Tuscan Tiles tell tales of the wabi sabi

Hi there. Wabi sabi appeared on my day's horizon this morning as I try my hardest to get started with the packing. The house move is in less than ten days and I have yet to make a start! I'd rather dream up new colour schemes and planting ideas for the new garden or read or blog; anything other than doing what actually needs to be done!
Tiles I saw in Siena two years ago occupy my mind today. So, I looked at this old post, edited a few lines I don't like any more and decided to share. I do hope this little bit of blogging will give me the boost I need to go back to my mundane and find magic there:)

********************

Tuscan tiles
on a wall
of an ordinary
escalator
witness
people
as they go up
and come down
everyday-
morning, evening and noon.

Mute.

Stationary.

We jostle past each other-
struggling with maps,
looking at our phone screens,
trying to make it to the
parking meter
before the ticket
runs out.
Seeing the tiles
but not seeing them
because we have
done
our
sightseeing
for the day!

They
see
us
in our zombie-like state
and
sigh!

Wabi sabi of my life embraces me
and begs me to look at the beauty of my naturally imperfect world.

I see the sights
that don't make it
to the
'sightseeing' list.
And feel content.

My unmade bed and
messy kitchen counter
can no longer stop me from
relishing the latest
Khalid Hosseini novel.
The  overflowing laundry basket
has lost its power
to stop me from
enjoying a lie in
on a Friday morning.

Joint pains
this summer
reminded me
that life is too short
to worry about perfect place settings
to enjoy
a meal with my friends.

The tiles tell tales
of the wabi sabi.
It's cool to be scratched, chipped, faded and jaded-
as long as
you are you.
And
you have
the time
to
stop
and
stare
and
share
not  just on facebook
but face to face,too.

I hope to go down this road
of wabi sabi
one baby step
at a time.
It's a journey
I know,
for I still use henna to hide
my greys and
have hit more 'likes'
in the last one week
than have
liked
a tangible
object.

********************

If you are wondering about wabi sabi, here's an extract from an article I love to read:

Wabi sabi is asymmetrical heirloom vegetables and handmade pottery, crow's feet and the frayed sleeves of a favorite wool sweater, exposed brick and the first draft of a difficult letter. 

You won't find wabi sabi in Botox, glass-and-steel skyscrapers, smart phones, or the drive for relentless self-improvement. It's a beauty hidden right in front of our eyes, an aesthetic of simplicity that reveals itself only when animated through the daily work of living.

source: http://www.wholeliving.com/133628/wabi-sabi-your-life-6-strategies-embracing-imperfection

I do wonder about the future of our race when I watch people zipping in and out of elevators, doors, offices, homes (yes), cars, museums, churches and restaurants.

Let's not even get into what happens indoors- scenes of a family sitting down for a meal without a word being said because everyone is on their phone sends shivers down my spine.

These are fleeting moments when a mute tile or a torn paper bag captures all that is beautiful in this transient world, but we miss it.

I, for one, want to slow down now and live in the moment- notice these mundane imperfections before time takes them or me away.

And now for the tiles that captivated me in Siena, Itlay; stuck on an escalator walls near San Francesco car park which is near the church of San Francesco.

Commuters around me looked at me quizzically while I clicked.  The husband, of course, had given up long ago and was making his way back to the car park!

Parking in Siena can be a daunting experience in the summer- especially around the 2nd of July and the 16th of August (Palio days) as the city centre is a limited traffic area. So you park in any one of the parking lots dotted around the city and take an escalator to go up into the city.

If you are planning a trip, this is a good site to start your research to find a parking lot. The importance of an early start and a bit of research to ensure a hassle free parking experience can not be stressed enough.
http://www.discovertuscany.com/siena/tourist-info/parking-lots-in-siena.html


A few other wabi sabi clicks from Siena...

Another elevator wall...

Have you had a wabi sabi moment today?

Have a lovely ordinary day:)

Travelling through Tuscany in 40 clicks

The Tuscan treasure trove of sights, food, culture and people is endless. We left Signa on a sunny summer morning in late June and made our way to Lucca.

I had done my bit of 'do this and not that' research and decided upon spending a day in Lucca instead of Pisa- and this is what you should do if you want to relish Tuscany without getting crushed by ship loads of tourists.

Entering Lucca is like entering another world. It's a walled city and the only one in Italy with the entire wall intact. Its tourist brochure proudly celebrates its 500 years of City Walls.

For me, the fact that this is a traffic free city and has been since the 1970s makes Lucca the kind of place I'd like to call home. Only residents are allowed to park inside the city walls and they cycle everywhere. Visitors can park on the outer perimeter of the wall and then enter through any of the gates built in this imposing wall.

So imagine a wall which is so wide that they have planted trees on it- it's an unmissable experience to walk or cycle on this wall.

Lucca's medieval architecture is intact. I'll let the pictures do the talking. I'm not biased or anything, but...

I do have a soft corner for doors and windows, especially windows that double up as mini gardens. So, please bear with me...

At this point, I had to ask for directions to a craft fair that was being held in Lucca and asking for directions almost always becomes my responsibility (you know men and directions).

So I went up to an Italian gentleman who was parking his bike. I am sure he gave me the direction but all I remember registering then (and all I can recall now) are his deep blue eyes and his chiseled features.

I turned around in a daze after having nodded furiously to show my understanding and gratitude.I walked  up to my husband (still in a daze) and said,
" He was too cute, I couldn't concentrate- let's look for the information centre".

Which we did.

Why wouldn't I love Lucca? It made me feel like a fourteen year old at forty three!

We found the craft market. It had a range of Tuscan artists displaying their crafts. As usual, I was drawn to pottery and ceramics, but sadly did not buy anything...maybe next time...

We were almost ready to stop for lunch when we entered this beautiful shop in the town centre (it's the one behind the bicycle).

Lunch was a delicious Lucian fish dish with chickpeas. The waiter proudly explained that Lucian cuisine is unique. Like India, Italy offers a huge range of local cuisine which changes every few kilometres or so and that is why a road trip is so worth your while if you can manage one.

It was time to leave Lucca ...

And head off to Pisa, which is a stone's throw away. We found an excellent parking spot ( a block up from the western edge of the Compo di Miracoli on Via Pietrasanta), paid a couple of Euros to park, got accosted by sellers of 'genuine fake' watches saying 'namaste' and plunged into the throngs of tourists.

We were back in the car in exactly 30 minutes after having taken a bunch of photos with the leaning tower,including selfies. I managed a people-less click...

And my daughter managed to capture the tower on her phone...

Back in the car, sweating and exhausted, we thanked our stars that we'd chosen Lucca over Pisa before we headed out south towards Siena. 

The next set of pictures are from a day of  driving ( a few days later) in and around the Val D'Orcia region of Tuscany, south of Siena. We stopped at Montalcino (famous for its red wine and where we bought a bottle of Brunello), Pienza (famous for its sheepcheese) and Montepulciano (famous for its Rosso di Montepulciano). These are beautiful towns nesteled in the the most breathtaking Tuscan scenery. 

Alessandro from Borgo Villa Castelletti in Signa had gone into raptures of emotions when he was describing the beauty of this area to us.

Words fall short.

These are walking towns.

No cars.

Enjoy...

See you soon. xx