful as mine has been.
contents The Explorer within
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Listening to your heart
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Leaving the mother land Thoughts on Rome
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Bella Toscana
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MARCH
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The Tuscany Experience—Part 1
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The Tuscany Experience—Part 2
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APRIL
31
Homesickness ...
37
The Tuscany Experience—Part 3
39
MAY The Tuscany Experience—Part 4
42 45
JUNE
48
JULY
50
The Tuscany Experience—Part 5
51
Thoughts on Venice
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AUGUST A few words on travelling SEPTEMBER The Tuscany Experience—Part 6 OCTOBER The Tuscany Experience—Part 7
63 64 64 65 72 73
There were sounds in my head little voices whispering that I should go and this should end And I found myself listening I wanted answers to these questions in my head Off to learn about who I really am Who I was before Who I want to be I want to dance the tango with chance To say goodbye for a while Off to explore every boundary and every door
The Explorer within The notion of becoming a traveller wasn’t new to me, I suspect I was born a traveller, I was simply just continuing the journey as a traveller and broadening my horizons. And even though the decision to leave Australia and go travelling was made on an impulse and for most people, it was a surprise which came out of nowhere, for me, it was a deep desire which I had been harbouring ever since I was a very small child. I had always had a strong affinity with Europe and in particular Italy. I felt as if part of me belonged in Italy and that when I travelled there, to some degree I would feel as if I was going home.
........................ The desire to see this country was overwhelming; now that it is satisfied, friends and motherland are beloved to me again and the return desirable. There begins, one might say, a new life when one sees with ones own eyes the whole which one knows by parts in their heart. Everything is as I imagined and everything is new. ........................ Setting off to explore another country, I set off to see what was beyond my own skies; cultures, geographies, languages. For who am I in these new places? ........................ “How can you be and not be me?”—It’s a lifetime quest, finding out who “the other” is, and how life is lived outside your own skin and thoughts. ........................ If you spend long enough in a place, you can begin to settle in. You can live in a house with the rich history of lives lived before you, attend a church service, buy figs and cheese from the local stores, sit in cafes and watch as the life of a place opens up to you. The deeper you look the stranger the people become, because they are like you and they are not. ........................ 12th June 2008 7
IN THE DEEP Thought you had all the answers to rest your head upon Something happens Don’t see it coming You can’t stop yourself And now you’re out there swimming In the deep Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles Until you … let go Until you shed your pride and climb to heaven and you throw yourself off If you want to be given everything Give everything up
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Listening to your heart January 10th 2008
Australia
I have decided to go overseas ‌ As soon as I made the decision and really committed to it in my mind I felt nothing but relief. It was like I could breathe again. I had no idea I was so frustrated by my life and now all I feel is happiness, excitement and freedom. I am finally setting myself free from all of my responsibilities and taking the biggest leap of faith of my life. I am going to go and explore this beautiful world. First stop Italy!!
February 21st 2008
Byron Bay, Australia
So I have just closed another chapter of my life and I am about to start another one. I am moving to Italy! I am finally doing it ‌ following my heart and going to a place that feels so much like home.
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Making the decision to leave was made more out of frustration and an increasing restlessness that had started to infiltrate my life. It wasn’t until my brother was involved in a major motorbike accident that I realised I wasn’t going to be able to take much more of the rollercoaster and nightmare that seemed to continually be haunting my life. I began to feel the weight of the world on my shoulders and the ‘rock’ that I had become for everyone around me started to crumble. Not even my work could distract me from my world now. My thoughts turned to leaving it all behind and setting myself free. I found myself listening more and more to my heart than my head and all my heart was telling me was to run, to go, to be free, to explore and to have fun. I had reached the end of my tether and I started to realise that I couldn’t take much more from what life was dishing out to me and that I needed to set myself free so I could start to focus on myself and relieve myself from all of my responsibilities and expectations. But time continued to slide by and it wasn’t until my 24th birthday that I could sense that a change was needed. The desire to travel was getting stronger and stronger, to the point of not being able to deny it any longer. But I still had no idea how I was going to make it happen and how I was going to achieve that goal. I think I was secretly hoping that something would happen to give me a reason to stay in Australia, so I didn’t feel like I had to run from my life. I was also still very concerned about my sister and especially my brother after all of the traumatic events that we had been through in the previous 6 months. I took a long drive to Arthur’s Seat and Red Hill after work one night as I often did when I needed to think and escape into my own thoughts. As I drove I weighed up the pros and cons of leaving and thought about what I would be leaving behind if I decided to go. I think mostly what I thought about was what was actually keeping me in Australia and after some serious thought I decided that what was actually keeping me in Australia weren’t good enough reasons to stay and that the opportunities I had created here could be created again if I so desired. I drove home from watching the sunset at Arthur’s Seat that night with the decision made, I was leaving. I already knew where I wanted to go, I just had to work out how I was going to make it happen.
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Immediately after making the decision to leave, all I felt was tremendous relief and excitement. I slept deeply that night for the first time in 18 months and when I woke up the next morning I realised that I didn’t feel frustrated or anger towards anything anymore. I had no idea that I had become so frustrated and angry with my life. I was frustrated that no matter how hard I worked at something I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere with it and on occasions actually felt like I was sliding backwards. One week I would go from having 10 patients to the next week only having one. I just didn’t understand the pattern and I was getting both incredibly frustrated and impatient with it all. I was angry at my parents for handling their separation so badly, I was angry at Jess for leaving me, I was angry at myself for not being able to cope and deal with it all and letting it get in the way of my work. Unfortunately I wanted everything to work so desperately that there was no way that it was actually going to succeed. Basically I wasn’t happy anymore, but that morning when I woke up and realised that I had made the decision to leave and I was going travelling all I could feel was excitement. The weight of the world completely lifted from my shoulders and I felt the first fluttering feelings of freedom. I now had a new focus and this time it was the focus that I had chosen and that I wanted for my life. It was part of my ‘plan!’ and it was what my heart desired.
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Listening to my heart As I travel down this road Watching the signs as I go Think I’ll follow my heart It’s a very good place to start Begin travelling down my own road It’s the only way to go
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Leaving the mother land Saying my goodbyes at the airport, I stood before the infamous glass double doors with my sister, my Dad, my best friend from university and my Dad’s new partner. I had been dreading this moment for weeks and weeks and to this day, I can still feel the physical pain I felt as I held my sister and cried with her as I said goodbye. The sense of gratitude I felt for my Dad as I hugged him one last time and the sadness and uncertainty that overwhelmed me as I walked through those doors.
SETTING OFF TO EXPLORE Setting off to explore another land An unknown world to me I set off to see what was beyond these skies of mine To absorb cultures, experiences and languages For who am I in these new places? And what part of me comes out in them? Change me!! Change me into something that I am! The transforming experience A part of the quest of travelling Travel reinforces the primitive urge to bring the unknown into the known We wander for distraction but we travel for fulfilment and never forget that the only way to catch a train is to miss the one before it
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Tuesday 4th March 2008 Well my journey has begun! I have left my home land and ventured off into the world. My first night spent on international soil in Japan. What a day of firsts. First time using my passport, my first international stamp, first international flight, first time using international currency, first time crossing the equator! I can’t believe I have done it. I’m actually free! What an adventure I am about to begin. I can’t wait to get to Rome; to touch Italian soil, to finally be in Europe. I wonder if I will like it? I can’t believe I have said goodbye to every single person that I know. Leaving my family was the hardest thing I have ever had to do and it still hurts to think about it. I think it is sinking in that I won’t be able to just see Steph and Dave and give them a big hug and hang out with them. I am already missing them. My flight was great today. I got the window seat. Yay! I am beginning to realise that some of the uncertainty that comes with travelling is what makes it so exciting. Not knowing what is coming next, where to go, how to speak the language and not being understood, feeling completely alone and out of your comfort zone is what makes it so rewarding in the end. Challenging but exciting. I think I am beginning to realise that I am more capable than I realised. Its easy to meet people while your travelling. I am going to miss Australia. I think I already am. It is such a beautiful country and I already know that it is the best place on the planet to live. But I want to explore the unknown, what is out there? What makes up the rest of this earth and what makes me so Australian and different to the rest? I am not sure what is there for me in Australia at the moment. I am hoping to start a life in Europe and find happiness there somewhere. I am ready for a new life, a new Kim, a new conscious. I want to change, not because I don’t like who I am, but because I want to be more and new. My mind is definitely ready to be expanded. So here’s to my first day as a traveller. Day one of who knows how many. Here I come Italy!
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Wednesday 5th March 2008
Tokyo Airport
Woke up at 9:30am (Australian Time) which is actually 7:30am in Japan … bliss!! an extra 2 hours! Buffet breakfast this morning was interesting … was happy to find a fresh banana! Caught the shuttle bus into down town Narita. It is a very small airport town really. I found the temple and surrounding gardens … beautiful. I saw the first of the cherry blossom. The temple was amazing. So peaceful. I’m not sure if I have ever entered a religious building quite like it. It’s the little things that are making this trip so beautiful, from the ice that formed on my aeroplane window , to the first person who ever said ‘koninchiwa’ to me, to seeing my first Japanese cherry blossom and the massive granite steps up to the temple. Everyone seems so nice in Japan, everyone is always smiling and they are very helpful and so so efficient. Its great! I like Japan. It is true, that the people do walk around with face masks on, Michael Jackson style! There were a group of young school kids at the temple today and they were all wearing beret’s, it was so cute. Met a couple from Canberra at the hotel, they are on the same flight. They are trekking from the base of the Swiss Alps to Rome! Amazing! About to board the plane to Rome. Italian Soil! YAY!
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The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Wednesday 5th March 2008
ROME!
Raining, Cold and Beautiful! It is about midnight in Rome and I’ve arrived! Im in Italy! I can’t believe it. It doesn’t seem to be sinking in. Im so tired, exhausted and kind of vagued out. I guess it’s the jetlag. I wasn’t going to write but I decided that I couldn’t let such a momentous night go by without documenting it. My first night in Italy. Flew with Alitalia from Tokyo to Rome, almost 13 hours. I seemed to catch one of the flight attendants eye and received special attention throughout the flight, much to the disgust of the man sitting in the same row as me. Cream proffitour rolls and all. Again I got the window seat and was able to watch as we chased the sun around the world. Constant sunrise which made the sky light up with pink and orange hues for hours until we finally caught up with it and turned it into our own backward sunset. The lovely couple (Keith and Jill) from Canberra I met at the hotel travelled with me and we became friends along the way. They were great to catch the train into Rome with. I am staying in my first ever hostel tonight. It’s the YMCA, females only Hostel. I have a single room with bathroom, €50. looking forward to exploring Rome a little tomorrow morning before catching the train to Florence. Opened my window with shutters and cried tears of joy, as the cold air rushed in over me. Im finally in Italy! I did it!
The Tiber river, running through the heart of Rome The Coloseum is visible in the distance at the top 16
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Thursday 6th March 2008 Woke up this morning in Rome! Still not sinking in. Walked out of the hostel this morning to find that the local traders had set up market in our street. I wondered the streets of Rome in search of the Colosseum. Peak hour traffic, absolutely manic, chaos! You can’t work out the direction of roads, the footpath from the roads. Everyone uses their horn and seeing a system of driving on the opposite side to what I am used to is so weird. Feels like my senses are being overloaded by how different everything is here. It’s raining again and I am asked about 100 times if I would like to buy an umbrella by the pestering men standing on the streets trying to sell them to you. ‘No Grazie” has been well practiced this morning! I found the Colosseum and the Roman ruins…. but I don’t quite understand it. It’s not as beautiful as I imagined it to be and I don’t seem to be able to grasp the magnitude of it all. This is the oldest building I have ever seen in my 24 years and I can’t get my head around that. What was its significance, its purpose, and if it’s so old and important, why have the Italians built a road right next to and all around it? Do they not care for this major attraction in their eternal city? I don’t understand! Everything is old here, even the pavements, the lamp posts, the roofs and shutters on all the buildings. Statues are everywhere, as is marble and stone, yet it’s not as beautiful as I thought I would be. Its not disappointing but I definitely feel as if I am in a Capital City. Fast, dirty, chaotic, beggars, homeless, everyone smokes and everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere. None of the sights or signs have information and its hard to understand exactly what your looking at. There is quite a lot of English speaking Italians which has been good considering how fast the Italians speak. I have no hope of understanding them. I am beginning to understand the significance of language and the barriers it can put between people. I leave Australia feeling that people don’t understand me and arrive in a country were it may be a very long time before I can even speak with them to be understood. I am at square 1! And maybe that’s a good thing, as it will give me time to work out who I am first. I am so happy that Verity and Simon speak English.
The Coloseum (Flavian Amphitheatre) in Rome 17
I am so glad I’m headed to the country. One night in Rome was enough for me. I want to be a country girl for a while. I need to feel the peace and quiet for a while. I need to have space to think and heal, to let the countryside wash over me, to be able to roam for hours and get dirty, to sit on the grass and pick flowers, to garden and to plant. To see the sky and watch the sun, to feel its rays and to experience the cold! I am currently on a train, ES, fast train! On my way to Florence. In 40 minutes I will meet my new family! Goodbye Rome … Hello Florence and Tuscany!
Thoughts on Rome All the buildings are beautifully coloured; yellow, pink or terracotta. There are apartment blocks everywhere, with ruins just thrown into the mix. The Street names are etched into the stone walls and all the streets are made out of the most amazing stone blocks. There are old bay leaf trees everywhere around the ruins. Every window seems to have shutters. Its exactly as George Negus described it … full of contradictions. Fast and slow, new and old (very old!)
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bella toscana Thursday 6th March 2008
Patrignone, Tuscany!
So much to write, but I am so tired. I will write tomorrow. My first full day in Tuscany! Yay! Off to bed for me.
Friday 7th March 2008
Patrignone, Tuscany
Its 6:30am and I’ve awoken to snow!! I peered out of my crochet curtained windows to get a glimpse of my first Tuscan sunrise and to my surprise and delight all I see is a blanket of white snow covering the countryside and Villa. The Villa looks beautiful with its stone brick work and snow covered terracotta tiles. The view up to the neighbouring villa is a scene of grapevine rows now completely blanketed by snow. All of the spring blossom and new spring shoots look so beautiful and innocent against the snow. My first full day in Tuscany and it has snowed. I would never have imagined it this way. Another day of firsts I am sure. It’s like I have been renewed and reborn here. Writing in this journal has been an unexpected pleasure. Somehow my need to write and the flow of words seems effortless. I’m eager to witness a true spring day, but who could ever complain about this beautiful unexpected snow. It is still winter here in Italy as they follow the soltices. Simon informs me that spring won’t officially be here until March the 21st. So I still have a few winter days left. Im looking out my bathroom window as I write this and I half expect to see some deer to be grazing in amongst the olive trees down beyond the blossom trees.
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The villa
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
MARCH The villa from the drive
The first sunset I saw here from the villa
That is the view of our villa from the vineyards from our neighbours place. you can see all the olive trees around the villa and the other neighbours up on the hill
The sudden pink and white blossoms are swaying nonchalantly in the winds of the unpredictable March. The colours of the warmer months start to emerge and they are such a welcome surprise after the drawn out winter. There are definitely some warmer days and the first daisies and violets have pushed their way up through the grasses to survey the setting. Although the table is still dependent on the winter fresh produce, there is the welcome and exciting arrival of green garlic and asparagus. There is the air of a treasure hunt as people roam the countryside and make their way back to their cars with their hands full of the long thin stalks of the first wild asparagus. Sitting on the terrace, the swarms of bees crowd your ears with their gentle yet frantic hum. The lizards start to emerge and soak up the warm sun rays and then hide again as the sun disappears behind the moving clouds. The first of the wild flowers start to fill the fields and the new grass is sprouting and painting the fields a luminous green colour. The olive and fruit trees are still bearing but you can sense a change, the frosts are fewer and the sun is warmer. The ever faithful rosemary is in beautiful flower coating the garden with its blue flowers and distinctive scent. There is still the unexpected sprinkle of snow found in the morning when drawing the curtains. There are lots of beautiful white fluffy clouds and the gentle cool breeze that wafts in and ruffles the branches of the olive trees. The hunters have gone and the rare sighting of a wild deer is no longer frightening with the knowledge that there will not be a hunter stalking in the shadows. Coats are still a necessity although the gloves and beanies can be tentatively left behind.
Saturday 8th March 2008
Patrignone, Tuscany
I tasted my first Patrignone Tuscan olive oil today. It is amazing. So flavoursome and rich. It is a magnificent green colour, which apparently is one of the telling signs of good quality olive oil.
Sam and Simon
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The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
The Tuscany Experience—Part 1
My first day in Rome, exploring the Roman ruins and the Colosseom, as you can see, cold and miserable weather!
Sunday 9th March 2008 Im in Italy! I made it safe and sound. Both of my flights went really well. I arrived in Rome and had my UK passport stamped for the first time! Woohoo! I caught the express train from the airport into the central station in Rome, walked outside the station and caught my first glimpses of Rome through the rain. It was about 10pm at night and all the beggars were out and I was asked by merchants about 100 times if I would like to buy an umbrella. I found a great hostel to stay in. My first night in Rome! I hit the pavement just outside my hostel in the morning to find that the local market was being set up in our street. Peak hour in Rome is crazy! I nearly got hit a couple of times on the footpath. And people just use their horns constantly. I found the Colosseum and all the Roman ruins which were amazing and then I headed back to the train station to catch the fast train to Florence. The family are all that I hoped for. They are great and Sam (now 16 months) is so cute and playful. He is a little unsure of me at the moment and I think it will take a few weeks for him to really get used to me as he is very much a mummy’s boy. But I am getting lots of smiles and we have been playing lots of crawling races around the table which he loves. He took his first few steps on his own yesterday so I’m sure it won’t be long before he is running around on his own with me no doubt guarding his head from the corners of tables and things. Harvey is like a dream, he is so intelligent and so polite. We have been getting along great, playing lots of card games and origami that I had bought him from Japan. I’m looking forward to the weather clearing up so we can go outside and play. I still haven’t had a good look around the property and I’m looking forward to exploring it all. The Villa is incredible. Harvey chose a room for me next to his so we can be room mates. The Villa is like a maze. There are rooms and apartments everywhere but they are all hidden and completely separate although all part of the same building. The main villa has 7 bedrooms all with bathrooms and there are studies, lofts, cellars, kitchens and terraces coming off from everywhere hidden into the stone work. It’s amazing and so beautiful.
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The local market that was in my street in Rome
Harvey and Verity helping Sam take his first steps
Sam and I
This is the oriental room in the Villa (all the rooms have special names). This was my old bedroom before I moved into herby cottage
Harvey, Verity and Sam walking down the drive from picking harvey up at the bus stop
Sam on the swing
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Verity and Simon are great. Simon works really hard as there is so much to do before guests start to arrive. Verity and I have been getting to know each other and I think we are going to get along great. They are a really laid back couple and we just chat away about anything and everything. Simon’s mum, Carla also arrived the same day that I did. She is such a character. She has property all over the world and just jets into whatever country she feels like being in at any given time. I think she is enjoying her new found freedom after handing the Villa over to Verity and Simon. On my first morning at Patrignone, I went to my window in the morning to see if I could get a glimpse of my first Tuscan sunrise as my bedroom window faces east, and all I could see was snow. All the fields of olive grove, surrounding hills and terracotta tiles on the Villa were all covered in snow. Italy follows the solstices, so winter doesn’t officially finish until the 21st of March. It’s so great to have an open fire going all day and to curl up in bed at night under masses of beautiful old quilts and blankets.
View from the pool on a cold grey day
View of the villa from the pool. No shortage of rosemary here!!
Poppies are everywhere in the olive fields
Guess what? We are getting a puppy! The builder’s dog has just had Labrador cross puppies. Harvey has chosen a blonde female, which apparently is just like its mum. He wants to call it Joan! Much to Simon’s disgust. The puppies have just opened their eyes and we have been getting lots of updates about them so hopefully we will be able to bring her home in about 4 weeks. Most of the guests start to arrive in May although there are a few sprinkled in March and April. And we have a big wedding happening at the property in June which is going to be crazy. Simon and Verity have asked me if I would like to offer massage to all of the guests so I can earn some extra cash, which is going to be great. The food here is amazing and I tasted my first Tuscan olive oil yesterday. Nothing like you have ever tasted before. It’s a magnificent green colour and so rich and flavoursome. Harvey and I are looking forward to our first trip into town because the gelataria has just reopened and we both can’t wait to taste it. I could write for hours about this place because it is so amazing. I hope you are all well and I promise to try and get to the computer more often so I can send some photos and more emails. I’m hoping to get my mobile sorted out soon so I can text and call you all. Take care Much love Kim x 22
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Monday 10th March 2008
View from the top of the drive
Patrignone, Tuscany
I finally feel normal again. My body clock has finally worked itself out and I am now running on Italian time! I have been so tired and I’m not sure if it is because of the healing powers of this place or if it was just because I was so tired from the stress of getting here and saying all of my goodbyes.
Thursday 13th March 2008
Patrignone, Tuscany
Well, I have now been here for one week, but I feel like I have been here for months. I can’t believe how well I have settled in. I feel part of the family already. I have completely fallen in love with little Sam and Harvey and I get on great. I am sure we will be great friends for a long time to come. This place is just so incredible. It just keeps amazing me. The sun came out today and I have been watching the sunsets over the last few days and they are just amazing! I didn’t want to speak too soon but being here seems to have cured my insomnia. I have no problems getting to sleep now and I’m not sure if it’s because I am happier here or if it’s just because I am not as stressed. I feel as if I am healing in a way. What has been confronting though, have been my dreams. My dreams have been so vivid. I have dreamt of Jess, Mum and mostly of things and people in Australia. I guess it’s all stuff that I need to process and I need to work through as part of the healing process. I now understand why I needed to come here I think. This place is opening me up to my future. Being here is helping me work out what I really want. I am loving every aspect of being involved in the running of the Villa. Being here before Verity and Simon open up to guests for the first time, is giving me such an insight into how to run a place like this. Invaluable knowledge for me, as I develop the idea of running my very own health retreat. The dilemma I am faced with is where in the world I want to develop and open the health retreat. Hmmm. We will see where I land up I guess …
As you come up the drive this is what you see. The little door on the left used to be the old bakery (forno) but is now a one bedroom apartment which we have called forno and the arch doors lead into the main courtyard
The archway to the courtyard which is dated back to 1440!! And the steps leading up to the apartment called caminetto
The courtyard with the steps leading up to caminetto
The door into forno (one bedroom apartment)
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The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Friday 14th March 2008
Patrignone, Tuscany
I am realising that being here away from Australia is giving me such perspective on the world. I can feel my mind expanding. My head is going crazy with many thoughts of Australia, relationships, what is next for me, my future, what the past has meant and what life is all about! A bit full on really! Sam and I went for a wander yesterday. We explored the westerly olive groves and while we were standing there we heard the midday bell towers ringing. It can be so silent here. All you hear are the birds, the distant tractors doing work in the fields and the bell towers. I feel like I could write a book here and maybe I will. I could write a book about the many different chapters of my life, my experiences of being an au pair or the beauty of Tuscany. I love how vines grow on houses. A house isn’t complete until it is part of the earth as well. That is why I love stone houses so much. I am having my first Italian Ragu today for lunch. Carla has cooked us her version of Ragu, which is what we call bolognaise in Australia. And we are getting a puppy soon!! A little Labrador cross from one of the builders here. Harvey has already chosen a blonde female from the litter and wants to call her Joan. Much to Simon’s disapproving taste. I am so looking forward to having a puppy to play with. I think that being here has helped me to accept that things do change as part of life and that relationships change and not to hold on to things too much. Just to take things as they are at the time. You can’t hold on to everything so tightly.
The hilly land of the Orcia valley in Tuscany, shaded by the slender silhouettes of cypress trees 24
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
CHANGING OF THE TIDES Things change The twists and turns Life is full of bumps Released from my bubble My perfect, rose-tinted life Nothing ever stays the same Life is full of uncertainty Not everything can be controlled Adaptation is the key to evolution and survival See, the earth evolves and we evolve with it So don’t hold on too tight For there is pain and sorrow in the fight And try as you might It’s a pointless battle For the forces that be Things are meant to be
The deep ocher yellow of the freshly ploughed fields in the clay hills of the country side around Siena 25
The villa
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
The Tuscany Experience—Part 2 Sunday 16th March 2008 The lower olive fields
A friendly lizard
The pond at Patrignone where Sam and I go to feed the fish everyday
Terrace
Well I have now been here for 10 days, and I already feel a part of the family. I feel like I have been here for months. I have now met the rest of the “Patrignone family”. Nico and his sister, Romona, both work here on a full time basis. Nico does a lot of the handyman work around the villa, helping with the renovations, olive field maintenance and keeps the rest of the grounds looking beautiful. While Romona does a lot of the laundry and housekeeping etc. as well as helping Nico out with some of the gardening and renovations. We also have 4 builders here, working on the “Capanna”, which is going to be Simon and Verity’s new home with the boys. They are currently living in the Villa but need to be out of there by the time guests start to arrive. And then there is Meow, the cat, who is very playful and loves playing with Sam. I went into Castellina (our local town) last week for the first time with Verity and Sam to pick Harvey up from school and to have a look around. It is so beautiful. So much more beautiful than Poggibonsi, which is another local town, which was bombed during the war and had to be rebuilt. I can now understand why tourists flock to Tuscany, the vast surroundings are beautiful and the olive oil and wine is to die for but I am so glad that I am getting the opportunity to live here and really experience it. There is such a rich culture here that I am only just beginning to understand and embrace. Carla and I went to the Monastery in Florence this morning for the Palm Sunday Mass. It is called La Certona and it is so old. The building is set on a hill and it is surrounded by these amazing stone fences that would have once kept the Monks separated from the people of the villages. The Monks who joined the Monastery were never allowed out again once they had joined the Monastery. They would have a room all to themselves and they were never allowed to talk to anyone ever again unless during mass, they weren’t even allowed to talk to the other Monks. The Church was amazing. The ceiling was painted, the marble floors told a story of their own. The service was nothing like a mass in Australia. You could really sense the tradition and the beliefs that the Italians hold onto so strongly. At the end of the service the priest handed out olive branches that the monks must have planted so many years ago. 26
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
March is such a wonderful time of year to be in Tuscany. It is the season for Asparagus and there is an air of a treasure hunt as people roam the countryside looking for the wild asparagus. You see people making their way back to their cars with their hands full of the long thin stalks. There are definitely some warmer days although there are still the frosts in the mornings and coats are still a necessity although gloves and beanies can be left tentatively at home. The first of the wild flowers are starting to fill the fields. The last of the olive trees are being pruned just in time for them to start to bear fruit again. There is a sense that a change is in the air and that winter is finally waning.
The view to Barberino Val D’Elsa from the pool
Wild flowers in the fields
It will be Easter this time next week and it feels so weird to have Easter in Spring for the first time. It really gives you a true sense of Easter and the renewal of life. Verity’s friend from the UK arrived yesterday and she is going to be staying with us for a week or so. She was diagnosed with leukaemia last year and is still having treatment, so this is a much needed break for her. So our family here continues to grow. I now have a new mobile number here in Italy. I’m not sure of the prefixes that may need to be put in front of it, if any, but the number is 366 45 66814 Thinking of you all, hope you are all well.
This is the start of the tour of the Villa ... Welcome to the kitchen and main dining area with the large stove which used to be an open fire place obviously
Take care and keep safe. Much love to all of you. Kim x
Sunday 16th March 2008—Morning
Patrignone, Tuscany
My second Sunday here in Tuscany, everyone is having a sleep in so I am taking the opportunity to write. Lucy, Verity’s friend from the UK arrived last night. So our family here at Patrignone continues to grow. It will be Easter next Sunday and Spring would have arrived. What a wonderful gift to experience Easter at spring time. It really does give you a true sense of new life and new beginnings. Although it does feel weird to not have chestnuts and all the glorious autumn surprises around me at Easter. I love March in Tuscany. Winter is waning and there is an expectation as we all await the arrival of summer and the warmth of the sun … 27
This is where we were living previously ... We have now all moved out because we have guests staying and using these spaces
This is the main living area in the Villa. The grand chandelier was made by an uncle of the family
The fireplace in the main living area
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Sunday 16th March 2008—Afternoon
The library for guests to use and swap books in. At the end there is the oldest bible I have ever seen!!
The linen that covers all the windows is so beautiful and old
Carla and I went to Mass this morning, we went to the Monastery just outside of Florence called La Certosa. It was where the monks went when they joined the ministry. They had there own room and they would not see anyone or talk to anyone ever again! Not even the other monks. The church was amazing and so beautiful. It had painted ceilings (frescos) and marbled floors. I would love to know how old it was. It is Palm Sunday today and they were giving out olive branches at the end of the mass from their very own olive groves around the monastery. I love chatting away with Carla. Although she can ramble on about nonsense and you learn to take everything with a pinch of salt, she is a wealth of knowledge about this place and I just love talking to her about her experiences here. She is an absolute pessimist, so the complete opposite to me but I find her so interesting. We are actually quite alike in some ways. I will miss her when she eventually does leave. Carla told me today that the name, Patrignone, comes from the stream that runs along the bottom of the property. I hope I can find the stream today. I will explore!
Thursday 20th March 2008
My old room
Patrignone, Tuscany
Patrignone, Tuscany
The last day of Winter and it snowed! I just had the shortest winter of my life! Verity and I were driving home from Poggibonsi and it started to snow. What a wonderland this place is for me. I have never lived anywhere, where it just snows. It is times like this that I find myself smiling and marvelling at the changes that I have made and the new experiences that I am experiencing due to the decisions I have made to bring about this change and new life. Lucy, Verity and I went to Siena yesterday. It is so beautiful and I can’t wait to go back and explore it more on my own.
This is the green room
I cooked my first ever pizza in Italy today! And I also cooked Anzac biscuits for everyone and they were a hit!
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The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Friday 21st March 2008—Good Friday
Patrignone, Tuscany
First Day of Spring! New Life and what better way to begin this new life than a trip to beautiful San Gimingano. So many gorgeous shops and little streets with amazing views over the Tuscan countryside. We all ate pizza in the main square, Lucy bought a beautiful leather handbag and I found some letter paper to write home with. I feel like I am healing. I can feel myself starting to unravel. I can feel myself starting to accept my past. My dreams are vivid and filled with many of the demons that I have been trying to hide from. My thoughts are clearer and I am getting perspective on things that I haven’t been able to. My mind is allowed to wander here and I can hear it for once. I can listen to my thoughts and I get time to think and write. Time to ponder. I am beginning to understand that I am the most important person in my life right now. That it is me that needs to be healed and my focus has to be on me now. I am finally accepting that and allowing it to happen. I am beginning to understand why I needed to come to Italy. Why the universe created this path for me. In order for me to heal I needed to be surrounded by new people who don’t know me in a country that doesn’t understand me in anyway. I needed the space and time to think that Tuscany is giving me. I needed to be nurtured and fed by this amazing land. I needed to feel a part of a family again and surrounded by children that are teaching me the simple things in life again. They are showing me how to be and what is important in life. I understand that my healing is going to take time and I have it here. I can really take stock here, work out who and what is important to me. I feel myself slowly changing here. I can feel the subtle changes already starting to happen. I feel I am being refined here. The sweet notion of fatigue. The feeling of being dog-tired at the end of a day is so pleasing to me. Yet another sign that my body is healing. No more adrenaline pumping through my veins to give me a false sense of alertness. I have found Kim in Tuscany. I not only found out who Kim is but realised that she needed to be cared for and nurtured. I learned to love myself before I love anyone else.
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This is the black and white room which used to be Harvey’s room. Bit plain at the moment but we are getting there with it
This is the upstairs bedroom which we have called the travel room. It has a balcony and the best views over the Tuscan hills
The Charleston room. This was Simon and Verity’s old room
Charleston bedrrom. I love all the stone in this bedroom
The Blue room. This is Sam’s old room. I have spent many a times changing nappy’s on that bed and singing songs to get Sam to sleep!!!
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Saturday 22nd March
Patrignone, Tuscany
Puppies, glorious puppies! Before taking Lucy to Pisa airport we all piled into the car and went to see the puppies. They are just gorgeous and we can’t wait to bring them home. That’s right, them! After seeing all the puppies together, Simon and Verity have decided to bring home 2 puppies. I can’t wait to go back and pick them up in 2-3 weeks time. Before dropping Lucy off at the airport, Lucy, Harvey, Verity and I went and had a look around Pisa. We found the Duomo and also the leaning tower of Pisa. I am still finding it so surreal, when I go to these places that I have wanted to go to my whole life and finally I am there and seeing it with my own eyes. I just can’t believe it most of the time. I have had a wonderful week here with Lucy. We have done so much sight-seeing which has been great. Siena on Wednesday, Poggibonsi, San Gimingano and Pisa. All so beautiful. My dreams continue to be vivid, they are mostly still of people at home. I think in my mind I am playing out scenarios that I wished had happened for some reason. Maybe it’s part of the acceptance that these things can’t happen. The dreams don’t scare me or make me upset, I actually look forward to them for some reason. Maybe because I think it is helping me get an insight into my subconscious mind. It’s helping me work out what I haven’t dealt with and letting me know how I really feel about things. I have been much more comfortable within my own skin lately (just the last few days really). Carla and I had a lovely chat the other day and it was something that she said about everything sorting itself out with time. So simple and although I know that of course things take time, it was great hearing it from somebody else. I still need to give myself space and time, I can’t force myself into happiness. I think I have realised that if I don’t obsess about things, and just focus on myself, giving myself time to heal and find happiness again, that it will all just happen and fall into place. Carla and I have had so many good chats about life. I am missing having her around, I can see a lot of her in me and I certainly do admire her for what she has been able to establish and accomplish at Patrignone.
The Leaning Tower was constructed between the 12th and 14th centuries and is clad with white marble
I can feel myself being refined here which I am really enjoying and I am certain that I am going to be a master chef by the time I leave here. I have had such wonderful food every day. This really is everything I thought it would be. 30
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
APRIL The weather has changed and spring is here. Flowering trees have become the norm, the vines are coming back to life all over the stone walls and the wildflowers are in bloom in the fields. There is colour everywhere. There is still some reluctance about completely packing winter away. We still sit by the fire at night and our coats are never far from reach. The hills have reached their summit of green. There is tarragon, rocket and the wonderful arrival of stunning strawberries, which are said to help the body in throwing off the winter accumulated toxins, with their slightly astringent qualities. This month is spring cleaning. It is also the Easter month, which goes with lamb accompanied by artichokes which are now brilliantly displayed in rows in the fields. Their tall, solid, lilac-crowned stalks stand in smart lines as if realising their own splendour. There is still much asparagus to be picked, although turning a little woody, there flavour is similar to the sweet taste of a fresh broadbean taken straight from the pod. The spring rain has arrived and if you listen closely enough you can hear the cuckoo bird, letting us all know that spring is really here. The tractors are out in force, running the rows of vines and preparing them for the summer of grapes that is ahead of us. Their distant hum is a constant reminder of my change of scenery. The first trees are beginning to bear their young fruit and it won’t be long before we get to taste the first of the summer stone fruits, figs and all that summer has to offer. The birds and butterflies are everywhere, they have left their winter nests and cocoons and now float past you and sing in the trees. The wisteria has started to blossom and it won’t be long before we see it in all its magnificence and we will be able to smell its sweet scent as we walk by.
The towers of San Gimignano throw their shadows over the rooftops and Piazza della Cisterna (top right) 31
Spring in Tuscany!!!
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Tuesday 1st of April 2008
Patrignone, Tuscany
Well I have been here nearly a month now and it really does feel like home. I love my new little family and they have really embraced me too for which I am grateful. I feel so lucky. The view to Barberino Val D’Elsa from the Pool
This is the view to San Gimingano which is known for its many towers and medieval feel
Poggibonsi...the local town that we do our weekly shop in
These are the streets in a town called Greve, very touristy but very cool.
Last Sunday we went out for our first family outing to Radda and Arezzo. Followed by a lovely dinner at Giovanni’s new restaurant. What I have found really surprising about this place, is how it doesn’t actually feel all that foreign to me and I am not sure why. I am loving being in the countryside though. It is so nice to be out of the city life and be able to live and experience such peace and quiet. To not have to go somewhere everyday. To do a weekly shop and have the kitchen stocked with food and to cook every meal from scratch is such a beautiful thing for me right now. This is exactly what I needed. It has nearly been 1 month since I drove a car! It has been years since I have been without a car for that long and surprisingly I am enjoying it. My whole lifestyle has changed so dramatically being here. From waking between 6-7am every morning, to eating 3 big meals a day and all at set times, to not driving, to feeling exhausted and needing to go to bed by 9pm. I feel like my body is starting to function properly again, finding a rhythm, which is so nice. Not only is my heart and soul being nurtured but my physical body is too. In 2 days time we will be bringing home the puppies! One puppy for Harvey called Lola and one for Sam and I called Charlie. I can’t wait to bring them home and be able to play with them. How exciting and what a blessing to be able to have puppies while I am here. Verity and I also start Italian lessons this Thursday. We have a tutor called Antonio coming out to the Villa to teach us once a week. It will be such a relief to be able to talk some Italian. The language barrier does create an atmosphere of being quite isolated. It makes meeting people really hard.
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I found out the other day, that Dad had a health scare and was taken to hospital. It’s not until something like that happens, that you realise just how far away you are from your loved ones. What I am finding weird is how I am not feeling homesick at all. I’m not missing the people in Australia yet, but more so I am missing Australia itself. I am finding myself day-dreaming about the Australian countryside. About the beaches and the freedom to just get in the car and drive to Red Hill or Eildon etc. I am finding myself wishing I was in Mornington, Marysville, Eildon, at Gunnamatta, even Dinner Plains, funnily enough, since I think I have a new found respect for how beautiful Winter can be. What I am also noticing is that I am finding myself thinking about my future more and more and wondering about where that might be. I have started gardening around Herby Cottage and I am going to turn the garden beds into a culinary herb garden, for the guests to pick from. It is so weird to think that in a few months time, this place will be packed with people. It is going to get so busy soon but it’s kind of hard to know what to expect really. I am really looking forward to moving into Herby Cottage and having my own little pad, which I can work away at. For the last few days the sun has finally come out and it has started to feel warm. Verity and I have been gardening like crazy, doing lots of weeding down near the pond. Simon is getting more and more stressed about how much work there is to do and worrying that the Capanna won’t be finished in time.
The streets of a near by town called San Gimingano. its famous for its towers and it has great leather shops
A lighting store in San Gimingano
Sam, Verity, Lucy and Harvey standing in the car park at San Gimingano (check out the view the car park has!!!)
Side street in San Gimingano
We have some of Simon’s friends arriving from the UK tomorrow and they have a son, who is Harvey’s age which will be great for Harvey.
Lucy, Verity, Harvey and Sam eating pizza in the piazza at san gimingano
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Sam indulging in his pizza
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
UNRAVELLING IN TUSCANY Unravelling in Tuscany A new beginning, a new chapter of my life This is a little Hilltop town near me, its aclled Panzano and at the very top of the town is this very cute church
A haven in which to think, to ponder and take stock To accept the gifts of the earth, To nourish, to expand and absorb To find out who this person is that stares back at me in the mirror To dream the bad dreams and process the thoughts
The views from this amazing resturant I went to in Panzano. I am sitting at my table taking this photo looking at this amazing view with a glass of chianti classico in one hand and the camera in the other ... perfect!
To accept the changes and this new life With each day another change, another realisation Paving a new path, refining and defining And now I know that time heals nothing, It’s what happens in that time that heals you A beautiful time to become and now I am ready to live again
This is the view from the same resturant but looking back into the terrace. There was this amazing canopy of vines and fig trees.
Excited to let Kim be in this world, with confidence, trust, love and peace
Trying hats on at the Sunday Panzano Market. This is Francesca from the US, she and her family stayed at the villa with us for 3 weeks and she offered me a job in the US! 34
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Saturday 12th April 2008
The day we bought home the puppies
Patrignone, Tuscany
The Spring rain has arrived. Everything is turning green. There are new buds everywhere you look and what used to be a palate of winter colour is now a beautiful array of greens and all the colours of the rainbow. The wisteria is in flower and all the beautiful spring flowers are in bloom. The dogs have settled in and so have I. I had a moment this week, where I was sitting down by the pool, looking out over the olive fields, to the amazing view in front of me and I did finally shed a tear and have a feeling of “OH MY GOD!, I am actually here! I am in ITALY!” I had just read an email from home, and it was something in those words that I read that helped me realise what I had done. I have started a new chapter of my life! It was with that realisation that helped me recognise that I have still been holding on to the past and if I don’t let go of that I won’t be able to be really present here and enjoy all that there is here in this wonderful new world of mine. Ever since that moment down at the pool my mood has been lighter and I have started to feel really happy again. I have really loved playing with Sam and been more in-tune with him and in general I have just been much more present. I feel like my attitude has changed too. I don’t feel like a victim anymore. I feel ready for whatever is to come. I am no longer scared to move on and into the unknown. I really do feel reborn now, loving life and this new freedom. What is so enjoyable about this place is that there is always something happening here. We had Trish and Nathan with their son Zachary here all of last weekend and this week we have had the Dryair ‘bug men’ here and today Ray and Ruby are arriving with their 2 sons. And then we have Mark and Katja next week also.
This is lola, she is one of our new puppies
The new puppies!! Charlie and Lola playing with Sam.
Harvey with Lola
Charlie
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The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
SEVERING BONDS Closed off from love, I didn’t need the pain Waiting for time to heal these wounds of mine A scar upon my heart that doesn’t seem to mend For these demons last long, even after you’re gone And with every sunrise you are nowhere to be found Frozen, scared to love, to trust again How to move forward, with each step away from you For I’m not sure I like this world without you This foreign landscape that surrounds my every view But how haunted I am of my endless thoughts of you My heart breaking over and over again I just can’t love you anymore With you my reference point I cannot grow I must sever this bond But I’ll always remember you and what we shared It’s time to say goodbye And who will save me now For my heart needs rescuing
The Chianti hills in Tuscany 36
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Saturday 19th April 2008
Patrignone, Tuscany
The veil of Tuscany has been lifted from my eyes. It now feels like home and with that feeling comes all the normality and familiarity of a place. Nothing feels new anymore and there is a definite routine about each day now. For the first time since I arrived I really feel homesick. I miss the people who know me so well. I miss being able to chat with my sister, hang out with my brother and see my best friends familiar faces. There has been an agitation or restlessness that has started to creep into life in the last week that wasn’t there before. I loved the feeling of being a part of a family again, but all I want now, is my family, my friends and a familiar face. For the first time, I am doubting this decision and beginning to wonder how long I can be away from everyone for. I am not sure if I belong here. Was this decision a good one or just a decision made on impulse? Stupidly? I don’t regret the amount of healing I have had here but the reality of being so alone is sinking in quickly. Everyone I meet is a stranger. No one knows me here and I am not sure that I feel like I belong anywhere anymore.
Homesickness … Homesickness is like having a rope tied around you and every now and then it yanks at you to draw you home. Australia attached itself to me and it just gives me a little pull every now and then to remind me of where I am from and where my home is. It starts to pull me home but I have to resist it and tell it that I am not ready yet. I am not ready to come home, but when I am I will just pull back on that rope as hard as I can and follow it all the way home again. I don’t think you can ever forget where you come from.
Orderly geometric fields around Prato in Tuscany 37
The Ponte Vecchio, Florence
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Friday 25th April 2008 – Anzac Day
Patrignone, Tuscany
The weather has cleared and I am now running around in t-shirts and thiongs. YAY! Finally! Palazzo Vecchio (Florence) with the snow capped Appenines in the distance
This week, Sam finally started walking on his own, which is great and a massive step forward for him. I personally have been feeling a little up and down in terms of homesickness. It’s strange, but Italy doesn’t actually feel all that foreign to me, it feels a lot like Australia in many ways, but my loved ones just aren’t here with me. We have our first guests arriving tonight, we are currently waiting for them to arrive. Apparently they are a little lost! The first of many guests to get lost I am sure. This place is a nightmare to find!
A day out in Florence
Our friendly Romanian builder lugging his last barrowful of cement into the capanna
Verity and I had our first Italian lesson today with Antonio, which went well. I am really looking forward to having a few more lessons and building up the confidence to use the Italian we are learning a bit more. It won’t be long before I move into Herby Cottage. Sam and I planted the herb garden this week, so hopefully all the herbs start to grow and flourish. The Capanna is nearly finished and it will probably be only a few more weeks before we can start to move stuff in there. And start to organise the Frantoio and dining room, which I am looking forward to. It feels like we have done so much work around here lately. It has all started to come together finally, the way I envisioned it would. Verity and I have been doing so much gardening this week and things are starting to look a lot neater. I have also been teaching Harvey a bit of volleyball which has been fun.
Fabriccio laying the cement in the capanna
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The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Sunday 27th April 2008
Patrignone, Tuscany
Every morning I draw my curtains to sunshine now. Summer feels like it is on its way. I can’t believe that only 1 week ago it was still cold, drizzling and 12 degrees. Harvey and I went on our first adventure into Florence yesterday. It was great and very exciting but by the end of the day, all we wanted to do was get out of there and hurry back to the country. It was so crowded and there were cues for just about every gallery, museum or church. The streets were so crowded that you couldn’t even see the footpath from the road and people were just walking all over the place. Mayhem! By lunch time Harvey and I had had enough and I vowed never to be a city girl again! I didn’t enjoy 1 minute of it and now I understand why all the Italians depart these cities that have become overrun with tourists. All I could think about while I was in Florence was being back at Patrignone and in the countryside again, with its wide open spaces and silence.
The Tuscany Experience—Part 3 28th April 2008 Just thought I would give you all a little update on how things are going over here. It’s almost been 2 months since I arrived here and to be honest it feels like a lifetime ago that I was in Oz. So much has been happening around here, so there is lots to fill you all in on. Over the last couple of weeks we have had heaps of Verity’s and Simon’s friends come out from the UK to stay with us. So I have now made heaps of contacts in the UK to go and stay with, which is cool. We have also had a company called Dryair come out and stay with us while they heated the new house that Simon and Verity are building up to 80 degrees to kill off the little bugs that live in the wooden beams in the roof (like termites). It took 3 days to heat it up to that temperature. I kept ducking in there while it was warming up, just to remind me of home. It has been really cold here over the last month and it wasn’t until last week that the weather finally turned and we have had beautiful spring sunny days ever since, so the heat of the house at 30 degrees reminded me so much of home and was a welcome relief from the cold weather.
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Verity and I have started having Italian lessons with a tutor who comes out to see us once a week. He is pretty unreliable, and he has cancelled more than he has actually arrived but hopefully with his help V and I will be talking Italian before we know it. During the lessons we are not allowed to use any English at all and he only speaks to us in Italian, so we spend most of the time just looking at him very confused but it is amazing how it really forces you to speak Italian, with at least what little we already know. It’s easy to forget that we are living in a foreign country here because all the guests or friends that come and stay with us speak English and we of course speak English to each other and it’s not until you leave the villa and go into town that we actually hear any Italian and realise we are in a foreign country. Our first guests arrived this weekend and from here on we have guests with us every week right up until September. So the season has officially started and the pressure is on from now on. It is so bizarre to finally have people wandering around in the spaces that we have got so used to being our own. But it’s all starting to feel real now, and all this work that we have been doing to get everything ready is really starting to pay off. It’s hard to describe how much work we have been doing but basically when Sam hasn’t been screaming his head off and demanding our attention we have been elbow deep in dirt, doing lots of gardening or we have had a paint brush in our hands, or decorating each and every room of the apartments. We have spent a fair bit of time searching for the perfect linen, quilts, lamps, etc, at the markets, so we can put the finishing touches on all the rooms. We will all be moving out of the villa next week. I’ll be moving into my own little cottage and Verity, Simon and the boys will move into an apartment before they get to move into ‘the Capanna’ which is their new home that they are building. We have had builders here, doing 10-11 hour days, trying to get it all done so they can move in by June. They have just finished laying the underfloor heating and they are about to put the wooden floor boards down and then there are all the fittings, tiling, kitchen, plumbing and electrics to do. It will be a major feat by all involved when it is actually finished. About a month ago we bought home our two new family members; Charlie and Lola. They are Labrador cross puppies!! Lola is a golden retriever cross Lab and Charlie is a border collie cross with a Lab. They are from the same litter bizarrely enough. They are ever so cute and great to play with. The Arno river in Florence, with the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore at the top left 40
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Just like Oz, it was also a long weekend here in Italy as they celebrate the 25th of April as the last day of the war, just like we celebrate Anzac day. So we all decided to join in the celebrations and call this weekend the Aussie weekend, just for me. We cooked Anzac biscuits on Friday and had our first barbeque on Saturday sitting out on the terrace and today (Sunday) we went for gelati in Castellina followed by a bit of a ‘Sunday sesh’ at the local bar. Harvey and I caught the train into Florence and had our first little adventure around Florence together yesterday. We had gelati on the ponte vecchio and went to the science and history museum. Florence is already packed with tourists and there were queues a mile long to get into everything so unfortunately we probably won’t go back to Florence until it calms down a bit after summer to do more sight seeing. So I have news for all of you. I have now secured a job in the heart of Palermo, Sicily after I finish here at the end of September. A family run and live in a 12th Century Palace there and they need help running tours and making sure the palace is clean and tidy for guests to come and stay in. So I will be getting paid to live and work in a 12th century palace for 6 months! I’ll be there from early October this year until March next year. And the family I am currently with have asked me to come back next year as well, so I’ll be back here in beautiful Tuscany for another 6 months after that. So hopefully that gives most of you enough time to get organised and cashed up so you can come and stay with me for a while and see Tuscany while I’m here!! Thank you all so much for your lovely emails, they all mean so much to me. I hope you are all well. Lots of love Ciao ciao x
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence is famous for its 350 foot high dome completed in 1434 41
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MAY It seems that without even noticing, the oak trees are green once again. Their soft green leaves have now replaced the dry brown leaves from the year before. It’s almost as if the dry, brown leaves may have somehow just breathed new life and turned green somehow. Poppies are now found everywhere, dotting the fields with their red splendour. So too are the irises. With each day that goes by there seems to be a new breed of wild flower that shoots from the ground and blooms in the fields. The grape vines have all shooted and are being cared for by farmers in the hope of a good drop to come. The spring rain is upon us and so too is the occasional thunderstorm. The weather is still changeable as summer starts to make its presence known. The stone walls of the house are now covered by the beautiful green of the vines, adding another dimension to the wonderful landscape. The deer are heard barking in the woods, morning and night. No longer afraid of the hunters, they bound in the fields with their new found confidence and freedom. There are rose buds in abundance. Soon the garden will be filled with their beautiful array of colour. All the seedlings that are planted at the start of spring have popped their heads out of the earth and are beginning to grow tall. Soon we will have sweet peas, tomatoes and zucchini of our very own. The once seemingly ugly Tuscan broom has burst into the brightest yellow you have ever seen and the scent of the flowers is the sweetest smell imaginable from a simple flower. It’s like walking past a candy store whenever you pass it by. The fields seem to be covered in broom, now like a canvas of yellow and you wonder how on earth you didn’t notice the broom before. The roses have added the most beautiful array of colour to the garden. The deepest red climbing rose has blanketed the archway down to the pool. They beckon to be picked for vases to bring their splendour into the house. Chamomile is abundant in the fields, now swaying with the red poppies in time with the wind. I hear that the fireflies have arrived and I am awaiting my first glimpse as the night falls. Elder seems to grow like a weed here in Tuscany. It is found on every stretch of road in amongst the wildflowers and tall oak trees. Their white array of flowers seem like a soft bed for birds and insects alike to rest their busy wings upon. It is a herbalists dream here. It’s as if the Italians understand the value of such plants and can’t bear to be without them. Chestnut trees are also in full bloom, their white and pink flowers face up from the palm-shaped leaves towards the sun in a cone like manner. I want spring to last forever. May is the month for lemons, artichokes, broad beans, green peas and the beginning of cherries and capers. 42
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The artichokes seem to have all of a sudden grown a foot taller in their neat rows to produce the wonderful flowering purple tops, ready to be picked and eaten. Everyone seems to be stocking up on the abundance of beautiful strawberries to make jams for the coming months. Monsoon season has come to wet our soils and provide us with plenty of water for the wells, which will be needed for the long dry summer ahead. Everyday it seems we have a thunderstorm that rolls in from the bottom of the valley, then circles around us, haunting us with its occasional roar of thunder. The sweet smell of rain on the stone pavements and new green grass is refreshing. The pitter patter of the rain drops on the stone relaxes all the senses.
Saturday 17th May 2008
The poppies in the fields
Spring roses and flowers
Patrignone, Tuscany
All of a sudden I feel like time is racing along. The days seem to blend into one without much distinction. I have woken up this morning, one day after my Dad’s 61st birthday, feeling old as well. I am 24 years of age and I feel like time is going too quickly. I have realised that sometimes I wake up here and long for it to be night time again so I can crawl back into bed to let my body rest some more. It’s like I am wishing time away. I once used to want to be able to stop time so I could stay in my deliriously happy state forever, but it has been a long time since I have felt that kind of happiness. The kind that comes from being completely content with your life, where you want of nothing else and the world seems perfect. I remember having so many moments like that in what feels like a previous life now. I wonder if I could have it all back again, would I want it? Probably not.
The beautiful Tuscan Broom which smells so SO sweet
Walking Sam!!!!
I have just finished reading “the time travellers wife”, it was the third book I have read since being here, it is such a pleasure to have the time and peace to read again. Some days that’s all I want to do. My compulsion to write seems to have lapsed somewhat and I seldom pick up my diary to write now. I am sure it will come back though. We have been so busy here at Patrignone lately that I can hardly even remember what we did yesterday let alone last weekend. I spent most of the week organising and decorating the Frantoio and dining room. Which was such a joy. I love that space and love the atmosphere that it has. So old and prehistoric yet timeless at the same time.
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Walking Sam... You can’t stop him now!!
My new Pad—Herby Cottage—the back terrace
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
So much has happened since the last time I wrote. We have been to Panzano Market and seen all the bric-a-brac stores they have there. I wish I could take so much of it home with me. The things that I used to hunt high and low for at markets in Australia are everywhere here. Everyone’s junk, or bric-a-brac is all at least 100 years old or older. My new Pad—Herby Cottage—side view
We have been to the beach and I have swum in the Italian sea, il Mare! The beach was not beautiful but a welcome change from the Tuscan countryside. Everyone has moved out of the Villa and I will move into Herby Cottage this weekend. Which I am very excited about. Verity and I had our third Italian lesson yesterday. I am understanding just how hard it is going to be to pick the Italian language up and it is going to take me a long time before I am speaking it fluently.
My new Pad—Herby Cottage—front terrace
Inside my new pad
It seems I may have been a little over zealous about the weather when I wrote last. The beautiful sunny days that we were enjoying have been replaced by cold winds, rain, thunderstorms and plummeting temperatures again. I was going to go into Siena today and walk around the streets and shops until my heart was content but when I drew my curtains this morning and saw the rain, I decided that reading a book and staying in the warmth of bed was a better idea. Maybe tomorrow … It was Dad’s birthday yesterday. It feels so weird to be away from family for events like that. I have also just realised that I won’t be in Australia for my brothers 21st birthday which I am really sad about. I am missing my brother and sister so much. I wish I could see them both for just one day, to hang out with them and just chat would be wonderful.
Inside my new pad—small but very cosy
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The Tuscany Experience—Part 4 25th May 2008 Many of you have been telling me how much you are enjoying these emails and request that I continue to write, so as it is an absolute pleasure to keep you all updated, I am going to continue to write as often as I can. We are now completely inundated with guests. It seems everyday we have guests coming or going, so I am meeting so many new people, from all different walks of life on a daily basis. Most of our guests have been Canadian, American or English but we have also had a few Germans and French coming to stay. Most of the guests are absolutely lovely but we are beginning to realise the Americans seem to want to complain about absolutely everything and we have had a few Americans decide to leave because they don’t like it here, which is a real shame and a bit of a confidence blow for us, so early on in the season, but I guess you can’t please everyone. I finally ventured to the beach 2 weeks ago. And although the beach was somewhat disappointing it was great to leave the countryside behind for a day and see something new. I’ll try and explain what the beach that I went to was like for you. We arrived at a place called Cecina which is a quiet seaside town. There are little apartments everywhere which the Italians own as their holiday homes. It kind of feels like a retirement village. When you arrive at the beach you walk through about 20 metres of pine forest, which people have strung hammocks up in and then you get to a 6 foot wooden fence and you walk through the gate and all you can see are massive mounds of flat thin sea weed in front of you. You walk over that and then you find a thin strip of sand on which people have laid their towels on. To get to the water you have to walk over another 10 metres of dry sea weed and then you get to the place where the water is lapping against the sea weed and you have to then wade through a few more metres of wet sea weed until you get to clear water. There are little concrete areas and kiosks every 10 metres or so and most people put sun lounges up near those rather than go on the actual beach and no one seems to go in the water. The whole time I was at the beach I only saw one person actually go anywhere near the water, other than myself. I was the only one swimming!!
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There are really annoying merchants that come along to everyone on the beach trying to sell fake sunglasses, handbags or nasty jewellery. They won’t take no for an answer most of the time, so you have to be quite stern and mean to them, to get them to go away. So that was what my first adventure to the beach was like. I’m sure not all the beaches are like that in Italy so I’m hoping to find something a little more beautiful soon. Once a month there is a market in a place called Panzano. It is a great bric-a-brac market that sells everything from old furniture to new leather goods and clothing etc. It’s so amazing walking along looking into all the different stalls. What Italians consider junk, we would consider antiques, everything is easily over 100 years old and there are the most amazing pieces of wrought iron, building equipment, jewellery, linen and old door handles, etc, that are just so amazing to see. I was in heaven looking at it all, wishing I could take some of it home with me. Last Sunday I went into Siena for a day. As I arrived I could hear drums beating so I followed them until I found a group of young men, dressed in tights and colourful jackets all standing in a row along a small street, throwing their flags to the beat of the drums. It was amazing to see. It was just like a scene from Under a Tuscan Sun, for those of you that have seen that movie. Now that the weather is a little warmer, I was able to move out of the villa and into Herby cottage which is my very own little stone cottage just a few metres from the actual Villa. It feels great to have my very own space and home away from home. I feel as if I am living in a bubble here. I don’t get to see any news on TV or in newspapers here so I have absolutely no idea what is happening in the world these days. I didn’t even hear about the earthquake in China until about 5 days after it had happened. It feels so weird to be completely oblivious to what is actually happening in the world. The Italian continues to come along slowly but surely. And Sam and I continue to have heaps of fun together. I know that these are the best days of my life and that I will look back on these days with very fond memories but I am missing you all terribly. Thank you all so much for writing to me and sending your love all the way from home.
Life in Siena revolves around the two main squares, the Piazza del Campo and Piazza del Duomo
Lots of love to all of you Kim x 46
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Thursday 29th May 2008
Patrignone, Tuscany
I feel like I am changing a little bit every day. Each week that goes by, I can look back on the previous weeks and months and notice that my thoughts and perspectives on things are constantly being altered or changed. I am evolving and growing. I feel different as a result of it too, already after only 3 months. I have almost achieved all the growth and change that I was so desperately seeking back in Australia in just 3 months here. What couldn’t happen in 18 months, has already happened here.
‘What happened to the person who finally got everything that they ever wanted … they lived happily ever after.” Willy Wonka—Charlie and the Chocolate factory
Yesterday was a rather momentous day for me here in Italy. I had 2 moments when I found myself thinking yet again …”Oh my God!, look at me, look at where I am, what I am doing, this is just amazing!” The first was when I finally ventured out onto the Italian roads in an Italian car, the pick-up! Driving on the opposite side of the road, on the opposite side of the car in a manual car! I was driving to Castellina, taking in the view over the patch work countryside of Tuscany when I had a moment of feeling absolutely free and realising that there I was driving along an amazingly beautiful Italian country road, in the heart of Tuscany, in a manual car, on the way to pick up Harvey from a school trip. I had never driven a manual car before I left Australia. So to be driving on the opposite side of the road and the left hand side of the car was enough for me to contend with let alone a manual transmission! Crazy! The second momentous moment was our first night cooking for guests at the Villa. Ettore, an Italian family friend, arrived to give us a hand, and there I was helping Verity and Simon serve our guests our food. There I was in the middle of Tuscany, with a Tuscan chef to tell us all his secrets. We were all standing in the kitchen, talking Italian to each other, talking about the quality of the food, etc, etc. Bliss!!
The Cathedral of Siena (Duomo di Siena) was completed in the 14th century 47
Siena—flag throwers in the street
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
JUNE The Piazza del Campo—this is where they have the famous palio—a horse race that has been run here twice a year for hundreds of years. All the jockeys ride bareback and they lay sand down on the stone for the track.
The Town hall at the base of the Piazza del Campo—we are going to a wedding here in June!!
The Siena Botanical Gardens Herb Garden
For 2 weeks straight we have had a thunderstorm every afternoon. Slowly but surely the dark clouds circle around us, the claps of thunder and lightening confirm that yet again Mother Nature is going to make her presence known. The most amazing part of each of these storms is watching them gradually moving over the hill towards home. You can stand and watch the rain slowly moving towards you. But even more amazing is the sound that you can hear. You can actually hear the rain on the surrounding hills. It first begins with a faint sound like the wind and then it sounds like a stream has formed at the bottom of the field and then it is upon you. You can smell it coming. Suddenly the thunder and lightening become even louder and more frequent, a gust of wind and here it is, the rain! Now we are thick in cloud, the horizon which was clear only a few minutes before is now a sheet of grey. The rain comes in from every angle. When will it stop and summer be allowed to begin? Is it time to start building an Ark? The fireflies of May, the little fairy lights that twinkle against the dark of the night have all but gone after their too short 3 week presence. Sitting on the terrace brings gentle sweet wafts of honeysuckle. The 21st of June and summer has finally arrived. White fluffy clouds float by in a blanket of blue sky, the bluest blue you can imagine. The sun is scorching hot and the pool is used for the first time this summer with a sunset dip. All the roses continue to bring colour to the garden and now we have beautiful lavender to add to the already scented garden. The olive trees are in flower and the artichoke stalks have now gone to flower, with their striking fluorescent purple colour a wonderful addition to the vegetable garden. Pine nuts are drying and can be heard dropping to the ground near basil-scented verandas. There are green beans, burnished purple eggplants, apricots, garlic, sweet red onions, capers, green radicchio, nectarines and zucchini with their delicate yellow flowers. But the most beautiful of all are the amazing tomatoes. So flavoursome and a gorgeous red colour. Just amazing.
More of the Siena Botanical Gardens Herb Garden
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Orto Botanico di Siena
HOW TO MEND A BROKEN HEART The time will come When you will love again the stranger who was your self Sit, listen, observe Drink the wine,
Amazing views from the line of cypress trees at the Botanical Gardens
Let the food nourish your belly, Sleep those dreams Be patient, be gentle, give back your heart to itself To the stranger that once loved you all your life Whom you ignored for another Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
The old Siena City walls run straight through the Botanical Gardens
The photographs, and the desperate letters And drink deeply from the cup of life Views over Siena
The city walls of Volterra— inside this part of the walls is actually the state prison now
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JULY It seems like a bus load of insects arrived here last night, just in case we hadn’t realised that summer was here. Time to start eating outside with quick antipasti and foods at room temperature. There is an abundance of food available and it is now more than ever that we learn to appreciate foods in the height of their season. Never has a cherry or tomato tasted so good. The summer stone fruits are here, plums, nectarines, peaches and gorgeous cherries, melons and tomatoes and berries all here to be savoured for this is the time of sweet watery foods. Walnut trees seem to appear everywhere, once gone unnoticed, their green unripe fruits seem to be everywhere you look. New gelato stores seem to have flung open their freshly painted doors everywhere to keep up with the demand, for it is now high season for tourists and they are everywhere you look, crowding the small towns that we are so used to having all to ourselves. The most amazing sight of all this month are the sunflower fields. Rows of sunflowers, standing tirelessly in the heat of the day, and diligently pupil-like, facing the sun.
Saturday 12th July 2008
Florence Train Station
Here I am sitting on a train about to depart for Venice! I can feel that this place is going to change me forever. The one place I have dreamed of going to my whole life. I am too excited to write!
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MUGELLO!!!! MotoGP!!!!
The Tuscany Experience—Part 5 July 17th 2008 Wherever this email may be finding you on planet earth, I hope it finds you well and healthy. I am sorry it has been so long since the last time I wrote. Time seems to have slipped by without my noticing. Life has been busy here at the Villa over the last couple of months and there is so much to fill you all in on. I will try and keep it short while trying to fit it all into this email. If you don’t make it all the way to the end, I assure you, you will have missed out on the best bit, so I recommend you push through if you have the time. A dear friend has suggested I start calling these updates the ‘Kimba Chronicles’ so here is the next instalment …
Rossi fans as far as the eye can see!!
Awesome track ... can’t wait for next year!
So most of you know how much I love motor sport, and I can certainly tell you how much I am missing the V8 Supercars, so when some of Verity and Simon’s friends came over to Italy from the UK to go to the Moto GP I just had to go with them. Mugello is one of the most amazing race circuits I have ever seen. About 120,000 Moto GP fans (mostly of which were diehard Valentino Rossi fans) descended on Mugello, which is just north of Florence. We ended up finding a great spot on one of the best corners of the circuit and making friends with 3 US Navy boys, that are based in Naples. We fenced off a little patch of grass in amongst thousands of Italians dressed in Yellow (Rossi colour) and called ourselves the WW3 alliance. It must have looked quite weird, 3 Americans, 1 Aussie and 2 Brits screaming at the top of our lungs amongst the Rossi fans. Needless to say, I was certainly the loudest person in amongst all of these diehard Italian fans when Stoner (our Aussie boy) was leading the race. Unfortunately Stoner was pipped by the magic of ‘The Doctor’ in the final laps of the race and we braced ourselves for the craziness to unfold as Rossi crossed the chequered flag. Absolute mayhem!!!! And when 120,000 fans pack into one space with only one exit, even more mayhem. It took us 3 hours just to get back to our car and then another couple of hours just to get out of the track. Massive day and well worth it.
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Been hitting the pool everyday, now that it’s oh so hot!!! He has already got the look away down pat!!!!
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
I myself have ventured out onto the Italian roads and I am now the proud owner of a 1980’s Mazda pickup!! Which we would call a twin cab Ute in Oz! The car that Simon and V had organised for me never eventuated so I am using the pickup which is pretty funny. So I have been doing heaps of sightseeing and exploring of the Tuscan countryside. The roads here are absolutely crazy and every time I leave the Villa, it actually feels like a calculated risk! But I am learning to both love and hate the roads and drivers here and getting used to driving on the left side of the car on the right hand side of the road, very weird!!! I still find myself having to think about the right way to go around a round about! The problem in Tuscany is that there are so many tourists, cyclists, and motor homes littering the roads amongst some of the craziest Italian drivers you have ever seen, so all in all it just lands up being quite scary on these windy, narrow roads. Although I am sure most of you won’t want to hear about my second summer in one year, the European summer has finally arrived and it is so hot here now. Sam and I have been swimming in the pool nearly everyday and I have been teaching him how to swim. Although some of your jealousy may subside when you hear that for 6 weeks prior to June we had a thunderstorm blanket our skies everyday (seriously, EVERYDAY for 6 weeks). The Italians were beginning to doubt if summer was ever going to arrive and they were saying that they had never seen weather like this in 200 years. The Olive and Vine growers where beginning to get very nervous because their crops were getting too much water and not enough sun. Which only spells bad wine and olives for their harvest in Autumn and would be an absolute catastrophe here in Tuscany. But the sun finally came out and now everything that was once green is turning a sun bleached sandy colour. And there are paddocks filled with sunflowers every where. And we are all certainly happy to see the rain go, as I was beginning to think that we would have to start building an ark! We have also started to cook for guests now once a week, which is great fun and I have been thoroughly enjoying it. V and I spend all day in the kitchen preparing the food, deciding on a menu and then at 8 o’clock the guests all arrive at the dining room and we cook and serve for them. On one occasion we had one of Simon and Verity’s friend, Ettore come and cook for us, and I was his Sous chef, which was an amazing experience. I got to watch and learn how a true Tuscan cook works. He speaks little English so I spent the night conversing with him in Italian and trying to understand his instructions to me, which was a challenge at times, although at the end of the night I felt like I had learnt more about Italian cooking and speaking Italian than I had in the 3 months that I had been here. Amazing! 52
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The Comune Pubblico, which is the town hall in Siena, in the big square called Piazza del Campo is a popular venue for foreigners who want to come and get married in Italy. It is an amazing building and the rooms have amazing fresco’s covering the roof and walls. Simon and Verity’s friends decided to get married there in June, so we had all of their friends and family staying with us at the Villa for 2 weeks. It was great to finally meet all of Simon and Verity’s friends which I had heard so much about and to have Patrignone filled to the brim with people. We had a 5 course meal on the terrace for the reception overlooking the Tuscan countryside on the first day of summer which landed up being a scorching 40 degrees. The groom, Simon and many other friends are all DJ’s, so prior to the wedding they all set up their decks in a clearing in the bush on the property and had a massive dance party until the early hours of the morning after the reception. The first Palio of the year has been raced, and I can truly say that I am completely baffled by this eldest of Italian traditions. The Piazza del Campo in Siena is the venue for the horse race in which ten horses with bareback riders race around the Campo for 3 laps, with most of the horses and riders crashing into the walls or hitting the sand covered stone track because they took the corners too fast or sharp. The horses and riders have to try and line up between 2 pieces of rope (they don’t use barriers) which took 40 minutes to do and then they drop the rope suddenly, with completely no warning and the horses start to bolt around the stone campo, which has been covered in sand to make the track for 3 laps and then its all over! 60 seconds worth of a horse race and 40 minutes of trying to get the horses organised! And the Italians who have all crammed into the campo go absolutely crazy and swamp the rider and the horse after the race and rip all of the clothes off the riders back! And the crazy thing is this all happens again in August! Carla (Simon’s mum and owner of the Villa) arrived back to Patrignone after being in the US and the UK for the last 3 months. She recently bought a place in Phoenix, Arizona without even seeing it, or knowing anything about the property, so she has been living in the US doing the place up but she is now home for summer here in Italy and bought a breathe of fresh air back into the place. I really enjoy her company and her mad as a hatter personality. I also got to meet Verity’s mum who came to stay last week for 5 days. And here is the best bit …Venice.
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As both grand mothers descended on their grandson, both prying him away from me, I was granted a 5 day reprieve from my duties. It didn’t take me long to decide how to spend my 5 days of freedom. Venice was calling me, the lure of gondola filled canals and the endless colourful buildings made my choice of destination easy. You know you’re in some sort of travellers’ heaven when you can take an extended weekend trip to Venice and, in just 2½ hours by the Eurostar fast trains, be standing on the steps of the Venice train station, with the Grand Canal before your very eyes! I can certainly say that this world-unto-its-own is without a doubt the most amazing, mystical, beautiful and absolutely captivating place that ever existed. From the moment I stepped onto the Vaporetti (water taxis) and the showcase of the Grand Canal unfolded in front of me, I was absolutely hooked by the presence of the place. The Italians have nicknamed Venice ‘La Serrenisima’ and I can understand why. For me, being someone that had grown up on boats and being on the water, I felt like a fish back in water. One thing I can say about Venice is that it changes you. It forces you to challenge everything you ever thought conceivable. I felt different as I walked up the steps of the train station and took one last longing look back at the Grand Canal. My time in Italy will forever now be broken down into BV and AV!! I always thought Venice was a place you should go with your significant other, but I am so glad I went on my own and explored it without being swept up by the romantic gondola rides and amazing hotels. I booked myself into a little B&B run by an Italian family who didn’t speak any English, right in the heart of San Polo which is just 5 minutes off the Rialto bridge. San Polo is right in the middle of Venice and hidden away from the touristy spots which was just perfect. There were also some great local wine bars for drinks at night which also attracted a few tourists. I met some hilarious guys from the Netherlands and a very strange French girl there. And girls, the shopping in Venice is absolutely INSANE! Beautiful high end boutiques to cute touristy shops with great Italian fashion, it has it all. And here in Italy, July is the month of sales and the Italians sure know how to have a sale. Everything, even Chanel, D&G and Gucci all offer 50% off. I was in heaven!! My first glimpse of St Mark’s Basilica was by twilight and it completely blew me away. The Façade is completely covered by mosaic which shimmers at night like you wouldn’t believe. Venice is just so beautiful by night.
Venice, with St Mark’s Square and St Mark’s Basilica 54
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All the tourists seem to clear out by about 6pm, back to their cruise ships who come in overnight and allow thousands of tourists to explore and crowd the streets. And believe me, although small, Venice seems to cope with the tourists really well, it has been setup for tourists which makes it really accessible and easy to explore and enjoy. While I was there I went inside St Mark’s Basilica, went to the first Jewish Ghetto ever to be established, went to mass in one of the many amazing churches on Sunday morning, explored the Palazzo Ducale and went across the famous bridge of Sighs which gave the prisoners their last glimpse of freedom before they reached their cells to live out their sentences. I ventured to the islands of Lido for a glimpse at the Venetian beaches (yes, Venice does actually have beaches) and the island of Murano, to pick up some of the most amazing glass and jewellery pieces. But I think the best part of Venice is just cruising the canals and getting completely lost through the streets and over the thousands of ponte (little bridges). I could never ever get sick of being on the water taking in the views of Venice and roaming its streets. So there you have it, Venice and the rest of my adventures to date. In 2 weeks time I am off to Cinque Terre and Spain for 10 days with a close friend who is coming here to visit me, which I am looking forward to, so I will have plenty to fill you in on for the next installment. Please take care Lots of love Kim x
St Marks Square in Venice is dominated by the 325 foot Campanile that dates back to the 10th century 55
My first experince of wondering the sreets. After I checked into my B&B I found this guy sitting in the middle of a little square painting on this canvas
The many many ponte (little bridges)
On my way to find San Marcos Square on my first night
The small canals near where I was staying
These are some of the very cool wine bars in San Polo that I frequented. They are great because you’re right on the grand canal, so you can just watch as the night life on the grand canal passes you by
Reminds me of the Italian job!!!
The Rialto bridge. 1 of the 4 bridges that cross the grand canal. This is the one that is famous for all the shops that line the inside of it
Inside an amazing old theatre house
The restaurants lining the grand canal and the gondolas all lined up
The bridge from the train station over the grand canal
Knock knock! I’m home!
Gondola filled grand canal
Can’t you just dream about living in a place like that on the grand canal?
The buildings on the right hand side make up part of the first ever Jewish Ghetto to be established in Europe in the second world war. And the unmistakable laundry lines
Storm clouds descending on Venice
The Venice cemetery ... which unfortunately only allows you to be buried there for 15 years before they dig your bones out and replace them with a new body
UNLUCKY!!!
The entrance to the cemetery
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
Thoughts on Venice When you’re living in the heart of Tuscany’s Chianti region and you’re given four days reprieve from your work duties, where does one decide to explore? Endless tourism options abound within Tuscany itself, let alone Italy, so how does one choose with each destination just as appealing as the next. Italy is a traveller’s wonderland, with so much diversity and so much to explore you could easily spend years here and still feel as if you have unfinished business. For me it didn’t take long to decide how to spend my four days of freedom. Venice was calling me, the lure of gondola filled canals and the endless colourful buildings made my choice of destination easy. You know you’re in some sort of traveller’s heaven when you can take a fast train to Venice and in 2½ hours find yourself standing on the steps of the Venice train station with the grand canal before your very eyes. The Italians have nicknamed Venice ‘La Serrenisima’ and I can understand why. Without a doubt this world-unto-its-own is the most amazing, mystical, beautiful and absolutely captivating place that ever existed. From the moment I stepped onto the Vaporetti (water taxis) and the showcase of the Grand Canal unfolded in front of me, I was absolutely hooked by the presence of the place. For me, being someone that has grown up on boats and the water, I felt like a fish back in water. This sinking city, with its rich history draws tourists in by the millions and you have to wonder what it is about Venice that does draw so many people of all walks of life to its canals? If at first you don’t realise it, I guarantee, once you reluctantly ascend the steps of the train station and take your last look back at the Grand Canal, you will feel changed or transformed by this place. Venice seems to be able to package your life into neat little segments of time with the climatic point being as you find yourself cruising the canals and getting lost over the countless Ponte. It forces you to challenge everything you ever thought conceivable, which may go some way to trying to explain some of the magic of Venice. I always thought Venice was THE place you should go with your significant other, yet only as I embarked on my 3 night stay to Venice as a single woman did I begin to understand that Venice is so much more than the romantic wonderland that it is so often portrayed as. I booked myself into a small B&B run by an Italian family who didn’t speak any English, right in the heart of San Polo, just 5 minutes off the Rialto bridge. 58
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San Polo is right at the heart of Venice which makes it perfect for navigating your way around. There are some great local wine bars for drinks at night which also attract a few tourists for you to get chatting with. And girls, the shopping in Venice is absolutely INSANE! Beautiful high end boutiques to cute touristy shops with great Italian fashion, it has it all. And here in Italy, July is the month of sales and the Italians sure know how to have a sale. Everything even Chanel, D&G and Gucci all offer 50% off. Heaven!! If you can, make your first glimpse of St Mark’s Basilica by twilight. The shimmering Mosaic Façade in the moonlight will blow you away. Venice is just so beautiful by night. All the tourists seem to clear out by about 6pm, back to their cruise ships who come in overnight and allow thousands of tourists to explore and crowd the streets. And believe me, although small, Venice seems to cope with the tourists really well, it has been setup for tourists which makes it really accessible and easy to explore and enjoy. While I was there I went inside St Mark’s Basilica, went to the first Jewish Ghetto ever to be established, went to mass in one of the many amazing churches on Sunday morning, explored the Palazzo Ducale and went across the famous bridge of Sighs which gave the prisoners their last glimpse of freedom before they reached their cells to live out their sentences. I ventured to the islands of Lido for a glimpse at the Venetian beaches (yes, Venice does actually have beaches) and the island of Murano, to pick up some of the most amazing glass and jewellery pieces. But I think the best part of Venice is just cruising the canals and getting completely lost through the streets and over the thousands of ponte (little bridges), I could never ever get sick of being on the water taking in the views of Venice and roaming its streets. Be prepared to do a lot of walking. And ladies put away the high heels because Venice is one place that they are not needed, and may cause you an injury. Opt for a comfortable pair of flats to complement your chic attire. By far and away the best way to navigate yourself around Venice is by Vaporetti. They stop every 10 or so minutes at numerous barges set up along the canal.
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The patterned windows of the Bridge of Sighs
The band playing in St Mark’s Square by night
The last view of freedom the prisoners had while travelling over the Bridge of Sighs
This was the line to get into St Mark’s Square at 9:30am. After this photo I joined this que! Joy joy!!
The steps up to the Palazzo Ducale
St Mark’s Square
The Bell Tower in St Marks Square
Sant Marcos Basilica by twilight. It completely blew me away because up close you can see all the amazing mosaic work and it shimmers against the light
The view from the top of St Mark’s Basilica
The view back to the main isalnd from the vaporetti
Murano, Murano, Murano ... the island of glass
The glass museum in Murano
Taking yet another ride on the canals in Venice
The fish market in San Polo
I was standing outside the fish market and fruit and veg market for ages just watching all the boats comming and going with all of their produce. Everything is done here by boat and it is just amazing to watch how all the Venetians go about their daily life here on the water
Double and sometimes even triple parking!!!
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
If you want to mingle with the locals at night, head to Campo margarita. This long square seems to be the hub of Venetian University students, all enjoying drinks in the middle of the square. If you are alone you will have to put to use those Italian lessons that you have been having and start up a conversation in Italian, because there aren’t too many tourists hanging around in this neck of the woods for you to team up with, so grab yourself a glass of prosecco and try out those Italian phrases on a local! The San Polo area of Venice is one of the best spots for night life. The Campo just off the Rialto bridge is littered with little wine bars which attract the tourists who aren’t sharing a romantic gondola ride with their significant other or haven’t found themselves cruising the addictive canals on the vaporetti at night. Murano, Murano, Murano the island of colourful glass. Well what can you say about Murano except that if you are looking for beautiful glass, it has it all. The Canals aren’t as beautiful, but you can escape the tourists here. But to the discerning eye, you can search out some of the best Italian glass jewellery here. Do some bargaining because they will lower their prices for you here. My tip is a place called Lineamazzuccato where you can pick up some of the most exquisite glass jewellery pieces here and be swooned by Italian men trying to sell them to you. Venice changed me forever, let it sweep you off your feet because it certainly can and will if you let it.
Sunset in Venice
Ok, so for all of you who didn’t know that Venice actually had beaches, I am here to tell you they do!!
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Boboli Gardens, Florence
AUGUST It feels like all of Italy is sweltering. Everyday brings hot sunny days, followed by even hotter nights. It is the season where people lie on their beds in nothing but underwear with the window shutters wide open, chancing that they might catch a breeze or a mischievous bat! Children sleep under mosquito nets and people begin to look forward to cooler days. We are carried to sleep by the sound of cicadas outside and wake up early to beautiful sunshine falling through the window everywhere. August … the month of maximum heat and maximum produce. Everyone seems to be escaping to the mountains to eat their salads and excessively praising winter. Tuscany itself seems deserted as people hibinate in their houses or go to the seaside. There is refreshing watermelon, which strangely seems to arrive just at the right moment. There are the tri-colour capsicums and cucumbers, cos lettuce and potatoes which we will see in some gnocchi form or other in the following winter months. There are cannellini beans to be used now and dried for the months ahead. There are almonds, hazelnuts and even the chillies are at the peak of their heat and wild drying middle eastern-smelling fennel flowers. And there are still so many tomatoes! As we begin to say goodbye to summer the anticipation of harvest is palpable. The corn, sunflowers and of course the grapes and olives are all soon to be picked, pressed and made into the life blood of Italian cuisine, wine and extra virgin olive oil! Figs, glorious figs! Too many to count and it’s almost impossible to keep up with the rate of the ripening fruit on the trees. Figs are the perfect accompaniment to any dish and you savour their flavour for the precious few weeks when they grace our tables. Nonnas are busy making fig jams, tarts and preserving them whole in all types of beautiful syrups so we can enjoy these flavours through the winter months. There are also so many blackberries to be picked and many of us come away with the tell tale signs of berry picking with the grazes all over our hands and arms from the nasty thorns.
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It’s always been a dream of mine to visit these gardens and I just couldn’t believe I was there in amongst them!!
The palace which the rulers of Florence, the Medici family, used to live in. The Boboli gardens are a part of the palace
Boboli Gardens!!! I can’t believe I am actually standing at the top of these amazing gardens!!
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
A few words on travelling Nothing can be compared to the new life that is being granted to a thinking person at the contemplation of a new land. I am still the same person, yet I feel I have changed to the bone. A responsible traveller is one who seeks an authentic experience. They want to face the world as it is, even critically. They are looking for answers and therefore already have in their mind questions about the places they are going to visit. To be able to step back and contemplate a reality that is so far removed from ones daily routine is a privilege and a great source of inspiration. It is an opportunity to grow, to change ones point of view and to be enriched by all the things that other people and places can offer. Being a traveller opens one up to the opportunity to change, to experience, to absorb and to be inspired. A traveller is usually never in a rush and has left their homeland for an indefinite period of time, ready to explore and to be taken where the wind blows them.
SEPTEMBER
The Arno river runs through Florence from East to West Its banks are lined with medieval houses and palaces
What a relief, the month of cooler days and beautiful light. September is here with its shortened days, offering gorgeous grapes, which draw people out into the fields with harvesting shears. This is the perfect weather month with its cool nights and apple and pear coloured aura. There are pomegranates, dark spinach, pale fennel and escarole greens and sudden wild mushrooms sprouting up everywhere after the first rains. Mushroom pickers keep their source a secret, but everyone is cooking mushrooms in one way or another. The tractors are busying themselves in the fields again, but this time they are followed by a trail of pickers as harvest has arrived. Every winery has the tell tale signs of harvest with their pile of purple grape pulp outside of the vat sheds. The smell reminds me of my grandfather’s friends wine barrels, that pungent fermenting smell. Looking out into the hills, the tell tale signs of autumn can be seen. The tinges of yellow and orange are starting to develop, making the first of the trees to turn standout amongst the backdrop of the dark green bush and hill sides. The olive trees sway, laden with fruit in the soft, gentle autumn breezes. Chestnuts will soon be ready, to let me know that winter is really on its way. 64
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The Tuscany Experience—Part 6 1st September 2008 I hope this email finds you all well and healthy. I am now 6 months into my stay here in Italy and how fast time seems to have flown. Life here in Tuscany continues to be great. We are nearing the end of summer. We are sweltering through August and looking forward to some cooler autumn days. August is the month when most Italians take their summer holidays. Everything closes as the Italians head towards the coast and crowd the beaches. I also decided to take my 2 week break away from being an au pair during August. For those of you whom know Burnsy, a close volleyball friend of mine who has been travelling around Europe on the road to the Beijing Olympics, he arrived here on the 1st of August and after spending 3 nights here at the Villa and a day in Florence we ventured off for 7days through the Italian and French Riviera and Barcelona. It was great to have my first Aussie contact here at the Villa, a little piece of home getting to experience my life here with me. I quickly had to find the tourist within me and as I strapped my backpack on and set off I was ready to leave my country lifestyle behind and find myself in civilisation again, ready to explore new places. Our whirlwind tour began in Florence, where we went to see Michelangelo’s Statue of David. And can I just tell you, I had always thought it was weird that people said that they could stand and stare at this statue for hours on end and be completely awe struck by it. People had told me that it had changed them and brought out emotions within them that they never thought possible by art. But now I understand. The moment you see David you are speechless and as you begin to take it all in you begin to realise just how perfect it really is and all of a sudden you see the masterpiece that it is. From every angle it portrays different emotions and feelings within you and I can say that it is a piece of art that you find yourself not being able to take your eyes off and not wanting to leave. Totally amazing, and the fakes littered around Florence don’t do it justice.
The 16th century Boboli Gardens in Florence 65
CINQUE TERRE!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE I WAS THERE ... FINALLY!!! This was our little town, Riomaggiore. Beautiful ...
Part of the 5Terre walk in Riomaggiore
Our town, and yes we had to climb up the hill to find our accom which ended up being up about 200 steps! Riomaggiore, 5Terre
Sunset
The boats in the small harbour at Riomaggiore
Manorola streets (town number 4)
Sunset harbour side in Riomaggiore
Manorola
The colourful boats at Riomaggiore
Looking down into Vernazza
The many many steps to get to Corniglia
The beach at Venazza, 5Terre (town number 2)
The harbour at Corniglia (town number 3)
Vernazza
Montorosso (town number 1)
Patriotic Italia
The beach at Montorosso
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
As we began to tick off the sites of Florence, we ventured into the Duomo and market area before we headed to the Uffizi Gallery. Inside we witnessed some of he most famous and amazing collections of renaissance art pieces. Everything from Lippis, Botticelli’s La Primavera and The Birth of Venus, to Michelangelos and Raphael’s one 16th century painting. Next were The Boboli Gardens and Piazzale Michelango with its fake copper statue of David and the best views of Florence. The next day we left the Villa for Cinque Terre and I just couldn’t wait to arrive, as it was a place I had always dreamed of seeing and experiencing, and it did not disappoint. These five small fishing and farming towns are built right on the cliffs of the coast overlooking the Ligurian Sea. We stayed in a great hostel in the 5th and most southerly town called Riomaggiore. We toned our leg muscles along the famous Cinque Terre walk which takes in all five towns and some of the most breathtaking scenery and Italian agriculture. It never ceases to amaze me how the Italians seem to be able to farm areas which we would just never consider usable let alone safe. No rail is left without a zucchini plant growing over it. Even clothes lines are used to support their all important grape vines. I loved the Cinque Terre and I can’t wait to go back. As we left Cinque Terre on the train towards Nice, we stopped off in Genoa and witnessed a thriving multicultural harbour town, then on across the border into France. Our first night on the French Riviera brought us to Monaco. We climbed the hill to find the Palace where the Royal family lived and witnessed a plethora of beautiful cars arriving for a Beethoven concert inside the Palace. We ate dinner by the harbour and then made our way into Monte Carlo and the Casino. I could not believe the array of cars parked in one small area out the front of the casino; Ferraris, Maseratis, convertible Rolls, Bentleys, McLaren Mercedes and the rest arrive all just double or triple parked while their owners gambled away 100 euro minimum hands of Blackjack!!! And I’m sure these were just the small time people within the casino as the private gaming rooms were closed! We were utterly blown away by how much money there was in such a small area and country but loved the whole experience and it was a highlight of the trip.
Riomaggiore, the easternmost of five small, characteristic towns that make up the Cinque Terre
As we explored the French Riviera, we spent a day in Cannes seeing the sights and enjoying some time on the beach. I personally loved the feel of Nice as it reminded me of the atmosphere of St Kilda. Great beach and esplanade area with trams and a thriving shopping area, as well as great night spots for catching some live music and a drink. It had a great vibe as a place that had something happening and high energy people ready for a good time. 68
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We left France behind and flew into Spain on our last leg of our too short tour. We had one day in Barcelona to cover it all and after our drunk roomy arrived back at our hostel from a late night out and decided to turn the lights on and eat chips really loudly in our dorm at 4am we were lacking a little in energy but we were determined to see it all. First stop was the Picasso museum. Amazing!! And a highlight of my trip. Well worth it. Then onto the Architecture of Gaudi and his amazing buildings littered throughout the city. We took in the amazing Sagrada Familia which is the most famous construction sight in the world as Gaudi never finished this amazing church which is still in construction even today. We ate a brilliant paella by the harbour and took in the beach before a little siesta and then on to the 1992 Olympic Games areas. Spain is an amazing country and it left me wanting more. I loved Barcelona for its liveable feel. I felt right at home with its multicultural atmosphere as it reminded me so much of Melbourne. The city its self has everything from architecture, art, a thriving CBD area, great shopping, beautiful gardens and a zoo, great public transport with trams and underground trains, a beautiful harbour and beach, as well as the old Olympic sports areas. You could feel that the Spanish lived in the city, as I have found quite rare to find in Italy, where most of the major cities feel as if the Italians have all but left them behind to be over run by tourists. After our day in Barcelona I had to say goodbye to my travel and Aussie companion as I headed off to Valencia for 4 nights and Burnsy made his way to Beijing. I stayed with friends I had made here at the Villa right in the heart of the orange growing countryside of Spain. I hung out by the pool drinking sangria for 4 days which was just lovely and checked out some of the sights of Valencia. Unfortunately while I was away, I had other Aussie friends staying at the Villa in Tuscany that I was missing. Upon my arrival back to the Villa I had one night to chat away and receive big hugs from Cristy and say hello to her wonderful family. Having to say goodbye to my Aussie friends all over again brought the homesickness home more intensely than ever but it was great catching up with people and having a little piece of home here with me for a while.
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Harbour side at Genoa on the way to Nice
Rolls convertible double parked!!! Why not
Genoa. Where pesto is from!!
Monte Carlo casino
Monaco!! This was my attempt at trying to get both of us in the photo and the royal families castle as well (on top of the hill)
Royal palace
Royal palace
These were the smaller ones!!
View of the harbour from the palace
Just some of the cheap cars parked out the front of the casino!!
Cannes
Nice beach!! HAHA Get it!
Cannes Harbour
Trams in Nice
Quite like this one
Some of the art in the main street of Nice
This is a bit more like it!
Barcelona!
Nice
Olympic Stadium in Barcelona
Gaudi
Sagrada Familia
The Kimba Chronicles—Volume 1—Beyond These Skies
So there you have it. My travelling notes up to date. As most of you know I was supposed to be leaving for Sicily at the end of September but the latest news here is that my Job in Sicily fell through as my employers had to replace the last employee they had with them, and now the new employee would like to stay, which means there is no longer a job for me. Which at the time felt a little unfair and, although a little shocked and disappointed at first, I am now excited by the prospect of finding another adventure. I have applied for many jobs in the Swiss, French and Austrian Alps working in the Ski resorts. So fingers crossed I find a job for the winter in the next couple of weeks and I can continue my journey here in Europe. So if any of you have a brain wave and can think of the perfect seasonal job for me, I am open to hearing all suggestions or offers!! Missing you all so much and sending you all big, big hugs Take care Lots of love Kim x
OCTOBER This is the front yard of the place I stayed at in Valencia. Sue and Tony moved there 2 years ago from the UK and I stayed with them for 4 nights
My last day in Spain. Sarah had just cut all my hair off. About to leave for the airport :( miss you guys!
The change is sudden—from one warm, sunny day to a frosty, grey shock. Summer clothes are swiftly packed away and people revert to socks and jackets overnight. Through the morning fog there are beautiful autumn colours everywhere. There are dark greens, cooked quince reds and warm walnut tones, mixed with deep, pumpkin orange. There are special walks in the woods on warm weekend afternoons, and the days are becoming even shorter. We are at the beginning of the hunting season, which supplies wild boar, hare and other meats less available in other seasons. We have seen the first of my favourite part of autumn, the chestnut. Their starchy sweetness readies our bodies for the winter ahead, helping us to develop our winter coats. Olive picking has begun and the frantoio’s are packed to the brim, ready to press the first of the olives into the amazing fluorescent green extra virgin olive oil. The first tastes are of peppery flavours which will mellow out with time.
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The Tuscany Experience—Part 7 5th October 2008 Sadly, my time here in Tuscany has come to an end for the time being. The last 7 months have just flown by and I can honestly say that I feel changed from my experience here. I feel so blessed to have had this time in my life. Tuscany really has been my little haven from the world for a while and I wouldn’t have traded this time for anything. There begins, one might say, a new life when one sees with ones own eyes the whole which one knows only by parts in their heart. My desire to see and experience Italy was overwhelming; and now that it has been satisfied I can say that everything has been as I imagined yet everything new too. I now feel as if I have an intimate knowledge of Tuscany and the Italian culture, which is just wonderful. And I understand the relationships here. My living here and moving around constantly has made everything seem familiar and natural to me. I feel extremely privileged and somewhat humbled to be able to say that I have been able to call such a beautiful and elusive part of the world home for a while. And I am pleased to report that my adventures here in Europe will continue to roll on and it looks like I will be having a white Christmas after all!! (and a white New Years and Birthday as well!!!) Following on from my last email, I have cashed in my return ticket to Australia for Christmas day and secured a job working in the French Alps for the winter ahead in Europe. I am working for a company called Kick Ski at a resort called Vaujany (right next to the famous Alps d’heuz resort). The company runs 2 chalets and I am employed as a Lodge Host. I applied for the job over the internet one Saturday afternoon and had secured the job 32 hours later on the Sunday afternoon; the very next day! Crazy!! I can’t wait to get to the slopes and experience the ski, work and partying life of a ski resort!!! My only problem is that I have no idea how to ski!! I have never even attempted to put skis on my feet before or even been to a snow resort in peak season!!! And I need to learn how to ski FAST!! Because as part of my job description I have to be able to take guests out onto the slopes 3 days a week and ski down all the runs with them!! Even the black runs!! Haha LOL!!! The situations I put myself in!!!
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So it should be pretty funny, to say the least and I am sure I am going to be feeling very sore and sorry for myself in those first few weeks of trying to teach myself how to look graceful on snow! I get flown to the slopes on the 1st of December and the first guests arrive on the 13th, so I am praying I can pick it up VERY quickly! I am so excited about this next job. I am looking forward to being a part of a team and working in the chalet working with and meeting heaps of new people, skiing all day and then preparing, cooking and serving meals to guests, and then partying on into the night with them all. Fun times ahead I am sure!! So, like I said, the job starts on the 1st of December, when all the staff get flown from London’s Stansted airport to France and transferred to the resort. So I have found myself with 2 months free to travel as I please which is wonderful and I have decided to try and get in touch with the other side of my family’s roots and head to the Pommy land for 7 weeks. I have booked a flight to Bristol in England for Thursday 9th of October and will be staying with friends and many of the contacts that I have been able to make here at the Villa. So, if any of you have any travel tips for me on the UK, best pubs! or sights which I just shouldn’t miss, let me know. I am starting my trip off in North Devon, then making my way up to Hereford and Worchester and then going north through the lakes district into Scotland, touring through Glasgow, Edinburgh and then coming back down south through Durham where I will be staying in my very own apartment for a while before making my way down to London and flying on to France. Here in Tuscany, we are now in the throws of Autumn and it is Harvest time!! It seems that life at the moment for all Tuscans revolves around reaping the benefits of the earth and all the hard work that has gone into nurturing the vines and trees which are sacred around here. The grape pickers are out and about forming a trail behind the giant trailers attached to tractors roaming up and down each row of vines. The olive trees are laden with olives and almost ready to be picked. Their branches are hanging and swaying slowly in the breeze because of the amount of fruit on them. The walnut, almond and chestnut trees are all dropping their shells to the ground and Sam and I have been spending our days roaming through the fields picking them all up. The last of the figs are also on the trees and I have been making gallons of fig jam so they can be savoured through the winter ahead. We have all rushed for our winter clothes as the end of summer was swift here. Summer now seems like a distant dream and I myself am trying to ‘harden’ as the English say as I prepare for the coldest 7 months of my life! I am pretty sure I am going to feel like an ice cube constantly for the next 7 months!!
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Tomorrow we are joining in on the harvest and helping to pick grapes at a friend’s nearby vineyard for the day. And at the end of this month we will have our very own harvest as the teams of pickers will come to our fields to pick the olives for the next batch of amazing olive oil. I am disappointed I will miss the olive picking here at Patrignone but I am hoping that I will be able to be here to help out next year. I ventured to Bologna last Monday night to see Coldplay live. The concert was amazing and Coldplay were great as always! And the exclusive news that I have from a reputable source is that they will be making their way to Australia at some point. I met a guy who worked backstage and I asked him why they were leaving Oz out of their tour and he just smiled at me and said “who said we aren’t going to Oz?!” He couldn’t say when but he knows that the tour will make it to Oz at some point. So there you have it. The inside word!! They were brilliant and their new album sounds great live. So it seems that things are working out great here for me at the moment. When you continually seem to be able to open a lot of doors that lead to many opportunities and things just seem to fall into place with little effort needed, I think you know that it’s all meant to be. I am doing really well and the homesickness seems to have abated somewhat. I am going to miss my family here in Tuscany but can’t wait to fill you all in on the next little phase. My travel wish list just continues to grow, so I am sure there will be many more travel stories to write to you all about as I try to find many more new and exciting ways to travel the world and experience new places. Travelling certainly becomes addictive and I am hooked!! Missing you all and hoping you are all fine and dandy wherever you may be. Lots of Love Kim x
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