Niamh still had a yearning (quite correctly as it turns out) to get some sort of mini-table to put down next to seating in our living room, so after yesterday’s Capannoli closure, we knew the second-hand market was open today, and so drove there in the mid-morning. But I had the obligatory walk first.

I must be careful calling it that, as during our September visit I really cut back on the walking in order to give my joints and back a rest. I was beginning to resemble a nonegenarian getting out of a chair until I’d take 20 or so steps. Anyway, back to the ‘present’!

I took the fountain path up to the park and circled about it, before heading out Porta a Selci, past Marcoli carpark and the seminary, down to the road which took me to the Docciola free carpark. I eyed the steps that lead all the way back up to town. I sorta wussed out by taking the less steep ones, to the town and back home again. They’ll still wreck you a little!

Once breakfasted, washed and changed we rocketed towards Capannoli’s second-hand market. And it was, indeed, open! One thing about the Italians: they don’t seem to throw away anything. Old tech can still find its place here on the shelves. PCs with 3.5″ disk drives, CRT monitors, phones from bygone days. It’s almost as if they were catering not just to your average punter, but to also to bars and the props departments for theatres and film studios. Nothing is thrown away. Furniture that can be rightly called antique, to garish nasty stuff from the 70s. Tons of glassware and crockery – nothing is wasted. And you know what? I think this is absolutely the correct way. We are far too throwaway in Ireland, and have a thing or two to learn from these markets. Much of the stuff is super-cheap too!

Anyway, Niamh bought a couple of knick-knacks, but couldn’t find what we were looking for. We went back to the car and had a debate over what we’d do for lunch. We both fancied something Asian, but also wanted to try somewhere new. I spotted a town called Fucecchio, and a Chinese there (Ristorante Cinese Bambu’) was getting some good reviews, so off we went.

We got parking more or less beside it, which was super-handy. We found the food (are you sitting down?) actually not bad at all for an Italian Chinese. In fact, the stir-fry dishes were the best we’d found to date.

We left quite happy, and sure seeing as we were here, we thought we’d walk to the older part of Fucecchio to Fu-check-io (sorry) it out.

After a reasonably pleasant urbanised walk, we found our way to the older part. I might have been stuffed with Chinese, but there’s almost always room for gelato, and there was supposed to be a nice one in the central square. And we found it! Sort of. It’s called Pasticceria Caffe’ Malvolti. Given that it was a a couple of weeks before an Easter, they were not yet doing gelato, but had a lovely looking suite of cakes to try. Sadly, I was too stuffed for cakes, but I have made it a goal to return to Fucecchio and try it out. It really reminded me of Pasticceria Pansa in Amalfi. Why I didn’t take any pics of it, I’ll never know. Stuff I have to remember next time!

We left and headed to Peccioli, because the major reason for heading out today was so I could meet my Italian teacher in person for a tour of the town. We stopped off in Biscottini to buy a little stool we would use as a drinks table. We arrived early, of course, and so spent a little bit of time at Jolé La Rosa for a little gelato. It was tasty. You know, I might have said we went here yesterday, but that was a dirty little lie. I’m going to leave this lie as is so I can think about what I did every time I see it.

Anyway, my teacher, Massimo, works for a Tuscan touring and experience company called Arianna and Friends. Please consider either them and Authentic Tuscany if considering putting together your own Tuscan package experience outside Volterra. We burned a tiny fraction of the gelato calories off by walking back to the car and driving to the offices of Arianna and Friends. We would have walked, only we knew we’d have to drive to Peccioli for Massimo’s tour of Peccioli. It would be largely in Italian and he would be listening to me intently, making it a sweaty end to the day for me!

His meeting overran a little so we waiting outside in the warmth. When he was ready, he had us follow him to Peccioli’s roofed carpark. We took one of the elevators up to the town, but before heading into the old town, we were shown the modern colour-covered walkway to the elevator that leads down to the newer side of town. Some people blow hot and cold on it, but I think it’s an interesting feature. I think it’s supposed to be expanded over to more of the shopping area of the new town, so it will actually be useful for the inhabitants going forward.

Once done here, Massimo took us into the town proper, but first to one of the new features: a converted palazzo, some of which is apartments that will be sold/rented, a small art gallery and exhibition centre and an enormous and unusual bar. Outside is a modern piazzetta-sized terrace, from which you can see some wonderful countryside of rolling hills, much of which the town has purchased, so it won’t be developed to spoil the view. Again, the views on the terrace are mixed, but most people I know actually quite like the contrast of the old and the new – and the terrace itself appears to be floating – there is no support at the far end; very well-engineered!

There were several exhibitions of art, which were there as part of a cultural festival in which prominent politicians, journalists and artists attended called ‘Pensavo Peccioli’. Massimo was a proud part of that.

Back outside, we were given a tour of the town. It’s essentially a town within castello walls, and so is relatively small. But they’re making the most of it – it is essentially an outdoor art museum. Look up or down, and there may be a hidden sculpture waiting to be discovered. Some neon lights adorn the rooves of arches, which look like seemingly like random squiggles, but which are actually elevation contour lines of the surrounding countryside. Another striking exhibit, is one of a wall on which over a hundred photgraphs of pairs of residents’ eyes.

In the main square, Massimo introduced us to a couple of builders who were restoring the church roof in the main piazza, and they showed us photos of their work. They spoke a bit too quickly for me, and I found their accent strangely strong. Maybe it was a dialect, but I don’t think so.

I don’t have many photos, as I was filming at the time, so you can check out Peccioli and the rest of the day in a video further below.

We said our goodbyes at the bar in the exhibition centre (aka Palazzo Senza Tempo), and then we headed home. Still stuffed from the Chinese earlier in the day, we didn’t head out, but stayed at home and chilled.

Here’s the video of the day:

Thanks for reading. Let me know if you found it enjoyable, useful or if you have any (polite) suggestion!

• Uncategorized