Life at Hilltop Farm

Life at Hilltop Farm is absolutely amazing, a taste of paradise. Delicious food, beautiful views all around, amazing weather, peaceful environment, rewarding work, meaningful conversations and best of all wonderful people. I could not be happier here, we are so lucky to be able to see Italy this way.

Each day we enjoy two walks with Charlie and Auzy (the dogs), we feed the chickens and rabbit, we water the plants and we do the dishes; these are our daily responsibilities. For our farm work, which we do from 8:30 to 12:30 (with a tea break), we work to "liberate the olive trees". It sounds more dramatic than it is... Suckers, blackberries, and vines tend to grow around the base and up into the olive trees. This extra vegetation can be very constricting to the olive trees and it also gets in the way during harvest season (which is in about a month). So we are working to free the trees by using an ax-like tool, clippers, saw and various other tools to cut off the suckers and vines. Some trees have very little growth around them and take less than 5 minutes to clean up. But then there are trees that are covered in vines- these trees take up to a half hour to free. The vine covered trees are so satisfying to free, as it is a massive puzzle as to how to untangle them. I have learned that Tarzan isn't completely unrealistic... Both Jorie and I have hung with our full body weight from some vines and they don't budge because they are so incredibly strong. Tarzan in Tuscany- I never thought that was possible. Anyways, we are building up calluses but the work is rewarding.

It doesn't seem like we are working all that much because well we aren't and tea time always breaks up our work time too. Tea time is so wonderful, we both wish we had it in the states. It's a great opportunity to take a break but also to socialize.

We have been eating like kings here. Although Kirstie isn't Italian, she is a phenomenal Italian cook. Everything is so fresh and so full of flavor. And the secret ingratiate to it all is olive oil- Hilltop Olive Oil that is. They produce the tastiest olive oil, and it makes me realize what poor quality olive oil I have had my whole life. Jorie and I are getting lots of ideas of meals to cook when we get home and Kirstie even taught me the secret to chopping vegetables! Not only is the food amazing but is it's also so special to take the time to sit down all together for both lunch and dinner. We have the most lively conversations and have gotten to know each other quiet well in this short period of time.

Being at the farm has also been a great break from our constant travel. We have enjoyed the simple pleasures of not having to pack everyday, not having to lock our bags all the time, sleeping in the same bed, getting away from all the cigarette smoke, and being in more of a routine.

It's hard to want to leave paradise but we have ventured out to take advantage of the surrounded Tuscan towns. Friday afternoon after working on the olive trees, we set out for San Gimignano. We caught the bus at the bottom of the hill (about a 20 minute walk from the farm) to Poggibonsi and then another bus to San Gimignano. Let me first start by saying that the roads that connect these villages weave through the Tuscan hills and the bus drivers are fearless. All the drivers seem to have had a history of some form of race car driving and on top of this they love to multitask (talk on the phone, text, give change back to customers who have bought tickets). Also the busses don't slow down when they come to towns with narrow roads with lots of blind spots, instead they just lay on the horn and assume they will win if anyone dares to come around the corner. The bus rides just add to the adventure.

San Gimignano is a beautiful medieval walled town on top of a hill with spectacular views of vineyards and olive farms. There are several towers that also provide beautiful views. The small streets are lines with cute old stone shops. There was a festival going on when we arrived (we apparently have epic timing for festivals) so we followed the loud music and came to the big square where firemen were jumping out of the second story windows onto an inflatable mattress thing. The crowd loved it and the firemen kept rotating through. Our bus ride back was even more eventful than our sickening ride there. We first thought we were going the wrong direction, then a bus driver wouldn't let us on the last bus back to our stop, so we ended up in Florence. While problem solving in Florence our angel appeared in the form of Rudy! Rudy (one of Kirstie's sons) had luckily been hanging out with friends in Florence after school and was about to take the last bus home. We made it back to the farm by 9:30 in the pitch black.... Camp has trained Jorie and I well because we were just fine walking up the rocky hill in the dark.

Saturday we ventured to Pisa and Lucca by taking a series of busses and trains. This time we managed to master the Italian system without feeling motion sickness and we got back before dark. In Pisa we did the obvious- we saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Lucca is quaint with a lot more character than Pisa. We enjoyed the markets, the shops and the cafe's in this cute walled town. Although exploring was fun, we were excited to head back to the peaceful farm.

We could have ventured out again Sunday, but we are both so happy on the farm we decided to have a relaxing day. Kirstie taught us how to print make, so our creative juices have been flowing all day. It is amazing to work in their studio- it is like a epicenter for creativity. The whole family uses the studio for all there different artistic pursuits, and they are all so talented. We are constantly unveiling more of each of their talents, everything that we use seems to have been made by one of them. For example, the beds we sleep in were made by Pascal, the knives we use Oliver made, the blankets around Kirstie made, and the windmill in the studio (someday to provide power for the house) is Rudy's project. It is amazing to see how inventive and creative they are.

Only 4 more nights in Hilltop paradise, oh how sad we will be when we must leave...

September 25, 2011