We Italians (both Lois and I have dual British and Italian nationality) are a sociable lot. So, we are all very pleased that covid restrictions no longer curtail our lives, especially the most important things, like taking coffee, aperitivi, dining and chatting with friends. The wonderful rhythms of Italian life have mostly returned to normal. […]
A barrel of wine, some bread and melons. The beginnings of one of the greatest-ever works of architecture
Here is an entry from the1420 expense accounts of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, the office of works of the cathedral in Florence: ′′At 7 August: 3 lire, 9 soldi, 4 denari for a barrel of vermiglio wine and a flask of trebiano and bread and melons for a collation made on the […]
From a Scottish castle to an Italian Watermill garden
Lois’ latest Watermill garden flowerpot has quite a history. It started life in a Scottish castle in the wilds of Aberdeenshire and ended up in the walled garden of an ancient Italian Watermill in rural Tuscany. We enjoyed living in the small, but beautifully formed Castle of Park in the North of Scotland, but when […]
Nature’s amazing nectar recharging plant
In this day and age, when we tend to worry about almost everything, there’s been some concern about the range of the new generation of electric cars and the speed with which we will be able to charge them. I am not among those worriers: battery technology is advancing so quickly that I’m sure that […]
The flowering star of the Watermill walled garden
This albizia tree (a type of mimosa) is the undoubted up-and-coming flowering star of the Watermill walled garden at the moment. And, as you can see, there are plenty of more buds waiting to burst forth in the next few weeks. We would love you to join us and see its blossoming, too. There are […]
Yildiz relives memories of happy watermill days
Yildiz Diab, a lovely lady from Lebanon, who has been on a number of Watermill creative courses, recently sent me a collection of pictures she has taken over the years when she has enjoyed weeks with us. She says: “They brought back so many happy memories of my times with you.†Thank you so much […]
Cool as a mountain stream
Lois looks a little pensive as she enjoys cooling off in a ‘natural Jacuzzi’ in the River Rosaro that runs beside the mill. Probably because even in July, the waters, which come from the high Appennines some 12 miles away, can be a little chilly. Still, it is a wonderful way to cool down on […]
Extraordinary exclusive Watermill video stories for our Watermill patrons
Here’s a little teaser (just click the arrow above)– a short trailer for a longer, fun video that Lois has made exclusively for our wonderful Watermill patrons. It’s the July update of some of our recent stories from the Watermill, including the extraordinary tale of the return of ancient documents to a nearby castle, an […]
Ageing rock star or distinguished professor? I’m ready for the Big Match
Well, here I am, once more in the Ricci café in the piazza in Fivizzano, fresh from the ministrations of my hairdresser and friend Massimo. Comments from other friends in the café ranged from ageing rock star to distinguished professor. My mate Oreste, originally from Naples, who was just before me in the hairdressers, was […]
30,000 kWh and counting: the Watermill is a mini-power station!
Yesterday our photovoltaic electricity-producing system passed another significant milestone: we have now clocked up more than 30,000 kWh (30 Mwh) of electricity produced directly from the sun. The picture below, from our handy little monitoring app, shows the achievement. And what’s more, we have reduced the world’s carbon dioxide production by 21 tonnes. (Not much, […]