And so I was seated (in the apartment), for a thousand seasons (about 36 hours) upon my throne (frequently on the toilet) – see last blog. During that time I ate plain (but still yummy) food, and Marie and Lorenzo from Authentic Tuscany came over. We were supposed to go to lunch with them and I ushered Niamh to do so, but bless them – they came to the apartment and we had a good chinwag for 90 minutes or so. I felt guilty. Then I had to use the bathroom again.

My tummy felt better for a few hours, and we decided to hit the town and go for a pizza. I thought I was being wise by not having beer, turns out I was only slightly wise.

I even went for a white pizza, in case my stomach found the tomato base too acidic.

It transpired that this was the dumbest move I had made possibly all year. Even before I reached the apartment, I felt a lead weight in my belly, and drew the conclusion that I had just given the new nasty bacteria in my belly a fresh meal. It was about 3 days before I would recover from this mistake – the guts (pun intended) of this week’s holiday. During this time, I had more plain(ish) food and I ventured on walks that didn’t take me too far from the apartment.

Once I’d become well again, it was back to a cycle of walking and eating, but generally keeping to the town as much as possible.

We hadn’t seen a friend of ours from Montaione for a while, and though we’d treat her to lunch. She and her husband, spend a lot of hours in work in their shop (they run an antiques business: Tutto Torno Antiques), restore antiques or are out buying or delivering their wares. They don’t have a lot of time to themselves, as is the case for a lot of people we know who work for themselves in Italy. Anyway, we reached Montaione, collected her and we drove to her recommended restaurant: Ristorante Il Caminetto. We found out during the meal that it was her birthday soon, so of course we told her we totally new this and she was very welcome to her birthday lunch! It turns out that not only was the food here was mostly great, it was also quite inexpensive! The steak was cooked perfectly, but the sauce had a sourness to it, like the base was mustard instead of cream.

We had a good chinwag and a laugh. After dropping her home, we drove back through the picturesque Val d’Era – which, to my mind, always gives the Val d’Orcia a run for its money.

A couple of days later, we headed to Livorno with our friend. We stopped of first, though, at the lovely lavender fields of Santa Luce. There’s a small carpark there near the more cultivated show-grounds a little bit away from the town itself – the more extensive commercial grounds, being closer to the town. We got out and had a small wander around the smaller, prettier, set first. I didn’t stray too far, as there were bees, which I am a little afraid of – I love them, but have issues with being stung (pain, more than allergies!). The plants here were full and smelled fantastic, and there were a few people around wandering through the rows.

Once done there, we headed back to the more extensive fields. The flowers there weren’t as fully grown, but there were more fields, plus it looked like searing for a lavender sagra – nothing was open there at the time.. a pity, as I wanted to try the lavender gelato. The views from these fields, however, were fantastic.

It was one of those places you occasionally come across which I call a ‘Tuscany in a bottle’ scene. It had rolling hills, vineyards, olive groves and, for once, lavender fields. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely work checking out, especially during the lavender festival.

Anyway, onwards to Livorno. We parked in our usual spot, and ventured forth. Our friend hadn’t been to the food market there before, so we had a look around and she bought some spice and rice. The usual market was outside too, but also the outdoor food market – it’s an amazing place to go if you want true sight into the heart of Italian life. Livorno, although a port town, where cruise ships land is seriously under-visited by tourists. I guess it’s a little rough around the edges in places, but there are parts – the food market, mini-Venice, the fortress and Terrazza Mascagni – which are really lovely; and the food scene is great too, once you do your homework.

There are times when you just want to skip Tuscan food after a week or two of it, and burgers were the order of the day. We went to Livorno’s branch of I’m Burger. We loved it!

Then it was off to explore – and yes, we went to the usual places – and drove to the checkerboard Terrazza Mascagni to boot. I love these places.

We decided to drive home by the coast. The road south out of Livorno is a thing to see. It has some of the most startlingly over-the-top properties I’ve yet seen in Tuscany. Give it a go! Anyway, we drove down the coast, avoiding most towns, but stopped at Vada, for which Niamh and I have a strange kind of love. On the way home, just past Cecina, we found somewhere we could stop to take photos of some sunflower fields. These are at their best for maybe a month if you’re lucky, so it’s an advantageous to come in early to mid-July.

We largely stayed at home for a couple of days after that grand adventure, sometimes eating out, sometimes cooking at home.

We still had some more days left on this holiday – but this is where I’ll leave you for now. The 2025 season is now over for us, so I’ll be able to start updating the blogs more often. Hopefully, I’ll be all caught-up in time for 2026! Thanks for reading, and take care!