Welcome, June — and with it, not one, but two (or is it three?) early heat waves that have already slowed our pace and sent us searching for shade. The days are long now, and I love this so much.
We’ve started sleeping with the shutters slightly open to let in the cool night air. The first sunlight creeps over the hills so early, and a chorus of birdsong has become our new alarm clock.
We wake up early.
Arnaud is always full of energy — ready for a walk with the dogs or a bike ride. No heat or cold will affect him.
I am too… though some mornings, I prefer to wander in the garden or ease into the day with a bit of yoga.
After the last busy months filled with guests, tours, and cooking classes, life is starting to slow down. Now, we mostly welcome holiday makers staying in our two apartments (yes — both with air conditioning!) at La Casa Toscana.
These are the beach lovers (mostly from Northern Europe) here to explore the Etruscan Coast — a stretch of Tuscany that still moves at a gentler rhythm. Crystalline waters, quiet countryside, tiny towns, vineyards, and cypresses… this part of Tuscany isn’t in the tourist guides, but it’s full of beauty, character, and peace.
The garden is full of life right now. All the seeds and plants I’ve been caring for these past months are finally blooming. For the first time, I mixed vegetables and flowers — and now I can’t believe I waited so long to try it! The flowers bring in bees and butterflies, and with their dance, they help pollination and keep pests away, making everything look so colorful and alive.
It’s been 25 years since I started this garden. Back then, it was just a wild piece of land, more jungle than farm. Gardening is one of my greatest joys — alongside cooking. It’s a humble, grounding practice, a daily reminder that everything is effimero — fleeting and ever-changing. You care for something that grows, blossoms, and eventually fades.
The 35 baby olive trees we planted in April are doing well. They’re still too young to survive the dry months on their own, so we water them every 10 days. It takes a couple of hours to get through them all, but we enjoy doing it in the late hours of the day, soaking in the light of the setting sun.
We just hosted our 100th live cooking class! Can you believe it?
I still remember so clearly the spring of 2020, when the world shut down and Italy went into lockdown. Like so many in tourism, I lost my main source of income overnight. I had no idea that what started as a way to stay connected and share joy would turn into five years of online classes and an incredible community.
We marked the occasion by baking Torta della Nonna together — the perfect dessert for the celebration. You can still make it and if you need any help, let me know!
We’re ready for the summer ahead — a time when, in Italy, we call the hottest sun solleone. It’s a poetic word that blends sole (sun) and leone (lion), and it perfectly describes those fierce days of July and August, when the green grass turns yellow and the heat roars across the countryside.
I’d love to hear how things are in your corner of the world.
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What’s growing in your garden or simmering in your kitchen these days?
With love from Tuscany,
Chicca
