1 August

I love August. That scrummy, yummy, summer feeling when the days are stretched and the land basks in languorous heat. We’re rising early to beat the crowds in town and get back home with our shopping.

Our meals are suitably simple. Today I served bruschetta, accompanied by a fig and walnut salad. The salad was simply dressed, which is more than can be said for Olivia, who has taken to sunbathing by our pool with little more than a brief bikini and plate of olives to protect her modesty. I know it’s bothering Phillip, who has been out several times to check whether she needs sunscreen.

2 August

More sightseeing today, this time the nearby township of La Penza, famous for its impressive Roman amphitheatre. Phillip and the Pestridges decided it was a little too hot for exploring (preferring the shaded courtyard of a nearby café), so I found myself wandering alone amid the ancient columns, imagining the shuffle of sandal-clad feet, the swish of a tunic and the hot breath of a centurion as he grabs me roughly by the arm and flings me against a wall, his muscular arms pinning mine down. ‘No! No!’ I cry out, or would have done had a Canadian tour group not arrived to shatter the moment.

The Pestridges have certainly enjoyed their stay here at Villa Del Vecchio and this afternoon they presented us with an Etruscan style vase they’d bought in town. They thought it might suit our hallway table. It won’t, of course (the colour is wrong for a start), but naturally we put it there for now and thanked them dearly. I’ll get Phillip to find a spot for it in the barn after they’ve gone.

The La Penza amphitheatre.