A Tuscan Heaven-on-Earth

By Donna Richmond, winner of Paradiso's 'Tales of Italy' competition

Nestled in the Tuscan hills sits the lovely medieval village of Radicondoli, where locals and visitors become family.

We stumbled upon Radicondoli by simple putting a pin in the map, and the nearest village was here! A place my late husband and I grew to love, where the locals invite you to festivities and welcome you with love and laughter. Where sitting in a bench at the start of the town, you will be joined by locals and often a child or two, that will happily play with your children and language is no barrier.

We rent a tiny house here, where peace and quiet exist with the sound of birds and visits by deer.

We sit daily under a massive ancient oak, sip cold local wine and watch dragon flies and pink butterflies skipping over blackberry bushes. All the while our grandchildren play!

If there is heaven on earth it is here, with these people, this little stone house, locals popping in with their home made olives and honey, bread made in their own stone ovens, laughing at us trying to offer payment in our broken Italian. But best of all is the welcome we receive when we return!

It’s a different world and one I have been honoured to be part of!