From the sands of Arabia to an oasis of green
My journey to Tuscany began during another adventure, in Saudi Arabia, where I worked for nine years.
I’m a woman from the green north of England. Those drab desert colours, not to mention the highly artificial life of a foreign compound, left me aching for an oasis of green and a little of the dolce vita the Italians are famous for. So I began scrolling through websites about Tuscany, just to drink in its beauty. I dreamed of buying a home there one day and moving myself, my four-poster bed and hundreds of useless high heels (perfect for breaking my neck on steep cobbles) from the Middle East to the gentler land of the old Etruscans.
Finding Le Dieci Castella
My first taste of Tuscany was off the beaten path. Winding valley roads led me to a scattering of enchanting medieval villages perched high among densely forested hills. They call themselves Le Dieci Castella, the ten castles.
I wandered their ancient cobbled streets, past terracotta pots, under old stone archways and through tunnels between quirky village houses. Time stood still. Villagers proudly farmed their cherished plots among the olive groves and chestnut forests. Add the food, the scent of the lemon trees and the friendliness of the locals, and I was in love. I was relaxed. I was in heaven.
Piano piano
Of course, there were a few hitches. As a Sagittarian, I’m full of ideas and faith that everything will work out, but in Italy you learn to slow your quick brain to the piano piano (slowly, slowly) pace of the Italians. Not always easy!
I bought a shell of a house perched atop a medieval village in the Valdinievole, overlooking the magnificent valley. It was love. But without a word of Italian, the journey from shell to shelter took some effort. Getting my residency and my shipment was stress enough to drink a Tuscan vineyard dry!
In the end I had a finished home, and a new little life growing inside me. We spent years in those hills, my girls and I, and my heart has never really left the villages.
My passion, my promise
Behind the old crumbling walls of these villages lie centuries of stories. There are hundreds of villages across Tuscany, every one special in its own way, and many of their tales have never been told.
My passion, my promise: I will tell their stories.
Places, people, pictures. That’s what this guide is all about: the villages of Tuscany, the people who keep them alive, and the photos to inspire your own visit. Come and explore with me.
Susan
