There are moments when it feels like time has stopped. Time always runs tireless, passes by without even casting a single glimpse aside, and then suddenly it comes to a stop. Lets down its guard. Puts its feet on the table, tilting its hat to shield itself from the sun, it takes a nap. All the world has sped up madly around; the hours, the trees, the scenery. Now suddenly, it all comes to its place. A wondrous serenity. Silence. Calm. A sense of happiness. A drift of eternity. The cars stop moving, the clocks cease ticking, the heart stops beating, the world stops turning. it stretches a hand to you and offers you the key. Restlessness fades away, mysteries are dissolved and it all shines out clear. The future blossoms in your chest. No need for you to search any further. You have been expecting something that is now expecting you. Mostly those who have been burning with an obsession will now bathe in the feeling that they have finally reached the end of the road; the place where lays hidden the most sacred secret of them all. You are in Tuscany, my dear traveling pilgrim. Time here stops and takes a rest, leaving all the world behind. The wind here is a fragrant, gentle lover that carries the perfume of purple grapes, of soil, green, sun-kissed grass that linger in the arms of bells and silence. The smiling silence in the eyes of Audrey Hepburn fills up the great outdoor movie screen and your heart is colored in Enchanted Tuscany.
Leave your map behind and let your self be lost in the streets, the blushing meadows, and the smiling sunflower fields. Take the road that lays before you by the hand and give into the adventure. There is a truth
that lays hidden in every stone around. Be extraordinary and instead of a hotel, chose to stay at a place listed on sites such as Airbnb. We found an amazing apartment at the first floor of a romantic Florentine house of an artist; it had a bedroom suited for a queen, a studio, painted frescoes and a fragrant garden that woke us up every morning with the sweet scents of rosemary and mint. Florence had welcomed us with arms wide open.
There are many tastes here that can charm you to oblivion; the wine, the coffee, the lips of a sensual stranger. But the gems of them all you will find hidden on a little cobble street in the centre of Florence: the RivaReno ice cream shop! Every taste of it will dance with decadence on the tip of your tongue, luring you into a wonderland that will stay with you long after the ice cream has melted.
It's a fragrant, lemony scented afternoon in Florence. Having come far from distant lands, the hot, dry wind has settled in my garden for a long-awaited rest. Yawning in a sweet slumber, little puffs of breath escape him, lingering in scents of rosemary and mint. Nestled under a summer hat and tickled by the light that is playfully drawing on the canvas of my face, I am thinking about dinner. I have a dazzling couple of friends coming over for dinner. Like a film reel, pieces of a story are drifting through my mind: her tender footsteps will echo faintly on the warmed stone pavement of my front yard. She will step inside and the house will blossom to embrace her. The wind will proudly carry the edges of her dress as she steps into my garden and her smile makes all the trees blush. She will lean towards the man beside her and whisper words that caress his ears like rose petals.
So, the time came for the wind to set back on the dusty roads to worlds unknown, and for me to start working magic. For every woman is indeed enchantress of the kind that never tires of the world. My dazzling movie couple was soon to walk through my stony-arched pavement and time was of the essence. I was in tender, vibrant Italy; a country that can teach you much about life and how to live it right. And the art of beautiful food is universal and all-permeating. Just like the essence of us. So, I lick my lemonade-scented lips, I calm my heart that runs with the beat of eternal Florence and step into the dusk of my basil-scented magic workshop.
