Can any view be more serene than that of the Tuscan hills and fields surrounding the Abbey of Sant’Antimo that we had the good fortune of visiting on Day Seven of our Italian holiday just over a month ago.

After a week exploring the beauty that is Tuscany day nine of our Italian holiday was a wonderful cooking class with Serena in her lovely home in Gambassi Terme. I had been looking forward to this all week, particularly as we were enjoying Tiramisu desserts everywhere we went. Now we were going to learn how to make it together with so many other delicious dishes. If anything justifies the term transformation it’s converting mascarpone cheese, eggs, biscotti, sugar and vinsanto wine into a dessert to die for.
The class was a great success as you can see and lunch with the products of our hard labour! was simply delicious. Grazie molto to Serena of Serena Tuscan Holidays who made it all possible, both for the cooking class and for arranging the lovely country home where we stayed with our dear friends who shared the adventure with us. A special thank you to them also for such happy memories.
Siena, 23.5.15 matted and framed.
Our last visit to Montalcino and Sant’Antimo was in April 2000. At that time we took the bus from Siena to Montalcino and then walked the final 10 kilometers to the Abbey. We returned again this year the day after our visit to Volterra and San Gimignano, and seventeen years later the journey and destination were as memorable as ever.
San Gimignano Study 28.5.15 matted and framed.
After Siena the Tuscan landscape en route to the ancient hilltop town of Volterra.
Rosso Fiorentino. Deposition 1521
Luca Signorelli, Annunciazione, 1491
Volterra is also renowned as Italy’s capital of alabaster and visiting the Rossi Alabaster gallery and workshop on Piazza della Pescheria it is clear why.
After Volterra it was on to San Gimignano.
The towers of this iconic hilltop town dominate the horizon for miles around.
The surrounding Tuscan landscape shimmering in the evening light.