Siberian Cold

There’s a deep cold coming down from Siberia.  Homeless people are dying in Poland.  Already it has been a cold winter and it has only just begun.  The mountains around us are white and in the woods you get startling images of black trunks against the snow.  Yesterday there was sun in the sky, not

Lunch in Montefegatesi, a Tuscan village in the mountains

The other Sunday, we left our friend’s house with such a happiness and delight, we felt we had fully experienced Tuscany. The day had dawned cold and wet and bleak and our coffee and brioche for breakfast down at the bar, had been a brisk affair, with the rain slanting in on the verandah where

Lord Byron’s Villa Webb in Bagni di Lucca

Today after another wonderful lunch at the Borghesi restaurant, ravioli arrabiata, verdura sformata, insalata mista, mezzo litro di vino rosso, some tough grainy bread and a cafe simplice, Shona and I were whisked off in the rain to see the Villa Webb. It is a spectacular Villa built in the 16th century, where Lord Byron

New sculptures from Sollai

Sollai’s adventures learning to carve in Pietrasanta have led to more studio time up in the mountains on a friend’s farm looking out over magnificent vistas and finally down on the river where he has a small studio. Here he was able to complete the sculptures he had started in Pietrasanta. It is no easy

A Week in Provence

We have just returned from a wonderful break in Nice. Four hour’s drive from Bagni di Lucca to the boulevard in Nice. Its extraordinary to have so much at our fingertips. While Bagni di Lucca lay cloaked in cloud and rain, Nice was enjoying glorious days, blue blue skies, people sunbathing and swimming and hundreds

Our Beginnings

Twenty six years ago we came to Italy. We came young, enthusiastic, wildly idealistic and full of promise. We were going to spend the rest of our life dedicated to our art and we were going to spend it becoming great. We had met two years before in our final year at art college. We

Rosi’s horse farm in the mountains

            This last weekend we went up to Rosi and Adriano’s horse farm to visit the horses and to observe a horse whisperer who had come to visit. It was a beautiful experience. The little ranch is set up in the mountains amongst the trees. Its peaceful up there. We

Cycladic Art – truth to the spirit

Life is a cool thing. Its funny, not everything is meant to be known to you as you go about life’s lessons, maybe if they were, we would be too cerebral about learning, maybe you have to take things in through the osmosis of the emotions, the brain, the body, so that you really know

Finally the wedding

The weather was warm and delicious when we awoke on Saturday morning, 11th September, 2010. Our beautiful boy, ousted from his regular nest, was with us in our apartment, the four of us crammed and disorganized, everyone trying to shower, to talk, to press the final shirts, work out cuff links, Jake feeling sick as

Just three days from the Wedding Day

Just three days from the day of the wedding we did not have a wedding to celebrate. On this day our caterers told us we no longer had a venue. Our venue was the beautiful Villa Webb and the gardens of Villa Ada, belonging to the commune di Bagni di Lucca. It must be peculiar