27/05/2026
Here’s an excerpt from our 2026 Tuscan La Baldi Residency recipient Pam Schindler’s time in Italy:
Hello from Tuscany. I still can hardly believe I’m here. It’s my last week now. Summer has suddenly arrived. All over the hills, the millions of tiny buds on the olive trees are opening into flower.
Last night I read in a poetry reading with a difference— the other two people doing a residency here are a sculptor (Chicago) and a documentary filmmaker (New York). So last night we saw a film from the filmmaker, and another about the construction of a sculpture, and some slides of paintings by one of the organisers, Joe Giordano, who is a painter. And me. The audience included local people who are either connected to the residency or involved in one or another of the arts. I read my “Learning Italian” poem to an audience including Italians! and they liked it.
I think this is probably one of the blessed places of the earth. Monte Amiata is an old shield volcano that dominates the area. So there are flowing hills of old lava making great volcanic soil, and the volcano comes with a giant aquifer, so there are springs of fresh water even in the hilltop villages.
Here I have my own apartment and the other artists are each housed in other buildings in the old village. The people who organise this residency are very generous about wanting you to appreciate the culture, and Joe, the painter, has taken us to restaurants in little villages which do traditional cooking and greet him like a family member.
My apartment has one east window and one west, and I’m on the top floor, so I look out to Monte Amiata and all the green hills!
I am feeling very thankful to the warm and creative people who set up this residency and share this magical place with people in the arts from many places.
All the best! Good writing to us all!
Abbracci!
Pam
