Tag: il teatro del silenzio

The Best of August 2024

Ok, my excuse this time was that I had all the photos etc. set out for March 2025 and sat down to write that blog, but discovered that I’d completely skipped a long stays in 2024! Disheartened, I closed the computer and left it for a lengthy bundle of weeks. But I’m here now, and I have a bunch of fun stuff we did back then.

We invited an old work colleague… which is to say we worked with her some time back, not to say that she herself is old – anyway, we invited her over for a few days to experience what it’s like to play in paradise!

One meal to remember was in La Carabaccia in Piazza Settembre XX. It’s a lovely Tuscan place. Almost every place in Volterra serves Tuscan food, but this is a little different in that it has a very limited menu, which changes every day (fish on Fridays!), and is run by a couple of sisters in the front, with their mam in the back, cooking. The food is delicious, but do check if they’re open, as some of their opening times are erratic – and also do book in advance! It’s worth it. We ate there in the evening. The food was amazing – especially those pork medallions.

There was a crossbow competition in the main square that night, but the pomp and circumstance began in the same square as the restaurant, so we got both dinner and a show!

The main show was in Piazza dei Priori – I didn’t hang around too long

The next day we decided to wow our guest with the rolling hills of the Val di Cecina, and introduce her to another cute village – one of the cutest around. We went to both Andrea Bocelli’s favourite venue: the Theatre of Silence, and then to the village next door: Lajatico (parking).

It’s always magical at the outdoor theatre. The landscapes are wonderful, and today was a pleasantly hot day. You can also check out Volterra perched on her throne from a decent distance. I had to use a bathroom, and we all had to refresh ourselves, so we checked out the bar you can find near the carpark at the Teatro. It’s a nice enough place for drinks and light snacks – but that day, we just settled on the former.

How Lemon Soda hasn’t travelled beyond Italy is a mystery – it’s wonderfully refreshing – my fave soft drink in Italy

We drove and parked at Lajatico, where I had to use the bathroom again – not sure what I’d eaten that morning that was disagreeing with me, but these are things life throws at us to test us. It’s a gorgeous village, especially on a fine day – as it is, like Peccioli, something of an outdoor gallery.

On the way home, we managed to get some nice shots of Volterra.

We’d been to Montecatini Terme/Alto before, but it’s nice to be able to show it off to others. This time, we would also be doing a nice and neighbourly thing, by driving to Chianni to pick up Marisa from the Tales from Tuscany youtube channel to come with us. She had been cooped up for weeks on end, without transport of her own. It adds to the journey, going to/from Chianni if you’re approaching from the south or east is actually a lovely drive – not so much, apart from spots, if you’re coming from the north or west.

I’ve probably said this before, but here it is again. Montecatini Terme is the first ever Italian town we set foot in, back in 2008, and so its counterpart, Montecatini Alto, is the first Italian hilltown I experienced.

We parked here, as we always do – never found this carpark to be anything more than half full, and it’s a 5 minute walk in different directions to the funicular which brings you to Montecatini Alto, and to the neo-classical Roman style spa. Actually, I am now reminded by the fact that the last time I was here, I accidentally wiped all my video footage of Alto – which cheesed me off no end. This time I got the footage – check it out below!

The view from Alto into the valley below

We had a walk around the town, and led the pack up to the church of St. Peter the Apostle. It was nice and cool inside, and relatively humble too. Right outside was a large WWII-era howitzer-style gun, along with types of small ordnance. What could this be? It turns out to be a shrine dedicated to Saint Barbara, the patron saint of (among other things) explosives! Apparently, she is Montecatini’s dedicated saint, although the church is for St. Peter.

I’d gone ahead of the others, as Marisa at the time had mobility issues after a nasty fall in a hotel. The rest had a look at the church too, were suitably impressed by the shrine to Barbara, and then we walked around the ruin of an old, small fortress which stood next to the church. There were some really nice views of the valleys all around.

Once exercised, it was time to add the calories back, and so we went to check out some of the restaurants back in the main square. Niamh and I had experienced our first Tuscan slow dinner in that square in 2008. It was one of the most magical experiences we have ever had – Alto being our first real hilltown – read more about it here!

We settled on Ristorante ‘Caffè Giusti’ dal 1898, and it was a fantastic decision. In fairness to these restaurants, they could serve cheap, bad food if they wanted to and still maintain reasonable footfall – but I’m sure glad this place didn’t! The food here was superb, and the service friendly. I had a wonderful pasta with deer ragu. Poor Bambi didn’t see me coming that day.

After the meal, we had a further walk around the small village in an effort to burn off the calories, and then went back down to Montecatini Terme and walked to the spa itself. It looked closed, but after only a short wait, we were allowed in side, and although I’ve seen it a few times now – it never fails to impress. This time around we discovered that Montecatini was a favourite place for Russians to relax. Who’d blame them? Take a look at this!

We tried the spa water – just the basic one was included in our ticket – but I’ve yet to be sold on it. It’s terrifically full of minerals, and doesn’t taste too clever. Undoubtedly, it’s very good for you!

After heading out, Niamh said she’d walk back up to the carpark and bring the car down to us. I offered to do it, but she insisted. Anyway – she made a crucial mistake upon leaving the carpark. Instead of heading towards the far exit and turning right, which would have left her with a 300 meter drive, she left the way we came in and turned left, and got stuck in Montecatini’s one-way system. Meanwhile, we were roasting where we’d been waiting and wondering what had happened to poor Niamh. You live and learn!

She eventually returned, in something of a tizz, and we drove the couple of hours back home – leaving Marisa off at Chianni.

The Verdant Theatre and Colourful Lajatico (18/03/2023)

We had looked up the weather for our first weekend, and saw that today (Saturday) was going to be the best day of the next few. Our friend would be leaving on Monday, but had also declared that she would have been perfectly happy to stay in Volterra. We had spent a little time in the market that morning too, and it looked like the forecasts would pan out correctly, so we dragged her out, and were glad we did in the end. I think she thought so, too.

But first, my walk of the morning! Here are the pics… enjoy!

They were beginning to set up the market

As mentioned earlier we had a little trip to the market. It was still slightly shy of the season opening, so the stalls were still in the main squares.

We took another mini-stroll to some key photo-spots.

We took the Pisan road to get to The Theatre of Silence (Il Teatro del Silezio), where Andrea Boccelli holds his summer concerts near Lajatico, near where he grew up. We have visited it before, but when the land was still scorched from the summer. This time we saw it in all its verdant glory! I have to admit that, while I recognise Andrea Bocelli as an extraordinary talent, I have no hankering to ever go to those concerts. Howerver, the Theatre is absolutely gorgeous, no matter the weather.

The temperature hit about 21/22c – close to the max in which our guest feels comfortable. There was a little wind, as the place is super-exposed, but there wasn’t nearly as much as last time. We stayed, we saw, we took a few snaps and headed towards the nearby art-strewn village of Lajatico!

It’s such a beautiful little place, with well-appointed art-installations – and like many picturesque hilltowns, is kept immaculately clean. We walked about it, admiring how well they’ve curated the buildings to blend in with the artwork, or is it vice-versa? I think maybe it’s a little of both.

Even the water-tower is getting in on the action – painted like one of the floors of the leaning tower of Pisa.

After I had posted some pictures on Facebook and Instagram, Alice, who works in our Property Managers but who lives in Lajatico, gave out to us (in a friendly way) for not letting her know we were in her town. She promised to go out for a drink with us next time we were here. I love Italians!

Back in town later that evening, we had aperitivi in Bar Sportivo and L’Incontro. Our guest met our friend, Mary, and both are originally from Chicago, so there were good chats had! Our guest, Niamh and I finished off our day in Porgi L’Altra Pancia for a well-deserved meal and a glass or three of wine!

We filmed the day too, and you can watch that below!

Thanks for reading (and watching?) all – I hope you enjoyed the blog. Please leave me comments and suggestions below!

March/April 2023 – A brief photo interlude

I thought I’d break sequence again by posting some of the best photos I took during our recent 2-week holiday in Volterra. And I present them here in full resolution! The surrounding countryside was so green and spectacular. Enjoy.

Il Teatro del Silenzio, Lajatico, Ghizzano (11/10/2021)

There are a fair few photos in this blog – you have been warned! It’s pretty long too – it was a busy day!

Every year, Tuscan tenor Andrea Bocelli plays a couple of concerts in late July near Lajatico, the municipal centre of the area he was raised. He was actually brought up in small town just north of there: La Sterza, and there you can see several buildings bearing his name: a restaurant, a cantina and, most improbably, a farm machinery outlet.

That day, we decided to take a look at where his performances take place: Il Teatro del Silenzio (the theatre of silence). So called, I assume, not because Signore Bocelli has a sense of sarcasm, but that it is completely outdoors, away from the town, in nature. I guess wind doesn’t count on the decibel scale. The surroundings were supposed to be lovely, and so we were looking forward to the trip, and maybe getting some lunch in Lajatico itself.

But first – the morning walk. Looks like we got lucky with the clarity of the sky, if not the actual temperature that day.

I walked to the panoramic view at Piazza Martiri della Libertà, down viale dei Ponti, re-entered at Porta a Selci and carried on home from there.

Once done, washed and breakfasted we took the all-too-familiar road towards Pisa. The first part of this road always enthralls us, with views of sweeping valleys dotted here and there with agriturismi and tiny hamlets, surrounded by olive groves, cypress and vineyards. As soon as you have entered Molina d’Era, however, the road bores a little as it flattens, although you will still see glimpses of Tuscany-in-a-bottle scenes such as farmland, small homesteads on hills and distant borghi atop ridges. 98% of the time at the end of this section of road we turn right towards La Sterza, whether we’re going to Pisa, Pontadera, La Rosa etc. for shopping or actually heading back to Ireland. This time we were turning left! Excitement!

A couple of kilometers later, we turned right at San Giovanni di Val d’Era towards Lajatico. If you went straight on instead, you could take an alternative route to Volterra, on a road plagued by subsidence, but offering views easily rivalling the Crete Senesi, or even the Val d’Orcia itself. Maybe more on that another time, though. For now – onwards towards Lajatico!

The theatre itself lies on the outskirts of the town – to the southeast – so, we followed Missus Google’s advice and wound up at the near-empty carpark. We got out, and were glad of our jackets. The base temperature wasn’t so bad, but the wind howled about us like banshees, doing the day a little injustice.

There were only a couple of other small groups of people here (three nuns and an older couple), and one or two workmen who where tending the immediate area. It took a minute, but once we had gotten used to the gales of the exposed region, we took in the landscape. And it astonished.

The theatre is the circular area on the left. In the distance, Volterra sitting on top of the butte!

As you can see above, we spotted Volterra in the far distance, crowning the butte.

We headed down farther, to take a look at some of the sculptures on display, as well as the theatre itself, taking snaps and filming all the while!

The whole area is quite spectacular and well worth a visit. Maybe not during the concerts, though!

And finally, two of my favourite ever photos:

Captions not needed!

I would recommend a visit to the Teatro for sure, but maybe during the off-season, like we did – and you can forget it in late July, unless you’re actually attending the concerts. The road to the place is narrow, and I can only imagine how insanely busy it can be. I know from a local that, although they are grateful for the business that is brought, Lajatico becomes a little unbearable during the gigs. It’s a small place, and I can imagine hordes of people would spoil it.

We had been to Lajatico before (before I had started this blog – although I’m sure I still have photos), and found it lovely, but it was during a cooler day, and the town was shrouded in mist. Today was bright and sunny, and the light made the colours of the town pop with extraordinary clarity. This time, we found Lajatico utterly captivating. We had no idea that there was so much art placed in and around town, on the walls, hidden inside buildings with doors which, at a distance, seemed randomly left open. They had placed coloured lanterns over the street lights, and I imagine the town looks amazing at night.

Piazza Vittorio Veneto – the main square. See the red lanterns?

We arrived at the main church in the town, dedicated to San Leonardo Abate and had a look inside and in the nearby park.

Always check the ceilings in Italian places of worship!

Once done there, we headed back up the town to see if we could find somewhere to eat a place of pasta, snapping furiously on the way.

At first we checked out a recommended restaurant – different to the one in which we’d already eaten – but it was closed that day for lunch (Il Marmaldo). In fact, it looked like it only opened at weekends for lunch, and during the evening for most other days. A pity. But, at least we had Ristoro Da Nello – where we had eaten before and had good food and tons of geniune small-town charm. Right? Well… no. Sadly, they were on holidays for a few weeks while we were there, and so were closed too. Another pity. So, I had a flick around Google Maps and remembered that we had never visited Ghizzano, and it certainly looked big enough to have a restaurant, so we headed back to the carpark and drove there.

Ghizzano is a small town nestled atop a hill (quelle surprise!), aways north and a little west of Volterra. What makes it different to the other hilltowns of Volterra? Well it is down to the inhabitants, of course, but also three artists: Alicja Kwade, David Tremlett and Patrick Tuttofuoco. You can read more about them here. But essentially, parts of the town are outdoor art installations – the most notable of which are the buildings of Via di Mezzo – all it seemingly just took is paint. You won’t find many streets in Tuscany looking anything like Via di Mezzo.

At the time of writing this, Google Street View last visited this street in 2011, before the installation was implemented. You can check it out here.

After having a brief tour of Via di Mezzo, we went in search of a restaurant. Not finding one, we instead headed into a cute little bar, attached to a really old-school looking alimentari (food store) called Bar Alimentari Campani. The foodstore, although very clean, looked designed out of the 1950’s, with simple wooden square shelves linging the walls from floor to ceiling. At the deli end, we cheekily asked the young lady there if there was a restaurant in the neighbourhood. She shook her head and pointed us in the direction of Peccioli and Legoli, both about 15 minute drives away. We didn’t feel like another trip in the car to quest for a restaurant, so we looked hungrily instead at the wonderful produce behind the glass counter. We shrugged and thought, sure a change is as good as a rest and went for sandwiches. I had a baguette with cooked prosciutto and fresh pecorino (the latter is the kind of pecorino that has a very short shelf-life and is much softer than the harder, more aged, pecorino you may find in Ireland. Niamh more had the same with added tomato.

We thanked the lady and went back out to the bar section to pay for the sandwiches, a couple of accompanying drinks and a small bag of BBQ crisps (potato chips). Amusingly, that took us about 15 minutes in a non-existant queue. Anyway, we managed to escape, and went in search of a bench on which we could sit and watch the world go by. We found one, near a church and an artist’s studio. By God it was quiet in Ghizzano, but lovely.

We broke out our food and started eating. Well, it was a minor revelation. I enjoyed that simple sandwich like I had enjoyed few others. The ham was wonderful and the textures of the cheese and crunchy crust contrasted wonderfully. It really was good for a change, rather than putting yourself under pressure to find a place that does good hot food.

As we ate on the bench, the crusts cracking and crumbling to the stone flags below, a larger vehicle pulled up near us and a father and son climbed out and headed into a building beside us. The father left the car completely unlocked. I’m not sure anyone in Ireland, even in the smallest of towns, would leave their car unlocked beside a couple of strangers. He saluted us and they both disappeared.

Anyway, once done with lunch, we disposed of our trash in a bin beside a big blue ball (see photo above)!

Our carpark, as it happened, was beside a modern cooperative mill where people take their olives for pressing into oil. There was a small (currently closed) colourful bar area where people could wait while their green gold was being pressed. Wandering about outside, very randomly, was a peacock. Just one of the more unusual sights of the day.

We got in the car, and it was my turn to drive. I punched in the instruction for going back home to Volterra – much of it on roads we’d never travelled before, which is usually what I enjoy. Except that the first part of the road back wasn’t enjoyable – not at all. It quickly crumbled from asphalt to one of those bumpy gravelled roads, made worse by the previous week’s rain. At one stage, we both winced as we heard the brief crunching of the underside of our rental being scraped by a ridge in the middle of the road. It was another kilometer at least before we managed to find a proper way again, but it was plain sailing from there.

Have a look at our video of our day out below.

I had to have a gelato to calm my nerves after that awful road!

Our day wasn’t done. To treat ourselves after our lunchtime forebearance, we decided to head out to La Vecchia Lira for dinner. This would be no sandwich, so we had a bit of a golden-hour walk before we headed into the restaurant itself.

We headed into the restaurant, and the waitress there (whose English was really good) recognised us, and both her and the owner gave us a cheery welcome. We settled in, and ordered our food and drink.