A little hello from Tuscany
A dream realised
If you had to ask me when or where my infatuation with Italy (more specifically, Florence) began, I would not be able to answer. But whether through hearsay, history books, envy, fine wine, or otherwise, Italy is, without a doubt in my mind, through its people, culture, food, and geography, the most exquisite place on earth.
Throughout my younger adulthood, I could only dream of ever experiencing Italy with my very own eyes. Life was difficult back then, money was scarce, and life happened rather to me than for me. The pictures, videos, and movies I’d see of my favourite city, Florence, lived like one big pipe dream in my head that I knew, or thought I knew, would never come true.
Yet fast-forward a few years to this very moment, and I am fortunate enough to say that, as I write this, I am blissfully sitting with a glass of blush wine in my hand, overlooking a wine farm in the Tuscany region, Chianti.
The last couple of years have been challenging, to say the least. For everyone, I suppose. If it wasn’t COVID driving the world mad, politics, the war in the Middle East, global warming, whether agreeable or not, socialism, liberalism, or the fear of AI taking over our jobs and the planet as we know it, it is simply the daily struggles of what we like to call life that make everyday hardships seem intolerable.
Needless to say, it’s been a minute. But, let’s backtrack a little to 2021; the year in which curfews were a thing, Baz (my then fiancé and now husband) and I just bought a house, planned a wedding, got married, went on honeymoon and came back making a decision that would change our lives forever.
26 May ‘26. A view from the boutique wine farm, Il Bacio, Tavarnelle
As it turned out, we immigrated to Cyprus during COVID, a little over two months after we got married.
We packed our bags in a heartbeat, sold everything that no longer served us or had meaning to us, including our house, cars, and the majority of our clothes, and left South Africa and everyone we knew behind to start fresh on a small Mediterranean island, in a town, more like a village, called Paphos.
For the most part, it truly is a fairytale. It’s been five years since, and it’s a beautifully honest and simple life. It did not come without hardships though. Job scarcity, loneliness, learning new systems, cultures, and languages, and the fear of the unknown, only to name a few, are constant reminders that maybe we should have just stuck with what we know. And we are still working at it.
With immigration comes living day by day. From fork to mouth, so to speak. Hoping that one day will be better than the next. Hobbies, dreams, and novelty go out the window as quickly as you can think the words, let alone voice them. That said, my passion for writing, cooking, dancing, and pretty much anything artistic or meaningful has been non-existent.
It goes without saying then, that I am so deeply grateful the past few months have been rather kind to us, and that I can sit here and relish in this breathtaking, otherworldly, exquisite place. I can finally say that my passion for the finer things in life is back. A space and place that has become, unapologetically, mine.
26 May ‘26. Our 3-night apartment stay, Pergola at Il Bacio.
Returning to myself
It’s my third time in Italy. The first was two years ago with Baz. We visited Florence then too, exploring the Galleria dell'Accademia, where the Statue of David lives, taking casual evening strolls across the Ponte Vecchio, eating more gelato than my stomach could handle, and reminiscing over the exquisite Florentine views from the Duomo of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
Honestly, it was my biggest dream come true.
But this time, this time hit differently, even though we had already seen Florence before (Apart from the Uffizi Museum, which was an entirely new experience, and of course, the wine farm). Perhaps it was the stillness and tranquility of the vineyard that made me look at Italy through a different lens. Perhaps it was seeing Baz get teary-eyed when he unexpectedly stumbled upon The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, or me literally bawling my eyes out while cruising along the Arno River, overlooking the Ponte Vecchio, listening to a violinist play the theme from Gladiator, that shifted something in me.
Whatever the reason, this trip helped me return to myself in a way I didn’t know was possible.
The theme song of Gladiator — Now We Are Free, by Brazilian violinist Ana Aline Valentim
Have you been to Italy? Have you been to the Chianti region of Tuscany and tasted the organic wine made from grapes still grown in the traditional, non-commercial way? If you have, did you have a life-changing experience the same way I did?
If you haven’t been to Italy, more specifically Florence and Tuscany, and long for some inspiration, self-discovery, or a deep appreciation for the finer things in life, I highly encourage you to do so.
