It was another variable day. It looked like it would rain; but fortunately it didn’t. Josh and Stefano had gone for a ride. Then, we spent the morning by the pool with Stefano and his family. The Italian neighbors also came out.
I had invited Nicole, her daughter, and a friend over for lunch today. Altogether we were twelve. I set a beautiful table outside and prepared a pasta caprese with fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatos. We also had a green salad with green beans and eggs. And cocumero, or anguria (watermelon) for dessert.
After lunch, we hung out on the (great) lawn while the kids played. In the late afternoon, we (and all of our guests) changed and drove in a three-car caravan to the peninsula and the Argentario Polo Club to check out a polo match. It was the first polo outing for many of us. The polo field is set against the backdrop of the mountains on three sides and the water of the lagoon on the other -- an incredibly beautiful setting. It was fun for kids to see the horses, particularly when they were running hard during match play. However, as we quickly learned, the action is frequently interspersed with long breaks. We all walked over to one end of the field where the ponies were being prepared for the following match. One has to be very careful not to step in horseshit -- especially when wearing flip-flops! 
After we'd had enough polo, we said good -bye to Nicole and the rest of us drove to Orbetello to pick up some provisions for a BBQ at the villa. Charlotte and I stopped in Bennetton where she selected a couple sale items, and I picked up a cute trench coat. Josh and Stefano took Avery and Francesco to the grocery store.
Back at the villa, it was a long process with the make-shift BBQ to get the coals hot, and to grill all the meat the boys had purchased. It turned into a long evening as we ate in shifts. After having so much space in this grand Tuscan villa, we now had a full house. My sense of peace and tranquility had been replaced by a bit of chaos.
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