I needed to get away. Not far. Just Tuscany. I first came to @ancoradelchianti 20 years ago. This B&B has always been my favorite place in Italy. I live in Venice. But Venice is not Italy. Venice is Venice. Chianti is the Italy of my imagination. When my mother passed away due to travel restrictions during the pandemic, & I couldn’t go home for the funeral - @luca.caldironi told me, “You need to walk on the earth.” He, Orsi, & Chiara took me to the mainland so my bare feet could sink into soil. I have been feeling unsettled lately. My toes need dig into grass. A roaring ocean is inside of me. Frustration. Doubting my decisions. Impatience. Stress. So much stress. There has been some Anger & Grief. I don’t like this soup. So I change it. I am a good cook. I play with the ingredients. I remembered Luca’s words. “You need to walk on the earth.” Venice is made of water. So I travel to find the earth. Last minute I text Laura. “Is there room in the inn?” Si si si. I go to Ancora del Chianti with the cats.

Ancora is Anchor. Anchors symbolize stability, security & grounding. Ancora is a refuge. Traveling with cats is also an anchor. They force me to slow down, giving them time to adjust to new surroundings. I come to Chianti to escape. I’m not sure if I am running from myself or to me but I need to sit in olive groves & be caressed by the sun, embraced by the wind & supported by the earth. Often when struggling I run to others to support me. My sister must be exhausted from all my calls. But I am learning to run to me. It’s finding balance. Asking for help. Not isolation. But being emotionally mature enough to say I can hold myself. My vessel is capable of holding all of this. And then taking that vessel & pouring its contents back into the earth. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. A friend, someone I used to know, called. A moment of renewal. It is Spring & the cottonwood trees are blowing. It reminds me of my youth in Oklahoma. My eyes go grow gummy with allergies. The cats - everything new - chase after a bit of cotton in the wind. Life is transient. Emotions too. So for now I am an alchemist trying to transmute the ingredients into something new.

OUR SPONSOR:

The Antiques Diva Chianti Club House

Welcome to The Antiques Diva Chianti Club House. Clients booking Antiques Diva Tuscan & Florence #antiquebuyingtours stay for FREE in our Antiques Diva Chianti Club House with tour booking. It’s not an official B&B for outside clients but a clubhouse where our clients enjoy time in the country to relax, taste wine & olive oil from our vines out our front door, take cooking classes from Toma, or even art lessons or learn #antiquesrestoration.

It’s a lifestyle retreat. A place where we can hold intensive in-person #antiquedealertraining coaching sessions and maybe, most importantly, a place where you can go to empty your mind so you can see what really matters to you. As CEO of @theantiquesdiva, what I know is that IF you can tell me your dreams - professional or personal - I can help you achieve them. But not every client is able to articulate what they want in life. You need time & space to dream.

Dream Big. Be You. Find that thing that makes your heart beat fast. That’s what this house is here for … it’s a place to help you find yourself.

WEBSITE: www.antiquesdiva.com

INSTAGRAM: @theantiquesdiva