Goodbye to Italy

When I left Elisa's place in Fiesole it was snowing, although the drop down to Firenze promptly turned the snow into cold rain. A friend of Elisa's had got sick so she was, apparently, unable to pay me on the spot for the extra hours of work I had accumulated over the time WWOOFing at her place. I left my account details and she said she would put the money in in the next few days.

The bus ride San Gimignano was a bit crazy. Two cars passed the bus really fast and only half a minute later one of the cars was stopped on the Autostrada and just a little further up the second car was stopped on the side of the Autostrada as well with the driver trying to push the car in the rain. Only a few minutes on, there was localised snow that caused a Porsche to flip off the road and crash into the trees in the creek next to the Autostrada. Two more cars had run into each other a little further ahead from the snow as well.


I was in San Gimignano in 1994 with Su and David and in 2001 WWOOFing. Marco Arduini and family, my WWOOF hostsfrom 2001, live about 7km out of town and I remember the way so I decided to get off my ass and walk rather than asking to be picked up. Felt wonderful marching along by my self in the Italian county-side.

About a third of the way there, one of the three wheeled motor bike/ute type things stopped and, to my surprise, out hops Marco's son, Nicolas. So my pack and I ended up in the back of this little motor bike/ute thing watching the country-side fall away behind us. The poor little thing scarcely made it up some of the hills. I suspect it's engine wasn't more than 100cc so I guess it is forgiven :P

The rustic transport with the wind blowing in my hair and the road falling away behind me...ah freedom!


As the visit to Marco and family was a last minute addition to my plans, I only had the chance to stay one day but it was great catching up with them all after 6 years.