Piedmont to Florence
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‘Once through the city gateway I gazed on houses bearing marble fronts, and every kind of magnificent carving. As for the churches, I never saw such precious stones bedded into walls, most especially that great Duomo all dressed with redstone, blue lapis and jasper…’
Like Biddy most British travellers were entranced by Italy. After a long and uncomfortable journey it was a longed for chance to experience the classical past while indulging in hedonistic Italian culture. 
Biddy’s route takes her through the northern Tuscan mountains to Pisa and on to Villa Ombrosa, her mistress’s sinister destination. My own travels took me to Montefollonico, near to Montepulciano, an ancient rock-hewn hill town that acted as a model for Ombrosa village. In an area famed for its gastronomy, local menus feature Tuscan delights such as truffles, game, mushrooms and wild fruits.
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Journey’s end is different for each of the characters in An Appetite for Violets. And such is the lure (or danger) of their journey that none of the characters who set out will ever return...
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