The word "Tuscany" immediately makes people think of sunny fields, with lined-up cypress trees contrasting against the blue skies, soft green hills, sometimes yellow after the harvest, and beautiful beaches surrounded by elegant pine trees.
All of this is, however, only made possible thanks to the rain.
Of course, rainy days tend to disturb sightseeing or hiking plans, or afternoons on the beach. It can also be problematic for farmers, who cannot work on wet soil.
But without the rain, Tuscany would not be Tuscany!
Rainy autumn days allow for the ploughing and the sowing of the fields; winter rains help replenish groundwater reserves; and during the spring, the rain encourages seed sprouting and blossoming. The few summer rainstorms also help quench the thirst of the earth, which can become very dry between May and September.
Living in Tuscany also means loving the rain, especially when, like at Villa Ambretta, we cultivate olive trees. When we see the clouds gather, we eagerly await the first raindrops, and rejoice for the earth that will receive them.
Sometimes, the rain is even more essential - that is the case for April rain in the olive tree fields. In Italian, the saying goes "Aprile ogni goccia un barile", which can be translated "in April, every raindrop ends up in the oil tank", highlighting the importance of the rain for olive oil production.
On the coasts of the Thyrrenian Sea, where the Villa Ambretta is located, the rain never lasts very long. As soon as the April sun returns, we put on our boots to go harvest the wild asparagus that grow all around us, to add to the pasta we will make for dinner.