Ultimo Giorno di un Sogno

[Lynda Matthews]

The "last day of a dream" has arrived for the six of us. So it is that I am sure we all awoke that Friday morning with a feeling of melancholy, knowing how lucky we all were to have realized a dream come true, but at the same time feeling regret that it is all too soon coming to a close.

We are not sure what the rest of the gang is planning for this morning, but Craig and I have already decided that for our last morning, we will grab the car and head into Buonconvento and have a coffee latte with the locals. Louise and Al are nowhere to be found, however being the earlybirds that they are, we are sure they are already out for their morning walk. Sandy and Joe are taking the opportunity for a little longer sleep in, so we quietly make our way downstairs and into the early morning sunlight. This moment seems to be for us alone and that is great as we motor along the road and into the still sleepy town. It is just 7 AM and we are relishing the quiet and the lack of hustle and bustle on the vacant streets, save for a few folks like ourselves heading to a corner cafe for a morning caffeine jolt and a delicious cornette. Finding a newspaper and a quiet corner we enjoy mingling with the locals; - it is exactly what we wanted to do on our last day here.

In a short while we take a little stroll along the adjoining streets, seeing parts of the town that we have missed on our previous visits. We wonder if we will ever come back here, and while our intentions are good, we also know that the reality of it is that there are many other places we still want to visit. But with everything close at hand and the memories very fresh, it does seem like a wonderful idea.

Eventually we decide that we should head back with the car in case Al and Louise had similar plans of their own. However, when we arrive back at the villa, they are still nowhere to be seen . We are not worried at all because we know from experience that they are great walkers and would likely be covering several miles in and around the area of our villa, spending their last early morning doing one of the things that they like best. But Sandy and Joe have finished breakfast and are now looking to do something, so the four of us head back out to our car with the intention of checking out the Abbey of Monte Oliveto. It is just a stones throw from our villa and is a wonderful attraction that we purposefully left for our last day in this area.

The Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore is a large Benedictine Monastery situated just ten kilometers from Asciano. It was founded in 1319 by three Senese noblemen, Bernardo Giovanni Tolomei, Patrizio Patrizi and Ambrogio Piccolomini, who decided to give up their wealth and privileges in favour of living according to the rule of St Benedict. As the four of us crossed the drawbridge entering through the massive impressive tower, we found ourselves in a courtyard which opened up into a broad avenue of cypresses. To the left there is a botanical garden that supplied medicinal plants to the abbey’s pharmacy. A little further on we saw the fish pond which was designed in 1553 by Pelori and used by the monks to provide fish at those times of year during which the Benedictine rule forbade the consumption of meat. As we followed along the avenue of cypress trees, heading for the Abbey itself, we came across Al & Louise who had already made the rounds of most of the property and were now heading back to the entranceway to have a coffee at the restaurant before leaving. They told us they had first walked from the Villa toward the town of Buonconvento, where there were many opportunities for great photos, and then back again past the villa and on to the Abbey itself. Did they want a lift back to the Villa? Not on your life! They intended on walking all the way back to the villa, where they would now grab a rest, a shower and get ready for whatever was next. You really have to admire their spunk.

As they headed off again, the four of us sauntered on down toward the Abbey itself, and the gift shop, and then made the rounds of the property before heading back to the car and making our way back home again. On the Heaney's advice, Craig and I decided to grab our camera and take a walk along the road toward Buonconvento. Plans were made to have lunch at the Villa for our last day, so there seemed nothing better to do at this point, than to stroll along taking our time while snapping photos of whatever captured our interest. As we reached a highpoint in the road, we saw the perfect scene - a beautiful shot of Buonconvento in the distance.

Eventually we started to feel the effects of being up and about since early morning, and definitely not trying to outdo the Heaney's on the walking bit, which would be an impossibility even if we wanted to, we decided to turn around and head back for a rest. There are no particular plans for the afternoon, just to play it by ear and enjoy the surrounding scenery. Besides lunch in, we are also having dinner at the Villa for our last evening. We cannot think of a place we'd rather be. In the end, with the exception of one more trip into town for a coffee and a pastry - we just can't seem to resist - we all settled in on the garden chairs, each of us with our own thoughts. Sandy brought out her sketch pads and paints and wiled away the time painting the surrounding scenes. The rest of us alternately sat around gazing at nothing and everything! Sometimes what the eye sees is infinitely better and more memorable than any photo can ever be. It is a snapshot that I am sure we all were tucking away in our memory bank, because we knew that tomorrow morning and our departure was coming all too soon. What a fantastic experience this week had been, and even though we will be sad to leave our Tuscan retreat we feel glad that we have allowed ourselves a few more days in which to enjoy Italy before we finally leave for home.

One of Sandy's sketches of the scenery surrounding our villa at Casa Rasa. A wonderful momento that is framed and hanging in our dining room.

Next: Heading out to San Gimignano

[Lynda Matthews]

Thanks Phil. Re the photos: I tried centering them again like you told me - but it kept centering the paragraphs too. So I went back to leaving them to the left. Need to learn more I guess, but I think you said Ning has some defaults that we can't get around?
Lynda

[Phil Falcone - Site Admin]

Great job as always Lynda. The photo placement was just right and Sandy's sketch was a nice touch.