Doodling About. Monday 28th September, 2009.

The day slipped through my fingers all too quickly and before I knew it, it was 3pm. We had been planning to buy AJ a lovely silver ring with small black onyx stones in it for his 13th birthday this week. We wanted it to be a surprise but at the same time we thought it would be nice to ask him if he would wear a ring and if he liked what we had chosen. We visited the jewellery store this morning and he just loved it, it is as if it was made just for him. He slipped it on his finger and there it stayed. It will be a lovely birthday gift to mark his entry into teenage hood in a few day's time, and also a lovely memento of our time in Italy. All day he looked at it, asked questions about how best to look after it, and kept telling us how much he loved it. I just love being a Mum.

Matt and Janie called on Skype; it was so nice to speak after being off line for so long. Bud is staying with them while Brad and Vikki are holidaying in the snow, so it was wonderful to see his little furry face, we miss him terribly. We talk about him daily and don’t know what we would do without our wonderful friends who look after him so well. We hope you guys are having a great time in the snow Brad, Vikk and boys; we cannot imagine it snowing as we are spending days on the beach over here.

That’s exactly what we did today; we grabbed a gelato from ‘Paradise’, our favourite gelato place in Castiglione dell Pescaia and headed to the beach. There was a little bit of a breeze about and being a Monday the beach was quiet and tranquil. We walked its length, right to the end which is a high rock wall; we explored there a while before retracing our lazy footsteps to the far end and the harbor wall. We took the long way home, along the harbor filled with fishing boats, watching locals feeding the ducks. A red Ferrari passed and was gone again in an instant.

AJ let himself into the apartment while JR and I strolled the main via with the locals. We stopped for a chat with our friend, the owner of Dal Buchaniere restaurant, he is a lovely man. JR was in raptures after finding a much sought after dish brush in a nearby shop, I don’t think he will let this one out of his sight after being without one for quite some time; this one will travel with him wherever he goes.

Back at home we cooked a big pot of spaghetti and meatballs. The pasta was fresh and just lovely, such good quality and a lovely rich yellow. We all agreed that the meatballs were the best batch ever, maybe it is the meat but I must say they were absolutely delicious and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Fun In The Sun. Saturday 26th September, 2009.

We stopped at Paninoteca-Birreria Pizzeria for pizza by the slice on our way to the beach. This was the place Claudia says is her favourite, where she took us for lunch the day we first arrived in Castiglione. We understand why, it is ours too. It is a rather unassuming place. To be honest, if it wasn’t recommended to us we probably would never have tried it, it looks a little bit unkept from the road side, but inside is a pizza nirvana. We ordered simple Margarita pizza, two slices each at 1.20 euro a slice.

We spent the afternoon at Castiglione’s beach, it was pretty busy being a weekend. Castiglione is a popular holiday/weekender for Italian families as it pretty easy to travel to from Rome, Florence and Milan. We waded out into the depths, the water was pretty clear. I was doing well until I saw a jelly-fish swimming towards me. That was it, I screamed like a big girl’s blouse and high tailed it into shore. With encouragement from the boys I returned to try again. Now there were things touching me. I would stand waist deep in water, look down and all I could see were my toes and the ripples of sand on the sea bottom. The next minute I would be screaming my head off after feeling something touching me. I yelled and screamed and the boys laughed and laughed at me. Again we returned to shore. JR did the next stint alone with AJ. I watched from the safety of the sand. They went out so deep and I longed to be with them so I had a little talk to myself and decided that everyone out there swimming was just fine, if no harm was coming to them, no harm would come to me. When the boys came back and AJ begged me to join them again I did just that. I had a little cry this time giving the boys more fodder for laughs. Once we got out deep enough and we could not touch the bottom, I calmed myself and had a lovely time. In fact, when the boys were ready to come back to shore, I was the one that wanted to stay in the water. The African dudes tried to sell us everything but the kitchen sink as we lay on our beach towels in the warm sun, we waived them on firmly but politely.

We cooked a lovely dinner at home, spinach and ricotta tortelli with a tomato and garlic sauce, and after, we got dolled up and wandered the streets, taking in the wonderful summer, seaside feel that is Castiglione. Everyone was out to enjoy Saturday night. We strolled slowly (I am teaching JR how to stroll and he is doing rather well) enjoying a gelato. JR couldn’t resist dropping into Dal Buchaniere for a late night snack of Margarita pizza, no one resisted of course although I must admit to only having a sliver.

I was ready for bed when my head hit the pillow tonight. My skin had become thirsty after the salt water and I had a little bit of colour to my usually pale complexion. Don’t you always feel exhausted and exhilarated at the same time after a day at the beach?

Castiglione della Pescaia. Thurdsay 24th September, 2009.

What a paradise this is. I love looking out our window and watching people strolling by. Locals ride past on rusty old bikes yelling out their greetings to people they know. It has an easiness, a seaside pace here and is just lovely. Our nearby clock tower chimes randomly. The clock is stuck on eight o‘clock and it chimes at eight twice a day and then at fifteen minutes past, during dinner a few nights ago we counted 67 chimes, so in true Italian style it does as it pleases in the most delightful way.

We ate pizza by the slice on our way to the beach this afternoon. We spent hours strolling along the sand in the clear blue shallows. AJ decided to go for a swim fully clothed and had the time of his life for what seemed like ages. JR and I waited on the shore delighting in watching him and his childlike freedom and innocence, glimpses of this are few and far between these days.
AJ was checking out a fellow swimmer who was with what we presume was her Aunt and Mother. She was the most beautiful young girl we had ever seen. Her long, dark hair fell down her back in soft waves, her skin was dark olive and she had a little bit of meat on her bones softening her face to make it round and youthful. As she came out of the water she was stung by something and hobbled to her beach towel close by ours. She held her beautiful face in her hands and sobbed her little heart out, it was sad to see. AJ was talking about how beautiful she was and went to buy her an ice-cream to cheer her up. It worked a treat and her face lit up in a broad smile. (Trust us to treat a medical emergency with food!) A little later he went and sat beside her and began to get to know her. JR and I were sitting quite close by, I became all choked up with emotion at the sight of my boy growing up and approaching a girl he liked, JR and I were both so proud of him. He returned after a while with a smile plastered across his face. He laughed saying, “Guess how old she is?” She was 19, needless to say he extracted himself from the conversation soon after. He was back in the water when she left and the lovely thing was, she made sure she waved goodbye to him from the shore. He was so happy and it was nice to be there to share such a funny, tender moment.

We all left the beach happy; AJ was walking six foot tall. We found our new favourite gelateria in Castiglione which I am sure we will return to with regularity, it seems everyone else has discovered it too as it is always busy.

JR went out for magic hour and while he was away, I took AJ for a much needed hair cut. I was a little worried about explaining how we wanted his hair cut but with the help of some very ooh la la Italian fashion magazines, we were able to communicate our wishes. The guy did a great job and AJ was so happy with the result, it is nice to be able to see his face again. Not bad for fifteen euro.

I asked the girl at the shop below our window where she eats out and she recommended a little restaurant outside the tourist strip called Celso, it was a goodie with great service but I think that the close by Dal Buchaniere remains our sentimental favourite. The owner is gorgeous and the whole family work there, it has a nice feel to it and the food is exceptional.

JR and I walked home through the streets of Castiglione hand in hand, we were happy. AJ hugged us both as he was going to bed and said, “Thanks for this year guys, it’s great”. And that is what it is all about.

Tuscan Towns. Tuesday 22nd September, 2009.

As promised our car was at the ESSO station this morning and before long we were sorted with wheels to begin discovering the beautiful Maremma region. We were happy to hopefully have all of the settling in administration completed at long last.

There is no parking inside the city walls of Castiglione della Pescaia so we parked a little way outside and walked a few minutes to our apartment, passing the pasticceria who sells the delightful bombacremas we enjoyed the other day. We took three home for morning tea, AJ was so happy. JR popped on a pot of coffee and we settled in for a treat.

I bought a fresh supply of bread and focaccia at the store almost below our bedroom windows, packed a picnic and before long we were off in our little silver Fiat Punto to get acquainted with the Metalliferous Hills area of The Maremma in beautiful Tuscany. The south of Tuscany is a little different to the Chianti region where we had stayed years before. Down here it is a little more wild and unkept, tousled and straggly looking. The Metalliferous Hills are a happy mix of grape vines, some still yet to be harvested, and olive trees which appear darker than those in Provence.

We drove completely around the village of Scarlino, perched high on a hill commanding the greatest of views to beyond and back. Not far from here was Gavorrano, anchored with old, old stone to the sides of Mount Calvo, also with vast views from the hills to the sea. We went deep into the Centro Storico area, enjoying our voyeuristic ways, looking in on small village life for a while. Cats meowed at our passing, posing for photos as if trained. Locals appearing in their windows always greeted us with a cheery greeting and smile, as we did to them.

It was time to look for a picnic spot en route to our next stop at Massa-Marittima snuggled inside the hills and forests that abound. We will forever be thankful for our wonderful picnic spots in Australia, there is a real lack in Europe. There was nothing suitable between towns so we parked the car just outside the city walls of Massa-Marittima where we had spotted a grassy ledge where we could sit with a panoramic view of the world below, it looked like paradise. We traipsed over, loaded up with picnic supplies and to our dismay there was dog poop absolutely everywhere. It must be a popular spot for walkies!

Never to be defeated we took the steps leading to the heights of the old town. I rounded the corner up the top to such a breathtaking sight, Massa-Marittima was jaw-droppingly gorgeous and it reminded me of Siena, my favourite Tuscan town in so many ways – the steep steps leading to the Cattedrale de S. Cerbone where AJ and I got scolded for taking photos. We decided to keep the rather vocal lady on her toes and had her following us around making sure we were behaving which of course we were.

Back to the picnic... on arriving in Piazza Garibaldi with picnic supplies in hand, there was only one choice of where to eat, right here we decided. We climbed the 20 or so stone steps in front of the Cattedrale and there we ate. I made up crusty Italian rolls and foccacias filled with prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella and slices of ripe tomato; it was so simple and so good. The new butter I bought was snowy white, it is called Burro Dolcepanna, and I will have to learn more about why it is so very white, I am thinking it may be a baking butter??? I am sure we were no end of amusement for the diners at the restaurants and cafes on the far side of the piazza, meanwhile we were laughing at ourselves and how funny we must have looked as we sat high and mighty overlooking all.

Beside the 12th century stone Cattedrale was the Museo Archeologico and its facade became my most special part of the village. Its frontage was inlayed with beautiful tile like plaques, there were many of them, all different. I found out they were family plaques belonging to families that lived in the judicial palace long ago.

We had a gloriously creamy gelato at Bar Centrale, AJ’s was enormous and was filled with the smoothest chocolate and stracciatella gelato flavours. I am back on the fragola trail now that I have become acquinted again with my old favourite flavour. I feel so lucky to be enjoying the simple things in life, it is wonderful and so enriching for our little family.

JR took off for some photo time while AJ and I wandered up via Moncini, and out beyond the city walls passing Torre del Candeliere. Piazza Matteotti, although a bit derelict looking, gave the best views of Massa-Marittima and her collection of terracotta roofs, light and dark in colour. The day was hazy which gave its own special kind of mystique.

Our next destination was Roccastrada where we trekked the narrow streets enjoying a sticky nose at whatever we discovered. Ornella called to check that all was alright with the car and internet, I assured her it was and she said she had felt terrible about the trouble; it is all behind us now and not a worry. We whiled away the remains of the day in Roccastrada, watching the sun turn fiery red as it hung low and weary in the Tuscan sky.

Village voices drifted up to our apartment tonight carried on the night time breeze. Smooth jazz played at the bar around the corner, from the Guru bar where we drank the other night. Castiglione has a great feel to it, it has life and soul and we just love it here.

From Bad To Worse. Monday 21st September, 2009.

I came home armed with a small cob of salted Italian bread and a slab of salt and olive oil foccacia this morning, we enjoyed them lightly toasted, mine with sweet honey.

We arrived at the ESSO service station; about 20 minutes walk from home, by 11ish. We weren’t surprised our hire car wasn’t there as Claudia had promised. The guy in charge had no idea about it either, our lack of language skills made it difficult to explain that the hire car had been organised and we were to collect it here today. We had to stock the house with food and had been waiting to pick up the car to do so. As the supermarket was nearby, we decided to do the shopping and haul it home between the three of us which worked out fine.

It was so different supermarket shopping in Italy in comparison to France. JR was amazed at the amount of shelf space dedicated to different things. There is next to no bread where in France it dominates an entire wall. The range of mozzarella, buffalo and otherwise, takes up miles of the fridge section, breakfast cereal is almost nonexistent with only two choices, a variety of cornflakes and a box of something similar to coco pops, that’s it. Oh well, we will have to carry on the Italian breakfast habit of a bombacrema pastry (we had our first on the way to the supermarket today – OMG, memories flooded back to Hotel Regno breakfasts from two years ago!)

So, we arrive home fuming, no car, and the promised delivery of the internet key that was supposed to arrive yesterday still is not here – NOT HAPPY JAN! We get that Claudia is a lovely scatterbrain and is less than organised but this does nothing to calm us. We are all a tad snippy especially after both transport and internet access had been clearly arranged on acceptance of our home-exchange.

We composed an email, JR had to find an alternative internet cafe to use as the one he used yesterday is closed on Mondays. The new one required a scan of his passport and charged through the nose for only 10 minutes. Anyway, the email was sent asking Claudia to sort out the car hire and internet access as previously agreed and email us asap with a clear solution.
On top of this, JR had taken both AJ’s and my French mobiles to the phone shop to recharge them, surprise, surprise – they were locked and will not work outside of France. We were furious! We had specifically requested they be unlocked when we purchased them as we would be all over the place this year.

Luckily I had my Aussie mobile floating around so we took that back to the phone shop (much later as they only returned from siesta at 4) and were able to get it sorted after some delay as the lady in the mobile phone shop had no internet at the time so could not activate my new number, JR wondered out loud if we were in a third world country.

Mobile phone in hand and internet cafe now closed not allowing us to check Claudia’s response to our email with what to do about the car in the morning, I called Claudia and she was so apologetic. I really don’t think she means any harm at all, she is just terribly disorganised. We were able to share with her that the internet key had arrived at long last, the fact that it will not be activated until midday tomorrow is the least of our worries, we are just happy it is here and is another thing we can cross of the list. She assures me that the hire car will be at ESSO in the morning by 9.30 so fingers crossed all will be well.

AJ had requested risotto for dinner so I created a little recipe that goes like this:

Sautee two finely chopped onions in a sliky combination of fruity olive oil and melted butter, cook them gently with three cloves of finely chopped garlic, 12 year old sons do this job the best. When the onions are soft, remove the casings from four salsiccia sausages bought from the lovely Signora at the local Italian grocer, and separate the meat into small pieces, add them to the onions and garlic which will have filled the house with inviting aromas. Let the sausage cook through and firm up a little, give it time to brown a bit too. Add a generous supply of Arborio rice and stir it making sure it becomes shiny as it is coated with the olive oil, butter and juice from the sausage. I poured in a good splash (or maybe two) of bianco wine I bought from the supermarket which comes in a tetra pack like fruit juice, I paid a whole 1.15 euro (don’t be shocked) and stirred it into the rice on a relatively high heat until it was almost gone entirely. My pot of hot chicken stock was simmering away on the back of the stove and I ladled this into the rice bit by bit, JR and I took turns stirring. The rice became creamy and tender. I added a dollop of rich mascarpone (not a patch on my home made stuff) and too many calories of reggiano cheese, mixed it all together and called AJ in for a taste test. I gotta admit it was pretty damn fine even if I do say so myself.

It was JR’s treat for gelato dessert so we piled out the door and down the street to join the families wandering up and down the main street on which we live.
I look forward to seeing what tomorrow brings...

Our Rain Soaked Village. Sunday 20th September, 2009.

The piazza below our shuttered windows came to life before we did this morning. The rain was constant although at times it waned to a light shower before returning back to heavy downpours. The sky was a solemn and steely grey and it rumbled with thunder as AJ slept and JR and I put on a pot of coffee. Our lounge room overlooks terracotta tiled roofs and they became deeper in colour and shone, taking on a reflective surface that would disappear when the rain was over and the sun returned to Tuscany.

Every so often I would wander to our bedroom, open the window and watch the umbrellas passing below. Welcoming smells of pizzas and sauces wafted up from the restaurant lined streets, I was getting hungry. Italian radio played somewhere outside and drifted into our room, James Blunt sang his familiar songs and it was so nice to hear an English song after so long.

I can’t remember if I mentioned that my computer was fixed in Provence by the lovely Frank at Cie and Co in Nyons. My emails have been downloaded but not all of them and it is only now I am realising the implications of the loss of some of my data. I have to find a way to retrieve the email address for our Venice exchange in October; it has been a while since our last contact. I have an empty contact list and only have email addresses from my most recent emails. I am sure we will find a solution; I think JR worries a little more than I, I remain optimistic that it will work out fine using a little nouse.

It was well into siesta time when we left the house, still with the rain falling around us. Dal Buchaniere, the restaurant where JR and I ate last night was still open so the three of us wandered in and before long we were sharing an authentic pizza with a floury crust, topped with a rich tomato sauce, mozzarella and spicy salami, simple and beautiful. I followed with a risotto of gamberi and funghi, mama mia life is good.

I am sure you are all wondering if and when we will make our mark on Casteglioni to ensure the town will never forget us. The incident happened today during lunch. Our pitcher of red wine arrived along with a jug of water. I filled our water glasses while the waiter fluffed around us taking away things from the table that three diners would not need. He went to take AJ’s very fancy, goblet style water glass away. He lifted it, looked inside, shrugged his shoulders, smiled and off he went. We ate our delicious lunch and lingered for ages, chatting about AJ returning home to high school and all about the fun he had with the local kids last night. He went to take a sip of his water and said, “Why have I got a candle in my drink?” I immediately went into fits of laughter as I realised what I had done to him. I had filled the candle holder with water which AJ had been sipping from during the course of our lunch, he only realised there was a tea light in it just before we were ready to leave; gosh it was funny. The staff all laughed along, I suspect the waiter had told the others and they were waiting to see when our faux pas would be noticed. I am so glad we are able to provide entertainment to the locals wherever we go.

We spent the afternoon exploring the Centro Storico area of Castiglione taking advantage of a break in the rain. AJ had been up to the highest part of the village belonging to a castle and a maze of cobbled streets lined with atmospheric restaurants, so he was our guide. Along the way he shared with us the stories of mischief he and the kids got up to on Saturday night, it took me back a few years that’s for sure. We found bushes of wild rosemary and noted where they were for the nights we cook JR’s rosemary potatoes. Coming back down into the main street of the village we all devoured our first Italian gelato, my mint and strachiatello was the perfect combination and the girl behind the counter was a doll. Come to think of it, all of the locals so far have been wonderful, warm and welcoming.

We cooked Claudia’s pasta dish for dinner, crescents of al dente pasta tossed with olive oil, salt, blushing tomatoes that tasted so wonderful and juicy, teardrops of snow white boconccini and olives that AJ depipped that were as black as night.

Tuscany Bound at Last. Saturday 19th September, 2009.

Darling and lovable Claudia seems to live a life of casual and stylish chaos, her mobile phone never stops, and I get the feeling she puts out fires as she has to and deals with things as they become worthy of her attention. We had planned to leave for Tuscany between 10 and 11 and were out the door just before 1pm after JR patiently sat with her and booked a few legs of her Aussie travels in preparation for when she arrives in Oz . AJ was excited to be driving through the crazy Roman traffic at last, he sat in the back seat with a grin plastered across his face, happy as larry to be in Italy and on his way to Tuscany. His heart has always belonged to Italy since his first visit with us a few years ago.

Castiglione della Pescaia is beautiful. Claudia thinks it has a population of about 5000 both inside and outside of the medieval city walls. Like so many other Tuscan villages and towns, it sits on a hilltop, a castle and clock tower at its height. The added bonus is that it is seaside with miles of beach to explore and a busy and quite large fishing port. We are all brimming with excitement at our new exchange for the next two weeks. Claudia treats AJ like a Grandson, spoiling him with treats, whatever his heart desires and she loves that he loves it. She took us to her favorite local pizza place and would absolutely not allow us to pay. She finished with a ciambella (sugar covered doughnut), giving into her sweet tooth, and brought a chocolate bombacrema to the table for AJ, he is so spoiled. We drove to a nearby beach to meet her friend Katrina. She was sunbaking with friends and came onto the cafe’s terrace for a quick introduction and coffee. Katrian is our local contact if we need help with anything during our stay. She has a thick smoky voice and is brown and a berry which is quite the norm here on the Italian coast.

Our Castiglione apartment is nice and clean, Claudia shares my need for cleanliness which makes me happy. On arrival she opens the windows and shutters which overlook the piazza below with is beginning to bustle with late afternoon meetings of locals. She hasn’t organised the dongle for our internet connection despite previous communication telling us she will show us the internet connection on our arrival, now we have to await her friends delivery of it, who knows when that will be. I emphasise our need for internet as previously discussed with her. She led us to believe it was all organised – maybe in her mind awaiting the delivery of a dongle from her friend (whenever), is a version of organisation and just differs from ours. Our car exchange agreement has been changed also which is not really a drama, it is just that it is Saturday now and our hire car will not be delivered to Castiglione until Monday, leaving us village bound for tomorrow. We think it will be a great opportunity to explore our new home and surroundings so we are not too worried, we are beginning to learn that this is Claudia and her ways, and it fits in with the Italian way perfectly – it is us who have to adjust and that will come with time in our new host country.
We wave goodbye and give Claudia kisses as she leaves to drive back to Rome. We all adore her and her discombobulated ways. We look forward to spending one night with her when we return to Rome.

AJ has a choice of 4 beds to sleep in in his room with its green shutters opening out over the busy piazza just like ours. AJ is keen to get on Claudia’s bike and go exploring so JR and I take part in the very Italian pastime of an evening stroll up and down the busy via. He keeps running into us and seems a bit down. He sees kids out with their friends and I think it reinforces the feeling of loneliness for him. He loves us I know but we are no substitute for his friends. We show him his boundaries around the streets inside the walls and at one end he is allowed to cross the main road on a pedestrian crossing giving him accesss to the pier area and promenade along the beachfront, it will be great for him and safe I am sure.

We arranged to meet back at our piazza at 7.30 and to our surprise AJ arrived with Manuel, a boy his age. They had met in the nearby square. We were going for dinner but AJ was keener to meet a few local kids so off he went with 10 euros in his pocket and pep in his step. Manuel was eating with a group of 12 and 13 year olds, celebrating one of the girl’s 13th birthday. AJ joined in and was allowed out until 10.30 as long as he was with the group. As it turned out, we saw him a few times as we wandered around the village after an amazing dinner of our own consisting of salsicia pizza and spaghetti carbonara. I love Italian food! AJ’s curfew extended out a few times as we bumped into each other. We could see the kids were having innocent fun, running around the streets, up and down from the castle, and he was so happy. He called it quits just after 11 after his new friend was picked up, he was buggered. He caught up with us sitting at a roadside bar, on padded bench seats, I had the remains of a tall Pina Colada on the table. He shared his adventures with us. We were all so happy in our new home, the next chapter in our wonderful adventure making France a faraway, but no less wonderful memory.