First Weeks

  My first couple of weeks, as previously said, were spent living at Il Pero and living the life that goes with it, which I have to say I enjoyed hugely. In the first week, my aunt had the last guests of the season to look after; they were a group of retired soldiers from the 16/5th Queen's Royal Lancers, the regiment responsible for the liberation of Arezzo at the end of the Second World War, and the group included 80-something-year-old Henry, who had been part of the actual liberation. They were here to present a plaque to the mayor of the city and attend a ceremony at the town hall with various important Italian officials, including the head of the Carabinieri who had the most incredible embroidered jacket I couldn't stop staring at. When I complimented him on it, he told me I should join the Carabinieri myself so that I could get one too... Not sure I would make the best military soldier, but it would be worth a try to get that jacket.  We did take the soldiers to the British war cemetery which was actually really emotional, as Henry was visiting the graves of five of his friends who died when their tank fell into the river under heavy fire from the Germans. 

  

   

 

Another weekend was spent out for lunch at Villa Rignana, a family friend's house in the Chianti region of Tuscany. The day was absolutely perfect; the weather was amazing, the house incredible and the food and company were ideal. As well as the horses, including the most adorable baby foal, the other guests were great fun, I spent a lot of time with a gentleman called Alex who had the most interesting stories, from playing tennis with Grace Kelly, to telling me all about his favourite Spanish and Italian literature. After lunch and a dip in the stunning pool, my uncle took us all for an off-road adventure in a Landrover, from which we saw the most incredible views of the region at sunset.