Easter Monday. L snoring during the night sounded just like a mouth-organ. Woke to see full moon in almost cloudless sky and sounds of T being readied for breakfast. Wondered whether Milton's description of the wall of Paradise is based on a) Tuscan landscape, or b) artist's depiction of same. Walked with S while T had midday sleep; afterwards went out with S looking for bread. Conversation about Hopkins - S feels that the fact that he never wrote a perfect poem is an expression of Christian humility. for my part, some poems of his that I value very highly. Bitterly cold though sunny. Later walked uphill to Corbignano, small place with oratory. All wondered what exactly an oratory was. Site of C19 vision of virgin by girl called Vanella. Olive trees all round, some with enormous stocks supporting slender living shoots, others with holes, etc. Small clump of prickly pear with fruit. Up and up to Settignano, substantial town high up with views to Florence. Remarked to L how like Kiewa valley Tuscan landscape is. As in Florence, streets paved with big blocks chased for a better grip - some seemed like calcareous sandstone, with laminar weathering. Walls everywhere, grilles, shutters, yellow wash, red tiles. Stopped at a little bar, then followed Via Maria delle Grazie down to Villa Strozzi again and so home. T awake by now and a trifle fretful. Out in the afternoon to see a monastery that was a daughter house of Vallombrosa. Past unlovely modern apartment blocks on far side of the Arno up into Chianti countryside: quite wild with wooded hills, olives, vines - snow visible on high ridges on the far horizon. Single lane corrugated dirt with traffic in both directions. X drove fearlessly. Country construction rubble stone rather than stucco, patched with brick and tile or whatever came to hand. Back by what I like to think was original fascist autostrada, though now demoted to secondary status.