Excellence surrounded us

I have struggled a little over the past 14 days to know what to write about the exquisite experience of a Sunday in Lajatico, Pisa. In the end, I think instead of stumbling with my words, I will leave it to my photos to tell the story.

Lajatico is not just any village – it is the Tuscan hilltop village that is home to Teatro del Silenzio with its annual concert event where honorary president Andrea Bocelli performs.

The tickets were ordered and arrived at my friend’s house, along with poorly translated instructions that didn’t quite give us as much information as either wanted… so, time to do some online research. There were reviews from previous years that talked of poor event organization, long walks on dirt tracks, event goers tightly packed on stuffy buses for more than 30 minutes before the dusty walk to the venue… None of this sounded ideal. We decided to go early and do some exploring – I mean, why not see how close we could drive to it all, particularly if we got there around lunch time, sure we’d find out some more information before the gates opened…?

Opting to avoid the Autostrade in our rented Fiat 500 (just so cute!) we pootled our way from San Gimignano towards the hilltop village, stopping for photo moments and fields of sunflowers, deciding not to take the dirt track at the first turnoff we saw, or in fact, the second. We dutifully followed the paved road, sending the GPS a little crazy with our instance to not follow her instructions, and discovered wonderful views as we climbed towards the host town.

What greeted us was a delighted feeling of welcome. Not showy, but relaxed, with a pinch of excitement thrown in for good measure. Discrete smiles and nods met us we walked up the hill from the parked car. Many of the locals were enjoying a sunday morning solving the world’s problems, or at least those of their corner of the world, at Il Cicolo Arci Rinascita, just across from the main piazza. An empty table with a view proved to be a good spot to take it all in and consider the day.

In the piazza, some of the shops were setting up stands with picnic treats to take to the venue. Others had tables and chairs out, ready for the throng anticipated in the afternoon. Everywhere, the buzz of excitement grew.

We visited a few of the shops, considering our options for our movable feast before venturing out to confirm our path to the venue. It was a nice way to relax into the day and stretch our legs before the evening of sitting.

At 3 p.m. the local crews dispersed to their appointed spots to direct traffic for the next nine hours. I’m sure they were going to be taking it in shifts, but they started out as I suspect they meant to continue – polite, friendly and mostly firm as to who could or couldn’t get closer on the now-blocked roads.

By 6 p.m. we were on our way to collecting our selection of goodies and heading, wandering towards the gate – our passeggiare. There was confusion as to what time they might open, but nobody seemed overly concerned. There was a lovely crowd – mostly Italian, certainly not all from Tuscany – with a good smattering of foreigners for good measure. Some were expats, some were visitors – some in Italy just for this weekend, some for longer.

Slowly the crowd inched down the hill. It seemed small groups were being allowed in, given time to make their way before another group was given access. It seemed to work. And all they checked were our tickets. No “please open all your bags for inspection,” or “you can’t take in food and wine.” It was all incredibly civilized, and just as well, given the crackers, proscuitto, grana-padano and bottle of chianti in the backpack!

With general seating, we were pleased to be there early – not first, by any means, but not last. And delighted with our view. A couple of showers quickly passed over us, thankfully, not heavy. The second shower giving us a double rainbow over the ploughed fields of gold beside the venue.

…and then the skies cleared…

and all was ready.

The evening was fulfilling. It was visceral. It was amazing. It was ‘Pathos’ – the pain of love and realizing of joy.

The first half of the concert was highlights from “Cavalleria Rusticana”, the tragic opera by Tuscan composer, Pietro Mascagni. Andrea Bocelli was ‘Turiddu’ with special guest, Placido Domingo, conducting the Chamber Musicians of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Quadriclavio choir, with Dance l’etoile Giuseppe Picone and National Ballet prima ballerina Bridgett Zehr. …for those of you keeping track, I live next door to the practice rooms of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, so this was a special treat after months of rehearsal!

 

The second half of the concert was filled with arias, duets and choral and instrumental pieces by Ponchielli, Verdi, Puccini, Leoncavallo, and Giordano.

It finished with a duet by Bocelli and Domingo – something I never dreamed I would hear live, and something I will never forget.

It was a long day – and it was worth every moment. Leaving Lajatico almost 12 hours after we arrived, we both knew that we had experienced something incredibly special. …and next year is the 10th anniversary show.

Finding my balance again

Forgive me friends; it’s been eight weeks since my last blog post. Yes, I know, I’m not catholic. I am, however, in Italy. And while many have intimated that in doing so must mean a wonderfully idyllic existence, it, like life everywhere, comes with daily-ness.

Oh, don’t get me wrong – I truly LOVE being here – but life here, like everywhere, still needs routine, whether for one, or with friends, or for your family.

There is still house cleaning and laundry to be done. Groceries to be purchased and meals cooked. There are bills to pay. There is the need to find a new routine and a new balance in this new and ancient land. And as an expat we add language and culture to navigate and learn. There are people to meet. There are friends who will come to stay for a few days and share incredible experiences, and those who don’t seem interested in considering why you have moved your life to a place that is unfamiliar and at times confusing and even difficult.

Interestingly, none of this is new to me – I experienced it all when I moved from Australia to Canada too, twice! AND when I moved from Canada back to Australia! And there were no major language or culture issues to deal with in any of those moves…

What is also interesting is that sometimes …sometimes …sometimes the things we most want to do – which for me includes writing – get subsumed into the daily requirements in the effort to find and stabilize the new life. Ah the joys of the first year as an expat!

This is not an excuse, or a justification – it is my experience… so, apart from daily chores and working on being here, what HAVE I been up to? Lots!

Since I last posted, I’ve had a fabulous weekend with family friends in Barga, spent five fabulous days at Lake Como with a friend, did a day trip to San Marino, Rimini and Ravenna on the Adriatic, enjoyed time with a friend from Michigan, visited Greve in Chianti and Panzano in Chianti for the day, and visited Lucca to walk on the walls.

In June, I spent a week with friends from Melbourne and Perth, Australia, including time in Milan and a long visit to the Last Supper, a day at Lake Como – trains, ferry, Bellagio, ferry, trains. We had four days together in Florence, including “Tuscany in one day sightseeing” tour to Siena, wine tasting with lunch, San Gimignano, and Pisa, all in mid-30s “August” weather! And on their last evening in town, we headed up to Piazzale Michelangelo for one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve seen here.

Since their Thursday afternoon departure, I’ve spent Friday with friends from Canberra, enjoying lunch near the Duomo, aperol spritz on a terrace, and aperitivo and dinner on Borgo Ognisanti. Saturday evening I thoroughly enjoyed dinner with friends from Calgary, enjoying local food and wine while the band played great covers, and not Waltzing Matilda!

Today I choose to write. I toyed with just writing stories for each of these wonderful adventures and loading them, back-dating them and sending out links, but changed my mind. There are tales to tell and photos to share… I don’t want to cheat you, the stories, or me… So I ask for your patience as I continue to write, edit photos, learn Italian, teach English – in Milan and soon online, build a photography portfolio on crated.com, write proposals/quotes for B2B copywriting jobs, and try to enjoy being in this fabulous city and country!

Stick around – I think you’ll like the tales and photos of the past couple of months, along with all the new experiences yet to come!