Tuscan Summer
Tuscan Summer
This time in Tuscany was a hard one for me. It changed absolutely everything. It was everything I had ever wanted – which also showed me that this was not at all what I wanted in the end. But for those two weeks, in a little house in the middle of nowhere in the Tuscan countryside, I got to enjoy the last days of something that meant so very much to me at the time. It was one of the most meaningful, difficult and beautiful trips I’ve ever taken. I miss that little house. I miss waking up to the view over the beautifully green vines, the hammock tied up between two trees, the spritz we always made for aperitivo and the grill that made the air smell like summertime in the evenings.
I miss it all, and at the same time, I’m so grateful I’ve come such a far way from that. Although let’s be honest here, I did keep the Italian parts that I love so very much at the end of the day.
Yellow & Italian Figs
Every year since I was born (and even in my mother’s belly before that) we went together as a family to Terracina to see our family friends who were based there. Terracina is a little town along the coast of Italy. Nothing special to the naked eye (or to Italians for that matter) but for us, it’s the home of so very many memories. First kisses on the piazza at nighttime with our friends, picking up Nutella crepes late at night when our parents let us bike into the centre and we drank lime flavoured Bacardi breezers in secret, days on the beach reading chick lit novels, prank calling neighbours, helping our friends with their insane amount of Italian homework, ice cream on the beach, and dinners together on our friends’ terrace until late hours in the night.
We still come back here as much as we can. To see our friends and the people who watched us grow up every summer and because it holds so many of our memories.
During our summers trips to Terracina, we always made a little stop in Sperlonga. Another little town, situated up on a hill, where the oldest part of the town is made up out of all white buildings. The streets are narrow and small and you can walk through the whole thing in about 10 minutes.
Whether its in Sperlonga or Terracina, I always love to stop by the little market stands selling fruit and vegetables and everything else. The colours and the textures are little pieces of art themselves and I can never pass without capturing a million photos.
Burro e Salvia
The first trip I did after the first lockdown in Paris was to Italy. More specifically Florence and Tuscany. I remember this meal as if it was yesterday. It was our first day in Florence before heading onto Tuscany the next day. It was so strange to be able to travel again. To be able to come back to one of your favourite places. Florence was empty. Everyone was wearing masks and being so respectful. The line full of tourists that’s normally lining the whole street loading up to All'Antico Vinaio was completely gone. The piazzas nearly empty. It was a strange and beautiful all at the same time
My boyfriend at the time took me to this little trattoria, next to one of my favourite squares in Florence. I remember that I couldn’t stop taking photos of the wine, the piazza, the people, the pasta coming in – you name it, I was capturing photos of it. It had been months without being able to go to a restaurant, travel or to really be able to live our normal lives. Or to feel some sort of inspiration. I couldn’t stop smiling and I think we devoured that pasta in a few minutes. Being back in Italy felt like a dream.