Toscanizzimo!

It was a fun weekend. Well, I had expected the Friday night to be memorable, because that was the first time that I invited anyone to my new flat in 11 Casato di Sopra, but  only a few, because Paolo (my architect) thinks we are going to run into  problems with the condominio- i.e the other residents of the building concerning our intended work, and he wants me to be very, very well behaved. I did not see why I couldn't offer some friends an aperitivo in my own flat, so I went ahead. And above is my guest book , which had its first entries- I hope there will be many!

                                                      

 Carol took some inspired shots ofrom my balcony...and for the first time I saw what my view is like when the sun has set and darkness invades the city around me...

       

A few friends continued for a jolly wine flowing dinner at my present flat, Via Roma. On the Saturday I felt inclined to indulge in what my friend Cressida calls a 'robe day'...

I was rather brusquely awoken by the sounds of drums under my window again on Sunday morning, as the Valdimontone Contrada had seemingly not had enough parading last week, but were out in force again, and as usual decided to make the space just below my window the centre of their drumming and flag- throwing activities:

                                                 

Since I am always a happy spectator of these Senese events, I did not mind, and that was in fact lucky because soon they were joined by the whole of the Oca Contrada, whose turn it was to parade around town this Sunday:

Having enjoyed this interlude from  my window I went off to mass at the Cathedral, with every intention returning back to the flat and spending a useful and peaceful afternoon at home, engaging in some neglected domestic tasks like hoovering, dusting and doing the washing. That soon proved to be unfeasible, when I received an invitation from Antonella which was just too tempting: did I want to go to an Agriturismo place situated in a village called Panzano in Chianti for a wine and oil tasting? Well, who wouldn't? 

Beautiful scenery of course, with lovely Tuscan little eats to go with the Chianti Classico- I learned a new word- and these 'izzimo' superlatives always make me smile: it was all Toscanizzimo!