AT first I was excited. Then I was terrified. Now I cannot believe my luck. Like one of those befuddled characters in a Hollywood find-yourself comedy, I was that person who, on a dark winter's day, received the unexpected phone call: a voice at the other end saying I had just inherited a 15th century farmhouse and 50 acres of rolling Tuscan countryside.
I had no idea it was coming; the journey of how it had ended up with me being a convoluted one of marriages, divorces and death. But as a result I found myself the sole owner of an Italian property and, I quickly realised, all the responsibilities that come with it.
Aweek or two later, I was firmly in the terrified stage, amid the curling carpets and strip lighting of Stansted airport, waiting to board a Ryanair flight to Florence. I am writing this now because once there I found a place so perfect that I want everyone to experience it.
Let's start with the location. Settled on the crest of a hill less than a mile from Castellina-in-Chianti, the house is in the heart of Tuscany's Renaissance golden triangle. As well as Florence, Pisa and Siena, there are lesser-known gems such as San Gimignano and Val d'Orcia. Yet it is not the splendour of the surrounding cities and towns that makes the location so special.
This story is from the April 23, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 23, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Can Premier League win over fans for a Stateside adventure?
SADIQ KHAN pushing for re-election after promising to bring the Super Bowl to London; the Football Supporters’ Association promising a “full blown, two feet off the ground, studs to the knee tackle” should a single Premier League match head the other way.
SPURS IGNORE WARNINGS AS THEY SELF-DESTRUCT
TOTTENHAM have been more open and lost by bigger margins this season, but last night’s defeat has to go down as their most alarming display under Ange Postecoglou.
Steidten 'ban' gives Moyes space to focus on rescuing season that risks fizzling out
SINCE arriving at West Ham last summer, technical director Tim Steidten has been a very visible presence at London Stadium on match days.
Odegaard: It's okay to dream, but don't lose your focus
Skipper warns team-mates to guard against complacency
Now saviour Harris is aiming to add sparkle to workmanlike Lions
SINCE Neil Harris was parachuted back into Millwall on a rescue mission in February, only promotion favourites Ipswich have taken more points in the Championship.
I know it sounds wild, but you can't beat Toulouse without scoring a lot of points
DANNY WILSON has devised a \"wild\" plan to outscore global superpower Toulouse in Sunday's Champions Cup semi-final.
London stock market drops out of the top 20 destinations for IPOs
LONDON has today fallen out of the top 20 global IPO destinations of 2024, having raised only as much money as Kazakhstan’s stock market, the Standard can reveal.
Patchy but Dua still produces pop gems
LANDING at exactly the right time to boost the spirits of a nation of bored-senseless lockdowners, Dua Lipa’s second album, Future Nostalgia, didn’t just transform her into the pandemic’s answer to Vera Lynn, it elevated her to the big leagues.
Could Baby Reindeer change TV forever?
NOBODY saw this coming. Not Netflix, not its stars, not the public. Baby Reindeer was quietly released last month only to explode. thrilling and appalling viewers everywhere, and becoming one of the most talked about shows in years.
I was spat at in the street because I spoke about the Hamas rapes of October 7
LAST week, shocked at how I had to dress in order to safely walk around where I live, I posted a picture of myself to Instagram. I posted the picture because I wanted to vent — rather than fight — to do something about the madness that goes by the name of the city we live in right now.