Author: Amy

August 30th to Oct 2nd

I had planned another farm stay in Southern Italy next however they canceled on me do to lack of work. I spent a lot of time during my first stay looking for a replacement. I know I complained about that already. I did find a nice farm in Spain but with my holiday expenses coming up and my desire to see more of Spain then one place when I do go I decided to stay in Italy. I hope to go to Spain in the spring. So I took a nanny job on the coast near the Adriatic Sea. After the extreme heat on the farm I was ready to be near some water. Nicole and Enrico have two son’s Giammarco 11 and Leopoldo 5. They also have a very sweet dog Tommy. They are super kind people with wonderful friends and extended family. So when I say it was me not them I really mean it. I missed the physical labor of the farm and the seclusion. I know crazy, right. I also really missed no TV and no plastic bottle water. Once the kids started school I became very bored. Before school started Leo went to Nona’s house most days so it was not a lot more to do anyway. I made Giammarco and myself lunch and tried mostly with failure to get him off the TV. I can not even help Giammarco with homework because I do not know enough Italian. I try to do as much house work as I can. They have a maid come every Tuesday and Thursday. I do some laundry and dishes everyday. I did take the train to Fano and Ancona where I did some site seeing. The family included me in birthday parties, family lunches, and beach parties. I just had too much free time and nothing to do. So again it was me. Not them. I have 3 days and I will be in Naples for a few days before flying to my next farm stay in Australia. I am sure I will post about Naples…Napoli. I am going to Pompeii and we will see what else.

Roma August 18th and 19th

I met Maria and Donna in the city near our Airbnb around 1:30 PM. She had reached out to see if we could check in early at 2:00 PM, and thankfully, they said yes. We had a golf cart tour booked for 4:30 PM, which turned out to be a fantastic way to see everything after our long journey to get here.

During the tour, we stopped at the piazza to look at the fountains, followed by the ancient ruins of Trajan’s Market and Trajan’s Column. We also stopped to take photos at the Colosseum before heading up to Palatine Hill. It is the centermost of Rome’s seven hills, rising 40 meters above the Roman Forum, and is known as the historic birthplace and cradle of the Eternal City.

• Mythological Origin: Roman legend states that Romulus founded Rome on this hill in 753 BC after a ritual where he defeated his brother, Remus. It is also believed to be the site of the Lupercal cave, where the she-wolf Lupa raised Romulus and Remus.

• Fun Fact: The word “palace” in modern languages derives directly from Palatium, the Latin name for Palatine Hill.

Our last stop on the tour was the Orange Trees Garden, which offers a truly spectacular view of the city. That evening, we ate dinner close to where we were staying and called it a night.

On Day 2, we took a tour of the Vatican, which ended up taking up most of the day. We stopped by the Trevi Fountain on our way back before heading out for an evening cooking class with Nona. The class was held in Palambara Sabina, so it took some time to travel there and back. It is a beautiful, very small town that reminded me of Monticello Amiata. We all really enjoyed the experience, and I think we will all be making pasta. She made an incredible sauce with oil, lemon zest, and crushed almonds that I am definitely going to recreate.

That wrapped up our time in Rome. It really is a wonderful, ancient city. However, there was a lot of graffiti, which made me a bit sad. Perhaps that negative vibe came from the contrast of just leaving the peaceful farm; I knew it might be a hard transition going from the countryside to a busy city. But the absolute best part was reuniting with Maria and Donna—it was so wonderful to see them.

Florence (Firenze) — 4 Nights (August 20th – 24th)

I am so glad we chose to stay here the longest; it is easily my favorite place. We arrived in the evening because we had a 3:30 PM train out of Rome. We arrived at the platform right on time, but the train only stayed for about a minute before shutting its doors—right on Maria and Donna! The doors closed before they could step on, so they had to catch the next train out while I waited for them at the station. It was no big deal, but definitely a lesson learned: always be early and make sure you are waiting at the proper car stop.

• Train Travel Tip: If your ticket says you are in Car 7, make sure you are standing right where it stops, or just jump onto any open door when the train arrives and walk through the cars to find your seat. You should use the “Trenitalia” app to buy tickets, and always try to book the direct Frecciarossa trains. Avoid Trenitalia TPER, Intercity, or Regionale trains if you can. Those operate more like subways—they have no assigned seats, no luggage storage, and lots of stairs, making them very uncomfortable and confusing for tourists.

Olivia had helped me buy all of our tickets before I left the farm and taught me how to navigate the app, including how to find the right buses to get to our Airbnbs. However, we ended up just taking Ubers out of convenience. It cost a bit more, but we took turns paying for them.

Our Airbnb was a penthouse with no elevator and 88 stairs. Lugging our seven suitcases up there was incredibly rough, but the view made it totally worth it!

• Fun Fact: When buying real estate here, the higher up the property is, the cheaper it is. This is because properties closer to the ground stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Luckily, our place had great AC, and the view was absolutely spectacular—especially walking into it during golden hour.

As we walked the streets for the first time, I couldn’t stop smiling. It was so beautiful. At first, I didn’t notice any graffiti at all, though I did spot some later in the trip—but definitely not as much as in Rome. We first stumbled upon the Piazza della Signoria, the main square, where we saw the incredible fountain and statues, including Perseus holding the head of Medusa and several statues of Hercules.

The most beautiful building I saw during the entire holiday was the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo). It completely took my breath away. When it was completed in the fifteenth century, it was the largest church in the world, and it still holds the absolute record for the largest masonry dome. I could not believe my eyes when I turned the corner and saw it for the first time.

For dinner, we went to Trattoria Za Za, which had been recommended to Maria. We sat outside, and it suddenly started raining harder than I had seen the entire time we’ve been in Italy, accompanied by incredibly strong winds. Luckily, the restaurant’s glass barriers raised up and completely enclosed us to keep us dry. I really wanted to try the famous Florentine steak, so Maria and I decided to share one alongside our appetizers and pasta. I didn’t actually look up what it was before ordering, and it turns out we didn’t really care for it! It was exactly as described when I looked it up later: a very thick, bone-in steak seared on the outside at a very high temperature with no oil, butter, or seasoning, leaving it incredibly rare on the inside. Thankfully, everything else we ordered was delicious.

I had a ton of local recommendations from Giorgia (Elena’s best friend, who is from Florence). Unfortunately, because we visited in August, almost all of those authentic, local places were closed for the summer holidays. We were really hoping to check out some thrift stores and antique shops, but they were all closed too. Tori had asked me to look for some special perfume, and Giorgia had highly recommended a shop called Bizzarri for essential oils and tailored perfumes, but that was closed as well. Luckily, there were still plenty of other shops open, so we spent the next two days shopping, eating, and touring our way around the city.

On our third day, we booked a private tour with a driver named Luca (whom Maria’s cousin, Cindy, always uses when she visits). He picked us up at 9:30 AM and drove us out of the city into the beautiful Tuscan countryside. Our first stop was a private tour of Solatione, a vineyard that produces a fantastic Chianti Classico. Francesca and her brother run the vineyard now, which their parents originally started back in 1972. We weren’t very familiar with Chianti Classico before, but we learned to look for the signature black rooster on the bottle. It was such a special experience; Francesca is wonderful, and we all just loved her.

Afterward, Luca took us to San Gimignano, a beautiful, historic small town. We shopped and toured around for about an hour before heading out to a farm-to-table lunch. We ate at Fattoria Poggio Alloro, which is an absolutely gorgeous farm. They have everything right there: fresh homegrown produce, olive oil, wine, chickens, and beautiful white Chianina cows. They produce everything they serve in the restaurant right on-site. You can even stay there, as it features a boutique hotel. Lunch was delicious and filled with more food than we could possibly eat, including the best ragu I have ever had in my life. After eating, we went to see the beautiful cows. Knowing where the food came from made it a bit tough for me, so you can imagine how hard it was for Donna! While we were there, the last living brother who originally started the farm came out to see us. He is 91 years old and still works the farm every day. I can’t remember his name, but he was incredibly sweet and loved taking photos with us.

Luca also gave us a quick lesson on the local Italian names for the regions, pointing out that:

• Rome is Roma
• Florence is Firenze (or Frenezia as written locally)
• Venice is Venezia
• Naples is Napoli
• Tuscany is Toscana

On our very last day before heading to Verona, we went up to San Miniato al Monte. It is a stunning basilica located on one of the highest vantage points in the city. It was built all the way back in 1018 and has an adjoining Olivetan monastery. You could easily spend hours just walking through the historic graveyard, though we didn’t have that much time. I am so glad we made the trip up there.

Verona August 24th

I also absolutely loved our one night in Verona (where we stayed on the 24th). Verona is famous for being the home of Romeo and Juliet—and yes, they were real! I would have liked to have seen more of the city and a show in the Verona Arena. It looks like the Colosseum but smaller and it is actually older. They have concerts and theatrical events. They did not have one the night we were there. We did a moon light tour. We saw Juliet’s balcony. We had one of my favorite lunches before leaving for Venice. The restaurant is called La Vecia Mescola Dell’Oste.

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Venice (Venezia) August 25th-28th

So I knew it was on the water and you had to boat in but I didn’t really know that it is literally built in water. There are no roads, it is pretty amazing. I recommend if you have never read anything or watched a documentary about the construction of Venice do so. We looked it up on you tube and watched it at night. You walk around on alleys. All transportation is by boat, fire engines, ambulances, and everything and everyone is brought in on a boat. It has to be one of the most unique cities in the world. We has a blast, from our favorite restaurant, AlVecio Marangon, to a private boat tour with a murano glass factory experience and a visit to Burano Island. It was the perfect end to to our Italian tour.

Today is August 29th and I left the farm on August 18th. I spent the next 10 days on holiday with Maria and Donna. Yesterday we went our separate ways, them flying home and I took the train to head towards my next workaway on the coast of Italy near Fano. I will be a nanny for two boys. I had a couple of free days before I start that job so I got a hotel and figured it would be the perfect time to catch up on my writing. I also needed a vacation from the vacation as we did not slow down for a minute.

On my last night at the farm, Elena hosted a dinner party. It was the perfect way to end my stay with everyone. I got to make my “Marry Me Chicken” for the group and show Basilia how I prepare it.

Dario made dessert—a baked peach served with homemade lavender ice cream. It was absolutely delicious.

The best part of the evening was spending time with all the amazing people I had met during my stay. Elena gave a heartfelt goodbye and safe-travels speech that touched everyone. By the end of the night, all of the women had gathered in the living room, laughing, talking, and enjoying each other’s company.

As we chatted, we realized that Josh and Olivia needed to be in Grosseto the next day at exactly the same time as my train departure. It felt like a wonderful coincidence and meant I got to spend a little extra time with them before leaving.

I will miss everyone, but I also know that the friendships I made here will stay with me long after I leave Le Pianore. The people, the conversations, the laughter, and the shared experiences are what made this place so special. As I head off to my next adventure, I carry those memories with me and leave feeling grateful for the kindness and connection I found here.

Towns I visited

Monticello Amiata-home, population about 400

Monte Amiata-At the very top is the beech forest, a massive ancient woodland and one of the largest beech forests in Europe

Paganico- the best gelato, Oasi del Goloso

Seggiano- Fermento, home restaurant experience and the best pizza I ever had

Mt. Labbro-magical

Montalcino- home of Brunello

Castle del Piano- great evening strolls with the dogs

Grosseto- the largest town near the farm, it was also the hottest

Siena- beautiful historic town with lots of shopping that I would have enjoyed more if I had not been alone

Pienza- I wish I had seen more of this beautiful town

advice if in Italy

always check for local market days, most towns have them

Galvanina chinotto biologico- drink instead of coke, ask for a glass with ice and a slice of lemon and orange

Enrica, Alceo, and Calypso

Giorgia and David

Francesco and Laura

drink instead of coke

“We are all in the same boat”

Saturday August 8th

I haven’t written in a while. It is so hot. It is still at least 95 degrees until 6:00 PM. I am being generous, not exaggerating. I knew what I was getting into. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It’s like having a baby, you know it is going to be hard, but when it happens it is harder than anything you could have imagined, and beautiful at the same time. No one here was prepared for this heat. We are all suffering together. Most days we finish lunch and everyone rests for a while. When we all emerge, it’s still as hot as it was. I am not sharing this to complain. In fact, these challenges are part of the reason I chose this journey. Growth rarely happens when everything is comfortable. The purpose of this year is not to relax, but to learn, contribute, adapt, and gain experiences that will help me grow as a person.

We have planted a lot in the garden this week and it is looking really nice. We planted some special tea for Francesco, lots of different salads, and beets. The pumpkins are growing , varieties I have never seen. There will always be weeds to pull, watering to do, and straw to lay. I have been thinking about how much we are like a garden, full of weeds, scars from old seasons, and patches that never grew the way we hoped. Growth doesn’t come from perfection; it comes from tending what remains, pulling what no longer serves us, and trusting that something beautiful can emerge from the mess. The flowers are not remarkable because the garden was flawless. They are remarkable because they grew anyway.

On that note, I am still hoping for more time to practice meditation. I think I am getting better at staying present and I have less negative thoughts.

“Piano Piano”—slowly. 

At the summit of Mount Amiata lies a beautiful beech forest, alongside a small ski resort that is currently closed. I’ve visited several times now, never turning down an invitation to return. The forest creates a transformative drop in temperature; it gets so crisp that I always bring a long-sleeve shirt along. Photos simply can’t do this place justice. Because beech trees are deeply competitive, absorbing all the soil’s nutrients, they prevent almost anything else from growing beneath them. They rise incredibly tall with smooth, pale trunks. Driving through, you are completely enveloped by them—lining both sides of the road and stretching back as far as the eye can see. The air is remarkably fresh, and the forest floor is dotted with large boulders carpeted in vibrant green moss. 

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of cooking for the family, and my chicken dish was a total hit with everyone.The celebrations continued for Enrica’s boyfriend, Alessio, for his birthday. Dario joined us for the festivities. Basilia had other plans and sadly could not attend. After dinner, we all danced, and I absolutely loved the pure euphoria everyone shared while completely sober. In fact, I haven’t seen a single drunk person since I arrived here, which is incredibly refreshing. We danced on the tables, out in the yard, and to the absolute best music. 

I saved the best part of the week for last.  I had the best pizza of my life.  Laura and Marcello run an amazing restaurant right out of their home. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, they started making pizzas, and people would call ahead or just knock on the door to pick them up. Yes, it was totally illegal at the time, but it was the beautiful beginning of their dream coming to life. They eventually moved to Seggiano and transformed the bottom floor of their stunning house—which actually used to be the local jail—into a unique restaurant experience. The name is Fermento, and you can find them on Instagram under @fermento.seggiano. They initially launched with an intimate indoor concept called “The Table,” which you have to book in advance. It seats 16 people, meaning you get to share the evening and dine alongside other guests. The experience includes eight different specialty pizzas and a single cocktail, with the option to order more drinks if you’d like. Marcello acts as the chef, while Laura plays the host, guiding everyone through the stories behind each pizza and its unique ingredients.  Two nights a week in the summer, they also open up their outside patio, which accommodates about 30 people. For the patio experience, pairs of pizzas are continuously brought out to small communal table all night long until everyone is completely full. They open the patio at 7:00 PM, allowing guests to show up at any time after that—ideally staggered so everyone doesn’t arrive at the exact same moment. While the patio pizza is still incredibly special, it has a slightly more casual vibe compared to the fancy, curated experience inside.  We had the patio experience as Elena’s guest and I am hoping to go again before I leave. Our table was under the oldest Fig tree I have ever seen. I ate a fig and it was deliciously sweet. So if you are anywhere in Tuscany it recommend this experience, it will be worth traveling Seggiano.

Adding more photos to my VSCO

It has been 5 days since I have wrote. It actually feels longer.

I wondered if anyone still built houses of stone. The answer is yes. Not a lot of stone masons still exist. In Italy, the situation of the traditional stonemason—known as a scalpellino (stone carver) or muratore di pietra—has declined. It takes a highly skilled local artisan who constructs or carves stone purely by hand. It was a generational craft, passed down from father to son, and the young Italians are choosing other career paths.

I had the pleasure this week of watching a scalpellino at work here on the farm. He built a beautiful couch in the yard. He does still build houses and I have no idea what it costs, but he deserves every penny.

John and I went up to Monticello Amiata in the evening a couple of times this week. There are no shops there really. There are 2 bars where locals gather. A post office I have never seen open. A restaurant I haven’t been to yet nor have I seen it. But a group of us are going Friday night. I also know there is a grocery store somewhere, but I have not seen it either. Convenience store—no. There must be a gas station, but I don’t know where.

Saturday 25th

The last trip up we went up the hill past the bar and parked. We saw Enrica and her boyfriend leaving their house and I found out Basilia’s house is there too. The houses are all connected and we decided to walk the streets. It is beautiful. We found a hidden meat shop and an old well that used to be the only water supply until the houses got plumbing.

Sunday 26th

Dario, John, and I went to Montalcino. Dario wanted to buy a gift for a friend and we went for the ride and gelato.

It is a beautiful town full of wine shops. It is the home of Brunello, so the drive there was vineyard after vineyard. When we got back to the farm, we got in the car with Giovanni and went right back to Montalcino. We shared a nice bottle of wine and charcuterie. It was relaxing and we got to know Giovanni. It had been hard to do on the farm because he only knows a few words in English, so everyone speaks to him in Italian. We were finally alone with him to use our translator apps.

There was a concert in the castle, but it started so late we didn’t pay to go in. We put a blanket down and listened for a bit.

Monday night 27th

John and I went to Castel del Piano. It is only 30 minutes from us, next to Arcidosso. Actually, we stopped in Arcidosso and ate pizza. Nothing was really happening in Castel del Piano, but we did find Dario and Giovanni having a beer. The dogs were with them. We chatted a bit and all headed home.

Tuesday night 28th

We went to Olivia’s and Josh’s house to play ping pong. I got a better tour of their home, which I love. Of course we had snacks and kombucha.

So I am all caught up. Today is Wednesday and we are not going anywhere tonight. Tomorrow I am off and I plan on cleaning and looking for my next stay. Also, I want to call a lot of people.

I had the day off and I took the bus to Siena. It was hot and a lot of tourist. I did have a good lunch and tried wild bore for the first time. It taste like beef. I walk around and by 3:00 I was ready to go back to the farm. It is boring site seeing a lone. I decided I probably won’t go anywhere on my days off by myself again.

Mt. Labbro– Is famous for the story of Davide Lazzaretti, a 19th century religious visionary who founded a Utopian Christian socialist community on the remote Tuscan mountain peak. The movement combined traditional Catholic devotion with early socialist ideals, advocating for common property, equality and brotherhood for the impoverished rural classes of the Monte Amiata region.

Elena siad there would be a dance on a mountain and her son Filippo would be playing. She ask John and I to join her. She told John we would all be wearing headphones. That is all I knew before going. The mountain was about 45 minutes from home and it was a short walk from the car park to the top.

There were 16 adults and 2 children. The music was very powerful. The closest description I have is warm electronic. A lot of the songs had no words and the ones that did were about healing and forgiveness. The energy was beautiful and everyone moved to their own rhythm. Some people climbed the hill and danced on the top of the church. We all did whatever we felt, literally. I cried a few times and so did John. I would do it again if given the chance. After we had a picnic with good food and wine and talked about the profound experience we had just shared. When the sun went down we climbed down together. I will cherish the memory of this evening of dance on Mt. Labbro forever. A truly amazing experience. Mt. Labbro is a magical place.

John and Chico- He has visited John several times so I looked it up and it means transformation, hard work and good luck. Many cultures view beetles as a sign of personal growth, fresh start or an upcoming life shift.

It was a really nice day, still hot but but 85-87 degrees. John and I started in the garden. Then we helped Dario with the chicken pin. After lunch and a shower Elena taught us to make kombucha and we canned some pickles.

John and I are both struggling to retain Italian. we decided to write down words and sentence to see if it helps. Elena loaned me the book “The light Eaters” by Zoe Schlanger.

Tuesday July 21st
Today it rained not a lot but it made me happy. We weeded in the green house. After Elena told us to help Dario. The 5 chickens we have left have been in a temporary pin for almost a year and it is time to relocate them. The new pin is really large and will have several smaller things inside. Dario sees it. I am just doing whatever he says for now. The pin is in a open field that is super hot so I knew whatever we worked on it was going to be hot. I went to the kitchen to tell Basilia I was not eating lunch today and she motioned me to come in and pointed to the zucchini flowers and I said ok mangia. Everyone loves them. After lunch which usually wraps up about 3:00. John and I went to the pond. It isn’t moving any more because of the heat and lack of water. There is a lot of plant debris and algae. It is still refreshing. I do think a lot about all the gardening tools and yard work things I had. I wish I had here. I really wish I had my weed eater.

Yesterday a new John came. We call him Giovanni. He is from Naples. He is about my age, I think he said 50. He owned, or still owns, I am not sure, a wine shop. He is here to work with the grapes. He seems very nice but doesn’t speak English, so we can’t talk like John and I can. I will get to know him I am sure.

It was a pretty quiet this week around here. Elena and Francesco were in Naples. They got back yesterday. Dario was gone overnight. A lot of the time it was just Basilia, John and I. Dario and I did go up to the top of Mt. Monticello. It is covered in dense beech trees. It is really hard to describe. It is beautiful and the air temp. is wonderful. I stuck my head out the window like a dog.

I have been spending a lot of my free time applying for my next Workaway. The one I thought I had stopped responding. Everyone is telling me not to worry, that I will find something, but I am either not getting a response or getting no’s. I want to have that planned so I can just be present or planning my trip with Maria. It’s in less than a month. I have decided that after the vacation with her, I am cutting my hair.

*I am going to post extra pictures on my VSCO. You can get to it at the bottom of any page.

Elisabetta and Ambree

John, Kees, To, Olivia, josh, Enrica, her boyfriend, me and Elisabetta. Farewell drink in town for To and Kees

Yesterday I said goodbye to my new friends, To and Kees. They will be forever in my hearts as my first workaway buddies. I will know I will stay in touch. I can’t wait to here about their community and restaurant. They will for sure have the life they desire. Everyone here loved their energy and presence.

When I arrived and started to work it is interesting how quickly I saw my next home, even though I have not planted a plant yet. I. had a false sense that I can do this. That has worn off now. I have a lot to learn.

Yesterday and today between that early wake and last wake I had dreams. I remembered them both very well. It think because of the time in rest I had them. Both were about the past. The most painful part of my past. I do not need to write the dreams down. I remember them. The first morning I cried in anger. I thought I made peace with that. I thought I left that behind. To held me the first morning and said all the right things. If you ever meet a Dutch be prepared for the truth. They are very direct. This morning the dream was different but the same. I went for a walk and had my little cry. I found a rock to sit on in a beautiful shaded field and I listened to my podcast “Life Wisdom” By words of Taoism. I knew it would be about exactly what I was struggling with. It’s like going to church and feeling like the sermon was written just for you.

I came to the understand that I am physically further along then mentally. I also came to the conclusion that I need to just be here for know. Not writing about it. I will write when I really need to. I am really going to focus on just being present. I am going to start calling my friends and family that I have not talked with and call the ones I have more. I think I will be happier communicating that way for now. Peace and love to everyone!