Travel to Italy: Via Francigena

The Via Francigena, that is “the road that comes from France”, starts from Canterbury Cathedral in southern England, crosses Kent, meanders along the Somme and its World War I battlefields in northern France, over the Swiss Alps and down into Italy’s Aosta valley.

From there it passes through the regions of Tuscany and Lazio before finishing at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the end game for pilgrims. It’s one of the three big Christian pilgrimages, together with the renowned Spanish Camino de Santiago and the lesser known pilgrimage from Rome to Jerusalem.

For more than 1,000 years, pilgrims have walked the Via Francigena, once the major pilgrimage route from Northern Europe to the Holy See at Rome. In 990AD, Sigeric the Serious, Archbishop of Canterbury in England, walked to Rome and wrote an account of the Way. My pick would be to follow Sigeric's route in Italy between the cities of Lucca and Siena.

Here's an enviable itinerary from The Wayfarers.

Monday Overnight: Hotel San Miniato

The morning begins with a cycle ride around the magnificently preserved 16th-century ramparts of Lucca. After a short transfer and an early lunch, we start our journey on the Way. The route takes us past the ancient Osteria di Greppi, through woodland and over heathland, finishing at Ponte a Cappiano. From here we transfer to San Miniato, where Michelangelo met with Pope Clement VII who commissioned the great artist to paint the Sistine Chapel.

Tuesday Overnight: Hotel Villa Bianca

After a short transfer to the start of our walk we will take trails through fields and along white roads to Coiano where we visit the wine cellars and old olive mill of the Castello di Coiano, before continuing through olive groves and vineyards to lunch at a farm. After lunch we will continue through the rolling countryside to the Pieve di Santa Maria a Chianni then a short transfer to Gambassi Terme.

Wednesday Overnight: Hotel Belsoggiorno

Our journey today takes us up and downhill along dirt roads through farmland to the Sanctuary of Pancole. We lunch at the Fattoria di Pancole and visit the wine cellars that produce some of the famous Vernaccia white wine. Our afternoon Walk takes us to the Monastero di Bose, a monastic community made up of both men and women of different Christian beliefs. Short transfer to San Gimignano, with a guided tour of the town.

Thursday Overnight: Hotel Belsoggiorno

After a short transfer we walk through hilly countryside and across streams passing farms to Campiglia, then on to Colle Val d'Elsa, a walled medieval town on the Via Francigena  and famous for its crystal glass, which has been produced since 1331. After lunch in a local restaurant there is time to visit the town before driving back to San Gimignano.

Friday Overnight: Villa Scaccia Pensieri

Transfer to the start of our walk. The walk this morning takes us through Abbadia a Isola where we visit the Cistercian abbey dating back to 1001 before continuing on to Monteriggioni set within its medieval walls with towers that Dante likened to giant sentries. 

Cashmere sweaters

Wool Cashmere Crewneck Sweater from Cuyana.

Not likely to be spotted at Big W Woden or Target Tuggeranong any time soon.

"Cuyana was founded with an inherent, deep-rooted mission: a desire to have an impact beyond just creating beautiful apparel and accessories. We truly believe that fewer, better things will lead to a fuller, richer life. That is how the Lean Closet program came about: we wanted to create a way to activate this philosophy of fewer, better for our customers. We want women to focus on buying and owning only what they love, and to take all those forgotten pieces they've accumulated and gift them to others who can use them."

My next job.  Or M's in eight years time.

"Do you love fashion but crave simplicity? Would you rather be described as elegant than trendy? Do you have a favorite souk in Morocco and a list of markets you'll hit up in Thailand? If so, we would love to hear from you!" 

Bye kids.

Homekeeping

Sounds more inviting than vacuuming.

"Erin Boyle speaks to the heart and soul of the minimalist lifestyle. With her deft prose and graceful imagery she details not only how we can approach homekeeping more simply, but why—for our own happiness and peace of mind—we absolutely must. Simple Matters is a must-have manual for serenity in the modern world!"

(Anne Sage, lifestyle blogger and author of Sage Living 2015-09-01)

School lunches

“I used to pack a six course slow food degustation. I’d polish cherries and plums, peel celery, and bubble wrap bananas."

From "what chefs pack for their children" - a perennial favourite topic of mine and the habit that marks every single workday morning in term time. I'll miss it when it's gone of course.

New Year Inspiration

Birthday Wish

by Stuart Macfarlane

I met a nice fairy,
On the way home from school,
She granted me a wish,
She knew I was no fool.

I said weekly birthdays,
Would really be great,
For fifty two weeks,
Is too long to wait.

Now presents and presents,
Each week do arrive,
We’ve bought a bigger house,
In fact we bought five,

But the gifts keep on coming,
And there’s no room to store,
At first they were fun,
But now they’re a bore.

But horror of horrors,
Is the effect upon me,
For I’ve outgrown my parents,
I’m now two hundred and three.

***

First post for 2016 (and for quite some time) and who best to take inspiration from but Tania McCartney - a true whirlwind of creative energy and goodness. Her workspace is a dream. It was profiled in a blog post by fellow illustrator Nicky Johnston.  She was also interviewed about life and work for a local online magazine. Bookmarked here to remind me that you can do it if you try.

Happiness at work: latest insights

Paul Dolan, an economist and  behavioural scientist is speaking at the 2015 Sydney Writers' Festival. He's apparently got interesting things to say about happiness and work. You can read his piece the the New Statesman.

This is a challenging concept and one that requires a fair bit of risk taking. If we all pursued this approach (and had the luxury to do so without economic constraints) who would collect the garbage and do the accounts? Would it all balance out in the end?

Photo by me at the palace of Versailles.

Lessons on getting by

Admiration for JK Rowling grows with this report.

Interesting piece on résumé virtues and eulogy virtues. 

Ten tips for finding inner peace.

Pretty much wraps it up, kids. 

Photo by me. At the British Museum.

Tree change dolls

Great story. Lovely idea. 

Cricket

I don't even like cricket.  But I like Gideon Haigh's writing.  Now I've found his blog, Cuts and Glances: a sideways look at cricket, I might bookmark it. Or just share it here.  Since all I know about cricket is how to get grass stains and red marks from the bowler's ball off white trousers. Thank you Slazenger for synthetic, stain-proof  wash 'n wear trousers.  I'm also pernickety about the prior application of sun screen and packing a picnic jug of iced water. At least organised sport keeps boys off the streets so that's a good thing.