Today, October 2nd, is another gloriously beautiful day. The sun is shining and there is not a cloud in the sky. There are little indicators everywhere that this corner of the world is preparing for fall. The man who sweeps the park and the town square showed up last week with a helper and a leaf blower. The leaves and ripe chestnuts have begun to fall from the trees in the square. In the park a generator and a hose were used to drain the water from the fountain where the goldfish live. I hope someone netted the fish and has taken them home to care for them over the winter. One little fish avoided the net by hiding in the rocks in the centre of the pond and the birds have been squawking and fighting over its remains.
The children are back at school and wait for their yellow school bus on the corner below my kitchen window. It is chilly in the mornings now and they all wear light jackets. When they come back at 1:30 the jackets are either tied around their waists or carried in hand. Mornings and evenings are cool now but the afternoons are still in the high to mid 20 degrees range. The little salamanders that live here search out rock walls and clay roof tiles on which to sun themselves in the heat of the day.
In the valley below the village, plumes of smoke drift and curl gently away from the small fires lit to burn fall leaves and garden refuse. Soon the farmers will be trimming trees in their olive groves and burning the discarded branches. I still remember the smell of the burning olive wood from my last visit 3 years ago.
The little Co-op grocery store has changed to its fall hours, and the hotel bar/restaurant no longer serves dinner at the little tables in the piazza. In the evening, the air is crisp and often carries the comforting smell of wood smoke on the breeze. In the past few days, early in the morning, I have heard gunshots and wonder if the hunting season for wild boar or deer has already begun.
The sun is setting earlier now and the lights of the near by borgos and villages twinkle like stars in the distance. The night sky is full of stars and it surprises me to see the same constellations that are visible almost half a world away at home. When I wake early enough, I can watch the sun come up from my bedroom balcony, turning the distant hills and Mount Amiata delightful shades of pink and mauve, just like in my painting of the Val d’Orcia.
The geraniums in big clay pots on the roof deck seem to enjoy the cooler weather and are blooming profusely. The ivy covering the wall of the house opposite me is also sporting new growth, a bright lime green in colour, much lighter than the older leaves on other parts of the vines. Perhaps, the plants know just as the locals who live here know, it is just too hot in summer to do anything other than sleep the afternoons away.
Everything here seems to have taken on a new kind of energy, even a sense of urgency. Activity levels have increased in alignment with the rhythms of nature. Autumn is harvest time in Tuscany. There is much to do before the onset of winter. There are grapes to harvest, and wine to make, and meat to cure for the long winter months ahead. It is time to gather and dry mushrooms and take the dogs to secret places in the woods in pursuit of elusive truffles. It is time to till the land and prepare the vineyards for their winter sleep. The olive groves must be checked regularly to ensure their fruit is picked at just the right time to yield the best oil. There are local markets and numerous festivals to attend in celebration of a bountiful harvest. The land and its people are alive with activity, practicing age old traditions, in tune with nature and the rhythm of life here in rural Tuscany.
Diane:
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely sublime.
David