It’s the title of a movie that came out a few years ago. What would life in confinement be like without those beautiful things to which our spirit constantly invites us to return?

This blog was born, on our return from Kerala, from this will not to forget the good times. To go back to what we have captured from life here and there. Not to forget, when the hazards or stress would try to break through, to go back to those moments and especially not to forget that there are other possibilities, elsewhere, at this moment.

Today, after 52 days of confinement, on the way to a trip to the land of the Dolce Vita. What if we were to wander the streets, both shady and sunny, of the delightful town of San Quirico d’Orcia, in the heart of Tuscany?

At the bend in the alleys, there is a small Osteria which communicates on two streets at the same time. You just have to go down a few steps, cross a small hall, to suddenly find yourself in a little corner of paradise in a parallel alley. We have installed there, a table, two chairs, three candleholders. The tablecloth is held by a small clamp at the end of which a white wooden heart is swinging. The outside wall of the Osteria is made of rough stones, everything is decorated with taste and simplicity and invites to take a rest.

Martha, the restaurateur, invites you to enjoy a tapenade in the shade of the arch.

Like all the lovers who pass by here, settle down at the table and let yourself be carried away by the charm of the place.

This place is an ode to La Dolce Vita. Wait while tasting the olive oil on a slice of bread just out of the oven, let yourself be swallowed by the aroma.

Then taste the vegetables worked and presented with love and simplicity to let the flavours come out.

The street’s quiet, everything’s peaceful. A scooter comes out at the end of the alley, from a forgotten garden.

He waits to pass by until the tasting is over. At the end of the meal, take a digestive break in the sun, with a good book.

A little later in the afternoon, it is time to taste Gabriella’s organic oil and wine. Don’t arrive too early, otherwise you risk interrupting your nap, because this is also la Dolce Vita. Know how to take the time for a well-deserved rest.

Here she is, just out of sleep, here she is with all her bonhomie, trying her hand at a few words in French.

She cuts some bread slices and invites you to taste the different kinds of oil from the last season. There is no more need for words, neither Italian nor even French, it’s the taste buds that speak now. Let yourself be imbued with the flavours, the sweetness in the mouth with a very slight hint of bitterness and a good fruity olive taste. These oils are just perfect and Gabriella knows it. She is proud of it! There’s nothing to say, nothing to add!

The second stop on this enchanting tour is to taste the wine, also produced organically. The 2006 vintage is a pure marvel and Gabriella has kept some reserves for the amateurs. Here is the reserve made for the coming year, a promise of good times to share with family and friends. Bring back a bit of the spirit of the Dolce Vita to enchant winter evenings and chase away the fatigue or the worries of everyday life.

A shepherd is grazing his flock in the field just behind the winery. He exchanges a few words in passing. Simple words, just enough, no more and no less. Words exchanged in passing, simply to get news from each other or to give some, to discuss the harvest and the quality of the products.

To finally immerse oneself in the surrounding landscapes, in these endlessly rounded hills. Here everything is undulating, rounded, rounded and artistically designed by the farmers of the region. To create a harmony with perfect lines, the yew trees are well aligned while respecting the curves of the hills.

Everything points to the laissez-faire attitude so dear to la Dolce Vita. It has nothing to do with any form of wantonness, it is rather a question of knowing how to take the time to live. Tuscany masters nature to perfection without brusqueness or arrogance. Just an air of Dolce Vita…

Par Nathalie

Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)