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
