Pistoria Cemetery

It was in Pistoria that I discovered, just down the road from his house on a late afternoon stroll- my first European cemetery. It is the most beautiful I've seen, now in comparison, to the ones I came across on the rest of my trip. 

All the locals from the town are buried here.

This one in particular had something dark and delicate about it, from the burnt glass cross to the dead flowers lying across each grave.

Comfort Cooking

I went for a late lunch at this homely restaurant, similar to a little Italian kitchen, in the centre of Pietrasanta one day in July. They served small portions of Primi, Secondi and Digestivi along with a carafe of red wine- the many courses traditional of Italian culture.

For starters, as shown in the picture above (taken with digital G12), we were served Melanzane alla griglia, torta e bruschetta con salsa di pomodoro e picolo polpette. And many wonderful things to follow. 

Village Green

Riding through Forte Dei Marmi and into Pietrasanta, occasionally I would wander through shaded side streets, past crumbling-stone mansions and under tall bristling trees, along open wheat fields and past soundless glassy rivers. The cool breeze and endless roads were a relief from the hot sun and long hours of working and I would try get out often.

My Gran had a loaded apricot tree in her back garden where her neighbours hung their washing, all preen and pegged, and I thought the image was so characteristic of Tuscan society.

I collected a few apricots, washed them and put them in a bowl on the kitchen table where they glowed in the sun. 

The Girls

There are a few glass candy jars placed around the house- the kids always used to stick their little fingers in there and pull out a lollipop (chubachuba- Italian for lollipop), coloured gummy bear or pink sugar-coated marshmallow before giving a little persuasive grin.

The girls were constantly having to be kept entertained, most days we went to the beach -Bagno Annetta, one of the most revered beach clubs in Italy-  and played in the sand and swam. They had a large wicker basket full of toys- buckets, spades, plastic boats and multicoloured animal moulds.