How is it possible to go on holiday to somewhere as lovely and historic as Tuscany and to come away without any romantic ispiration at all?I've just spent a week near San Gimignano (the one with the towers) on a 'Walking & Wine' holiday. Somehow I managed to forget that Tuscany goes up and down rather a lot and I also managed to find myself with a tour leader who is Danish ex-army and super fit. Madness, but at least, I consoled myself, I would come back with a notebook full of ideas.
But no, not a spark of inspiration. Is the scenery too lovely, the locals too handsome, the wine too strong?
I wimped out of a day's walk - described by our leader as 'a nice hard climb to a ruined castle' as the culmination of a four hour yomp - and settled by the pool with a bottle of local wine, a picnic and the laptop. At least I could make a start on The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst, the last of my Those Scandalous Ravenhursts series. By the time the others staggered back I'd drunk the wine, eaten the picnic, swum in the pool and written all of 200 words.
But I did manage to get on to the set of the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, being filmed in Siena. The scene takes place during the dramatic Palio horse race and you can glimpse the stands through the archway.
Daniel Craig was, sadly, not in evidence, but here is one of the locals who may well, once I get back to the less picturessque surroundings of my study, provide me with some future inspiration.
Louise Allen
5 comments:
I also discovered how much of a challenge (in my case in July!) trekking around the Tuscan hill towns can be. In my case with camera and tripod.
See the results here: www.360tuscany.net/
I don't know if it will help with "romantic" inspiration, but who knows you might find that hilltop castle (see North Coast "Castello Malaspina").
Cheers
Peter
200 words? Pretty good going considering the distractions.
Sorry to hear your holiday wasn't inspiring. I know a writer a little and she says that inspiration can strike at the strangest times, so maybe there was too much pressure you put on yourself!
Anyway, you had a nice holiday didn't you? Thats the main thing.
I'd love to go back to Tuscany - I went to Florence once and loved it. Tried to speak Italian, but everyone just spoke English back at me! Can't say I didn't try though!
Clorinda
x
Hell, Louise, being a writer is so tough: we have to go to all these exotic places, spend hours beside a pool, just thinking out our plots!
Hae to say I found inspiration just looking at your photos! Hope the inspirational juices are flowing now!
Melinda
Well, you'll just have to book yourself another holiday somewhere inspiring and see if that does the trick. It's difficult, sometimes, being a writer.
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