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Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

On the first proper day of our return to Tenuta Il Palazzio, just outside Arezzo in Tuscany, Isobel meets up with former university chum Stefano, with whom we generally hang out for a bit and have lunch, plus a session exploring the expansive cellars in the family house in Arezzo's old quarter. That evening, Stefano takes us over to the Polisportiva Battifolle for the culmination of the 33rd "Sagra Del Maccherone" - a festival apparently celebrating wide pasta ribbons. At first sight, the scene looks like some sort of Sunday car boot sale and the location of the eating a bit like an army Naafi hut, but the maccherone (not to be mistaken with macaroni tubes) in combination with a traditional meat ragu proves to be very tasty. Before that, there's the ongoing and shocking demolition of the iconic Marconi factory near the railway station in Chelmsford.

next album: A Tuscan Winery and a Trip to Siena, Tuscany, Italy - 10th June 2013
previous album: The Eye Gardens Open Day, Eye, Suffolk - 1st June 2013

The digger continues with the garage destruction, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The digger continues with the garage destruction

The Marconi site in Chelmsford is cleared, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The Marconi site in Chelmsford is cleared

There's not much left of the Marconi factory, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

There's not much left of the Marconi factory

The Marconi Building is currently still standing, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The Marconi Building is currently still standing

In Southwark, the Shell shop has gone, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

In Southwark, the Shell shop has gone

A skip full of old Shell shop, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A skip full of old Shell shop

Harry waits at Stansted Airport, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Harry waits at Stansted Airport

Fred and Harry eat some prawn crackers, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred and Harry eat some prawn crackers

The view down a row of seats, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The view down a row of seats

The snowy Alps, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The snowy Alps

Harry's hair is all over the place, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Harry's hair is all over the place

A view over Pisa and the Mediteranean Sea, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A view over Pisa and the Mediteranean Sea

A million beach bars and parasols on Pisa's beach, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A million beach bars and parasols on Pisa's beach

The docks of Pisa from the air, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The docks of Pisa from the air

Big ships in Pisa harbour, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Big ships in Pisa harbour

The spoilers are up as the plane brakes, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The spoilers are up as the plane brakes

Our plane on the stand at Pisa, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Our plane on the stand at Pisa

A nearby British Airways 737, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A nearby British Airways 737

Fred eyes up a pastry that Harry wants, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred eyes up a pastry that Harry wants

Harry roams around, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Harry roams around

A butterfly on Nosher's finger, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A butterfly on Nosher's finger

Stefano and family come over to visit for the day, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Stefano and family come over to visit for the day

Harry hangs on to his Trunki, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Harry hangs on to his Trunki

The swimming pool, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The swimming pool

Fred gets out of the pool, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred gets out of the pool

A giant ant hauls off a victim, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A giant ant hauls off a victim

Arezzo park café, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Arezzo park café

Suburban Arezzo's bins, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Suburban Arezzo's bins

Round Stefano's family pad, a lunch spread is served, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Round Stefano's family pad, a lunch spread is served

Fred pokes about, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred pokes about

Fred plays around with something, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred plays around with something

An overgrown garden, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

An overgrown garden

Peeling paint on a door, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Peeling paint on a door

A load of old wine bottles lurk in the cellar, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A load of old wine bottles lurk in the cellar

Old bottles in wicker, and 1960s Fanta bottles, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Old bottles in wicker, and 1960s Fanta bottles

Stefano and Isobel inspect the cellars, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Stefano and Isobel inspect the cellars

Old bird cages, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Old bird cages

A cellar's-eye view of the garden, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A cellar's-eye view of the garden

The overgrown garden, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The overgrown garden

Stefano shows us a field out the back, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Stefano shows us a field out the back

A pair of distressed garden chairs, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A pair of distressed garden chairs

Isobel pushes Harry up the street, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Isobel pushes Harry up the street

'Hello Moto' graffiti from around 2006, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

'Hello Moto' graffiti from around 2006

This football pitch is not quite match-ready, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

This football pitch is not quite match-ready

lots of car scrapes on a very steep hill, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

lots of car scrapes on a very steep hill

Old man on the cathedral steps, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Old man on the cathedral steps

Some dude statue looks out, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Some dude statue looks out

There are clothes-line installations all over town, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

There are clothes-line installations all over town

Fred looks up at the 'washing line' installation, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred looks up at the 'washing line' installation

Clothes over Arezzo, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Clothes over Arezzo

Some phallic sculptures, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Some phallic sculptures

Arrezo back street, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Arrezo back street

Another installation on the Corso Italia in Arezzo, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Another installation on the Corso Italia in Arezzo

Everyone eats gelato on the Corso Italia, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Everyone eats gelato on the Corso Italia

Outside the Cremi Gelateria, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Outside the Cremi Gelateria

The pile of books artwork, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The pile of books artwork

Passers-by inspect the pile of books, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Passers-by inspect the pile of books

A close-up of books, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A close-up of books

Crumbling sign on a building, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Crumbling sign on a building

Fred gets a stone in his shoe, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred gets a stone in his shoe

Stefano, Isobel and Harry on the street, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Stefano, Isobel and Harry on the street

Fred looks in a gallery window, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred looks in a gallery window

More installation: 'Art has no sex', Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

More installation: 'Art has no sex'

Café culture, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Café culture

Fred hangs out with Sofia, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred hangs out with Sofia

Italian graffiti, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Italian graffiti

A nice old-fashioned tabacco shop, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A nice old-fashioned tabacco shop

Harry - Baby Gabey - and Isobel, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Harry - Baby Gabey - and Isobel

Stefano, Harry and Isobel, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Stefano, Harry and Isobel

The Sale e Tabacchi, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The Sale e Tabacchi

Hanging ornaments, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Hanging ornaments

Isobel with Fred, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Isobel with Fred

Fred and Sofia hang out like teenagers, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred and Sofia hang out like teenagers

Some more art installation: coffins and trees, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Some more art installation: coffins and trees

Fred inspects an old door, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred inspects an old door

A graffiti's underpass, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A graffiti's underpass

Part of Il Palazzo's 500 hectares of vineyard, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Part of Il Palazzo's 500 hectares of vineyard

We queue up at the Sagre del Maccherone festival, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

We queue up at the Sagre del Maccherone festival

Fred up a hill, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Fred up a hill

Stefano places an order, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Stefano places an order

Stefano steps up to pay, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Stefano steps up to pay

Isobel and Harry wait for food, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Isobel and Harry wait for food

Maccherone punters, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Maccherone punters

Some pasta comes out, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Some pasta comes out

Harry gets stuck in to some antipasti, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Harry gets stuck in to some antipasti

Harry looks up, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Harry looks up

A gang of noisy teenagers celebrate, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A gang of noisy teenagers celebrate

Harry sucks the meat off a spare rib, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Harry sucks the meat off a spare rib

A packed room of diners, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

A packed room of diners

Outside, an original Fiat Cinquecento, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Outside, an original Fiat Cinquecento

Our table, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Our table

Harry tries to escape, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Harry tries to escape

The 'restaurant'-cum-shed, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

The 'restaurant'-cum-shed

Cinquecento, and an Italian-flagged moped, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

Cinquecento, and an Italian-flagged moped

There's a mini funfair nearby, Marconi, Arezzo and the Sagra del Maccherone Festival, Battifolle, Tuscany - 9th June 2013

There's a mini funfair nearby

Hint: you can use the left and right cursor keys to navigate between albums, and between photos when in the photo viewer

The digger continues with the garage destruction

The digger continues with the garage destruction

The Marconi site in Chelmsford is cleared

There's not much left of the Marconi factory

The Marconi Building is currently still standing

In Southwark, the Shell shop has gone

A skip full of old Shell shop

Harry waits at Stansted Airport

Fred and Harry eat some prawn crackers

The view down a row of seats

The snowy Alps

Harry's hair is all over the place

A view over Pisa and the Mediteranean Sea

A million beach bars and parasols on Pisa's beach

The docks of Pisa from the air

Big ships in Pisa harbour

The spoilers are up as the plane brakes

Our plane on the stand at Pisa

A nearby British Airways 737

Fred eyes up a pastry that Harry wants

Harry roams around

A butterfly on Nosher's finger

Stefano and family come over to visit for the day

Harry hangs on to his Trunki

The swimming pool

Fred gets out of the pool

A giant ant hauls off a victim

Arezzo park café

Suburban Arezzo's bins

Round Stefano's family pad, a lunch spread is served

Fred pokes about

Fred plays around with something

An overgrown garden

Peeling paint on a door

A load of old wine bottles lurk in the cellar

Old bottles in wicker, and 1960s Fanta bottles

Stefano and Isobel inspect the cellars

Old bird cages

A cellar's-eye view of the garden

The overgrown garden

Stefano shows us a field out the back

A pair of distressed garden chairs

Isobel pushes Harry up the street

'Hello Moto' graffiti from around 2006

This football pitch is not quite match-ready

lots of car scrapes on a very steep hill

Old man on the cathedral steps

Some dude statue looks out

There are clothes-line installations all over town

Fred looks up at the 'washing line' installation

Clothes over Arezzo

Some phallic sculptures

Arrezo back street

Another installation on the Corso Italia in Arezzo

Everyone eats gelato on the Corso Italia

Outside the Cremi Gelateria

The pile of books artwork

Passers-by inspect the pile of books

A close-up of books

Crumbling sign on a building

Fred gets a stone in his shoe

Stefano, Isobel and Harry on the street

Fred looks in a gallery window

More installation: 'Art has no sex'

Café culture

Fred hangs out with Sofia

Italian graffiti

A nice old-fashioned tabacco shop

Harry - Baby Gabey - and Isobel

Stefano, Harry and Isobel

The Sale e Tabacchi

Hanging ornaments

Isobel with Fred

Fred and Sofia hang out like teenagers

Some more art installation: coffins and trees

Fred inspects an old door

A graffiti's underpass

Part of Il Palazzo's 500 hectares of vineyard

We queue up at the Sagre del Maccherone festival

Fred up a hill

Stefano places an order

Stefano steps up to pay

Isobel and Harry wait for food

Maccherone punters

Some pasta comes out

Harry gets stuck in to some antipasti

Harry looks up

A gang of noisy teenagers celebrate

Harry sucks the meat off a spare rib

A packed room of diners

Outside, an original Fiat Cinquecento

Our table

Harry tries to escape

The 'restaurant'-cum-shed

Cinquecento, and an Italian-flagged moped

There's a mini funfair nearby