Night light, Lucca

CHIESA DI SAN GIUSTO > SAN MICHELE IN FORO > A MIDNIGHT SPIN IN PIAZZA NAPOLEONE

Village hopping, Tuscany

Outside the walls of Monteriggioni > inside the walls of Monteriggioni > San Gimignano > Bagno VignonI

Ecco a bit of an eclectic collection of pics from some of our day trips around the historical villages of Tuscany. There was so much to take in - I got distracted by all the sightseeing and neglected to take photos for large parts of the day. This is how I've ended up with only a shot of a cute café in Bagno Vignoni and none of its beautiful thermal baths. If you're curious, check them out here.

Day to night, Siena

THE CATHEDRAL OF SIENA, DUOMO DI SIENA, AT 5PM > PIAZZA SALIMBENI AT 9PM > PIAZZA DEL CAMPO AT MIDNIGHT

There is no doubt that Siena is beautiful under every light but to me it's at its most breathtaking at night. We spent about an hour sitting in the piazza after dinner.

Siena by sky, Tuscany

THE TOWER OF THE SIENA PALAZZO PUBBLICO, "TORRE DEL MANGIA" > THE MAGNIFICENT CATHEDRAL OF SIENA, "DUOMO DI SIENA" > PIAZZA DEL CAMPO AND ITS FOUNTAIN, "FONTE GAIA"

We arrived just a day too late to watch the Palio di Siena. It’s a bareback horse race held in the Piazza del Campo, opposing riders from ten of the different city districts. It sounds like it’s a pretty awesome event but also a hectic and crowded one, with thousands of tourists filing into the piazza and riders flying of their horses mid-race. Probably not such a bad thing we arrived when we did – still early enough to see the winning team parade through the Siena streets and what was left of the thick layer of dirt laid around the piazza for the race (faintly noticeable on the third picture).

The Chianti sunshine, Tuscany

MY SISTER STROLLING DOWN THE PIAZZA, GREVE IN CHIANTI > A CORNER OF THE GORGEOUS LITTLE TOWN OF PANZANO IN CHIANTI > THE PERFECT TUSCAN LUNCH SPOT, PANZANO IN CHIANTI

Here are a few pics brought back from a week in Tuscany with my sister. This has to be one of the most charming parts of the world. Many more photos to come.

And here is the link I promised in my last post, finally! The exhibition opens on 8 September.

A taste of Provence, Roquefort-les-Pins

HOME MADE TOMATO AND GARLIC PIZZA, LIGHTLY BATTERED ZUCCHINI FLOWERS (ALL FROM THE GARDEN) > TOMATO SALAD WITH FOUR DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF TOMATOES FROM THE GARDEN… ADD SOME CÔTES DE PROVENCE ROSÉ AND YOU HAVE IT ALL

The rain seems to have followed me all the way to the South of France ! I do realise that I seem to mention the weather in every post but this topic becomes the national obsession during the summer months… and it’s rubbed off on me.  We did however get some sunshine yesterday (yes, more weather talk) and soaked up the rays over a long family lunch (yes, more photos of food). My sisters’ mother* and her husband are wonderful cooks and masters of Provence cuisine.  Plus, he is a fantastic artist: he has an exhibition coming up in September. I’ll find out more about the details and send you a link soon!

*Some clarification: my two sisters are my half sisters – same Ausie father, different mother. 

Press pause, Les Saisies in Savoie

My sister, my niece and I enjoyed a bit coffee, texting and flower picking after an afternoon mountain walk... making the most of our second day of sunshine for this trip.