Neighbors

When the electricity in the apartment fails, the immigration appointment is cancelled, and you have wonderful neighbors who say, "Take the bus tomorrow and join us at the beach",  you pack immediately.  

During the first month in my apartment in Florence, I met my next door neighbors-- first I talked with Ursula over the garden fence, then a couple of weeks later,  she and Sergio invited me for dinner. We quickly formed a connection and have shared many local activities, meals, and travels. They met my kids on Christmas Eve, and we had lively conversation over a holiday aperitivo. 

The beach that my neighbors frequent is in the Maremma, the coastal area of Tuscany that borders the Tyrrhenian Sea.  At one time the area was marshland and infested with mosquitoes carrying malaria.  By order of Fernando I de'Medici, the area was drained.  Now, centuries later, the hillsides are beautiful with many agricultural fields.  To reach them, I took two busses and they met me at the bus station in Grosseto. We ate a wonderful seafood lunch, stopped at a winery, and did some exploring before going to Il Pino B&B, near Vetulonia, in the municipality of Castiglione della Pescaia.  This is the Tuscany of post cards-- pine and cypress trees, sunflowers, rolling hills, and the sea!

The B&B was up a dirt road, through a grove of olive trees. ( http://www.ilpinobeb.it/en/#home)

We were greeted by the friendly owners and their equally friendly dog, Leopoldo, or Poldo for short. The grounds are filled with flowers and giant agave plants. My accommodation was a two-floor small apartment, with a kitchen and a patio, pictured below.  For my first night, Ursula suggested that we eat dinner on the patio, so we could watch the sunset over the hills. (NB- The pool in the photo is about a dozen steps from the patio- just a bad perspective in this photo.  For the two mornings I was there, I got up extra early to swim before breakfast, which I think the owners found amusing. But, the second morning the cover was off the pool before I had to ask.) 

We had two warm and sunny beach days.  There are different beach areas-- the public area where people bring their own beach gear, and the private area where you pay for chairs and umbrellas.  That's the side my neighbors chose, and it was very comfortable.  We brought lunch with us, though there was a cafe to purchase coffee, salads, pasta, snacks, gelato.  Before we ate, Sergio bought three small bottles of wine to accompany lunch.  Italy, right? 

For dinner that evening, the choice was either seafood or meat.  Since I don't like most shellfish, my neighbors decided on a favorite place in the area-- a farm that produces all their food, and serves dinner several nights a week. ( https://www.biotodo.it)

Golden light on the fields before sunset. 

Antipasti.  Not for vegetarians!! 

Our dinner on the grill! 

Dinner was a feast-- antipasti, zucchini salad, eggplant, tomatoes, bread, wine, mixed grill (pork for me and Ursula, steak for Sergio), dessert and grappa.  The total cost was 20 euros each.

After the second beach day, we returned to the B&B to shower before the two-hour drive to Florence.  We stopped for dinner at the medieval, walled village of Monteriggiani.  Another fascinating piece of history!  In the car, I said to Ursula that she and Sergio could start a tour company.  She replied, "So far, we've only shown you 1% of what we know."  Sign me up for the other 99 percent, per favore!