At my school in Figline, called Seristori School, I met my first friend: the Duke Simone Velluti Zati di San Clemente.
Simone's family were all dukes who owned lands, houses, castles and villas along many kilometers between the cities of Florence and Arezzo.
Simone and his family lived in "Il Palagio" a beautiful Renaissance Florentine villa located very close to the town of Figline. The villa was spectacular and wonderful with its Italian gardens, lake, soccer field and tennis court which was in a forest next to the villa, and the huge halls where I played with Simone.
The rooms of the house were fabulous and we enjoyed the most delicious meals which were served by the maids of the villa. The times spent in that house remain as one of my earliest childhood memories and I will never forget that special moment of meeting my first friend.
At the end of the school year, Simone's parents thought it was very important for him to become fluent in English, so they moved to Rome where he enrolled at an English school.
The years passed by, but Simone kept returning to Figline and to the Palagio on the weekends, and every year for his birthday which was always a great party!
My family moved to Paris, and Simone and I had lost contact until 2008, when, thanks to Facebook, we got in touch again and Simone told me the story of the Palagio and Sting.
Simone told me that maintaining such a large villa was too expensive and one day they received an interesting offer from Sting, so they decided to sell it.
Today, Sting lives in the Palagio near Figline Valdarno, in the house where I spent my childhood... unbelievable!
So, if you're in Tuscany and you're feeling curious, just go to Figline Valdarno and look for the Palagio. Everybody in the town will tell you how to get there! But beware, I think Sting is very shy, so I would recommend against ringing the bell...
Arrivederci,
Giorgio
