The cure for Homesickness

A batch of Anzac biscuits and...

For a few days I was feeling really home sick and isolated here in the beautiful forest, but for now my yearning for people and places familiar has been quelled.  It is hard to stay homesick when the weekend arrives and there are beautiful places to explore and marvel at.  

...a Challenge..

I am proud to announce that I bravely drove from our mountain home to the edge of the city of Florence for the first time as we made our way towards Siena. That was far enough for one day… or more accurately stressful enough.  Giorgio would like me to become confident enough to drive to his office, but probably the nearest train station at  Candine will be my limit… I’ll see. I might need to invest in a GPS to help me navigate.

...and Tasmanians!!!

The drive through Tuscan countryside to Siena was beautiful even though the day was overcast, film set views across the rolling hills. You would have seen it in movies.  With absolute delight I met with a Tasmanian friend and her family in Siena. They had walked 20km to get here today as they are walking the Via Francigena pilgrim path to Rome. The opportunity to talk at normal pace and with a wider vocab was totally delicious.  Giorgio did not seem to mind the rapid chatter that he could not keep up with too much. He and Tim talked of politics, history and much more while Sophie, Merran and I covered many topics and shared stories of our experiences in  Italia.

After some brief stops at Siena’s highlights including the first hence oldest bank in the world we treked through the city centre  via that amazing piazza to a restaurant  as lunch was high on the priority list of the pilgrims.  I was surprised to discover that Giorgio had chosen to return to the  restaurant where we had eaten our first meal together 2 years ago on the day we first met. (He likes to pretend he is not romantic.) The restaurant specialises in typical food of the area including truffle fungi and wild boar. Other patrons seemed intrigued by 4 Australians and one Italian man dining together. Several asked Giorgio for an explanation then generously shared their desert of almond biscotti which are dipped into sweet wine.  

The main piazza in Siena is one of the most beautiful I have seen and is famous for hosting horse races .  Horses racing on  cobble stones sounds treacherous and  I have visions of injuries for riders, horses and spectators.

Tasmanian pilgrims in Siena's famous piazza.

We stopped talking long enough to smile for the camera.

And a posh party...

Later we returned to Florence to the birthday party of a close friend of Giorgio, held in a private home in the city centre.  The party was in a style I am not accustomed to… a trio playing a viola and guitars entertained us with jazz and manouche, a gypsy jazzish music popular in France. Later one of the guests who is an accomplished opera singer impressed us with her powerful voice,  awesome in the confined space. Many of the 40 people knew a little English which they dusted off for my benefit. I find I can now recognise enough Italian words to understand some conversation but the level of concentration I need is tiring and I can't maintain it all night.