A&B author Lawrence Scott, author of the wonderful Aelred’s Sin (out in Ebook this month) recently visited La Foce, to learn about the intriguing Iris Origo. Whilst there, Lawrence penned poems about his surroundings and we’re delighted to share one with you, below. Isn’t it beautiful? We’re dreaming of La Dolce Vita…

The time was early in the morning
And the sun was climbing in the company of the stars…
Dante’s Inferno, Canto 1: 37-38

At the door, he listens to the humming night,
Among the silvering olives, a half moon.
Some where in Mantua the sky was still lit
With stars; for Dante, exile, not then a boon,
To travel, like that other poet, the master,
Whose metre I will follow, lengthen my line
From Tuscany, Umbria to Ravenna,
Carrying those images of art, the fine
Curve of cypresses zigzagging up the hill,
Seen from La Foce, standing in the garden.
As the evening slowly dies, the shadows spill
From the box hedges to the verge, spread the lawn,
A patchwork quilt, shards of light, paths that lead
To the house, to the wood, and one we must heed.

If you can’t make the trip to Italy, we recommend you read Caroline Moorhead’s autobiography of this remarkable woman. Iris Origo: Marchesa of Val D’Orcia is available here.