Crossing the traces of my childhood in the magnificent Tuscany, Italy

When I was six months my parents moved to Tuscany for work. I lived in Florence, Siena and then, for over six years before returning home at Imola. Since then, and has been nearly thirty years, in those places there was only a step back, never to revisit the farm where I lived. In 2007, after much delay, the decision to spend some 'time to remember my childhood.

 

Isole

Left Imola on Friday morning, a bit soon. We avoid the highway and come to Tuscany via the Mountainous from Fiorenzuola, then Barberino del Mugello, Florence. We cross the town and then we go to Island and Olena, near Poggibonsi, where I lived from 1971 to 1974. The company is still there, it just seems more dusty sgarruppata. But it is exactly as I remembered, including the driveway lined with olive trees.
Sold out the first nostalgic visit, we share towards Greve, we have found accommodation in a beautiful b & b.

The Chianti area

The next morning, and it's hot now, even if we leave early the night before in San Donato ate and drank far too. Our first stop is Castellina, then go to San Gimignano, Volterra and Monteriggioni, where we spend our entire day. In the evening we have dinner in Greve in pizza, to go behind the reasoning of an American journalist my "friend". Good, but next time we take him to a restaurant of our choice.

Siena and Monastero d'Ombrone

It's always warmer, but we allontianiamo still going home to the Monastero d'Ombrone in Siena, where I lived from 1974 to 1978. We find him, even if it is a bit 'holed, but we can not see anything of the monastery circular courtyard of the can, the little town below, the house where the old farmer's wife I always cook fried chicken fried. It 'has become a luxury cottage, and everything is closed. The visit is fast and leaves us time for a stop in Siena, before leaving for home. A final stop in San Pellegrino to eat the diabolical ficattola, then home.