Random thoughts

On this first trip to Italy without my Charlie, I gave myself permission to slow down, relax, not fill every minute with mindless busy work, sleep late, embrace “l’arte di non far nulla” (the art of doing nothing) read, grieve, write, observe the world around me, see family. I did all of these things. My family was beyond wonderful. They invited me to dinner, took me to new places, revisited old favorites, and best of all, they spent time as if they had nothing better to do. They shared hilarious memories of Charlie. He was certainly well loved in these parts and we laughed A LOT. The feeling was mutual, he talked of them (and Italy) often and with affection. I, too, love it here and would like to come back often.

• My family has a wide variety of skill sets. If I ask the right person, I can get any problem handled.

• I packed for a 5 week trip with just one carry on bag. This is big, as I witnessed many travelers struggle with heavy suitcases/carry on/backpacks (often all 3!) and navigate airports/train stations with barricades in strategic locations to discourage cumbersome luggage. And once out of said stations/airports, navigate heavy luggage, etc on trains and cobblestone. It’s ridiculously hard. It’s best to travel light.

• Also an anti-theft purse worn under a jacket/sweater is a MUST. There are lots of pickpockets in crowded areas. And they blend right in because they dress like tourists. So it helps to look less like a tourist in the first place.

• I learned that I can drive in Italy and return the rental car with both rearview mirrors intact.

• I found that Airalo is the most economical way to avoid costly roaming charges while abroad. I bought an eSim card for Paris, $4.50 for the week, and one for Italy, $14.00 for the month. One thing to remember for next time is that the eSim card for Paris lasted almost another week longer. Could I have used it in Italy until it expired? I dunno. And I didn’t use up my Italy eSim either. I could have gotten by with a $10.00 eSim instead.

Last night, I watched a TED talk by someone who lost his wife, who before she died gave him the gift of a blank page to fill with new memories. I’m not the talented writer/poet that Charlie was, he filled many notebooks, but I can at least try to write.

So what am I going to do? Simply, more of what I like to do and less of what I don’t.

• Take more walks

• Make more collages

• Spend time with people who make me laugh

• Have more get togethers over good meals

• Maybe learn to dance the bachata? I’ll need a partner first

• Learn to sew or, at least, learn how to use the sewing machine properly

• Do more traveling, but with friends or family, its more fun to share experiences with others.

Plan next trip? Already on it.

Thursday Oct 17, 2024

Turned in the car at the Pisa airport, no problem. Anna took me back to Pietrabuona. We stopped in centro Pescia for one last cappuccino & pastry. And yakked and yakked. For two people who don’t see each other often we never run out of things to talk about. It’s amazing.

Had a quiet and quick lunch with Stella and Luca who is nursing a cold/flu/covid, he doesn’t know which. So we didn’t talk much. Actually over the last few weeks, several people have been sick with colds, flu, coughs and worse. Even Stella has been coughing and sneezing lately. I will be very grateful to arrive home without any of that, thank you very much.

The weather hasn’t helped either, it’s dreary, wet and cloudy. And for the first time, thunder and lightening! It was loud and felt close, probably because we’re so high up. I watched the valley fill with clouds earlier, there is something very magical about making entire mountains disappear.

Wednesday Oct 16. 2024

Overcast day, may rain.

Stella and I have breakfast together as Luca is in Florence for meetings. We have the same conversation as we do every morning. When we cleared the table, we couldn’t quite close the lid of her exquisite silver butter dish in the shape of a clam. The butter was too tall and the lid did not meet the dish. So she flipped the lump of butter 90 degrees and closed the lid. She said so this is what a degree in mathematics will teach you. I think I laughed for 10 minutes straight. Before she took over the Fattoria in the early 90’s she had an illustrious career as a statician for the Italian government. She has a degree from the University of London, having turned down Berkeley in California and MIT to be closer to home.

Afterwards, with a credit card in hand, I tell her we need to settle my account. She tells me she doesn’t know how to do it or how much to charge, looking all innocent. I say, Stella, I’m not joking. Then she remembers, OK OK, we could look up the price on her website. We fumbled around on her computer for several minutes until we found what we needed. Then we fumbled around for several more minutes with her infernal credit card machine until it finally printed out a receipt “Paid” What a sorry pair, the Grace & Frankie of Italy, it took a half hour to make a 5 minute transaction.

I met Federico in a restaurant in Pescia for a farewell lunch of sorts. He is so entertaining, I really enjoy spending time with him and talking about everything under the sun. He greeted several customers in the restaurant including a distinguished gentleman who asked him what he was doing having lunch with a “Signora.” They joked around, and later, Federico tells me he is the owner of a local book store, very cultured, very smart. Handsome, too, sigh. I noticed that Federico was watching me. Nothing gets past him.

Changing the subject only drastically, Federico casually mentioned that his parents want to retire on Isola d’Elba, not a bad place to be, I am told. Hmmmm

Tomorrow, I will get up early and turn in the car at the Pisa airport. Anna will meet me there and take me back to Pietrabuona.

Watched a Ted Talk tonight, very close to the bone. https://www.ted.com/talks/jason_b_rosenthal_the_journey_through_loss_and_grief?subtitle=en&geo=it

Tuesday Oct 15, 2024

Another wonderful day, this time in Lucca with Anna and Roberta. Left my car at Anna’s house, and she miraculously managed to find a free parking space just outside the walls of the city. They are getting ready for Lucca Comics & Games, Oct 30-Nov 3rd so there were plenty of detours, street closings and tent constructions underway. We walked around, met Roberta for lunch. We had a great time, talking, laughing and planning our next rendezvous: Dublin, Ireland in July 2025, then walked around some more. Even though I’ve been to Lucca many times, I never tire of it, there is always something new to discover, especially with people who know the city as intimately as they do. Before ending our afternoon with a walk on the walls surrounding the city, we walked the narrow streets filled with shops. We even walked past Franco Montanelli, Charlie’s favorite men’s wear shop. Over the years he had bought some really nice clothes there. The store front was empty, they had moved to another location but still within the walls of the city. Anywhere else in the world, I easily walk in and out of stores without buying anything. Here, I would have a serious shopping addiction: I want to buy everything: shoes! purses! kitchen stuff! linens! clothes! Christmas ornaments! garden art! Oh, man, it’s a good thing I came with only carryon, I lierally don’t have space for any purchases.

Before I left for Lucca this morning, I found Stella’s son alone in the office. I thought it would be good time to settle my account a few days early because both she and he had meetings in Florence, Thursday & maybe Friday. I did not want to pay at the last minute or risk getting lost in the shuffle. Since he arrived about a week ago, he has been a man of few words, all business, rarely smiled and never laughed. I tell him what I would like to do. He looks at me and says but you are a guest of my mother’s, you do not pay. I say nonononononononononono! He smiled and began to laugh. I say this is not a joke. He says I never joke, I am very serious, in fact, people tell me I am too serious. I say OK, then seriously, I am friend of your mother’s and also a client. I can be 2 things at once. Just then Stella entered the office and she said yes, you are my guest and that’s that. I wag my finger at her and tell her that’s not right and left for Lucca.

Roberta and her daughter Chiara on her iPhone

and her sister, Anna

Monday Oct, 14, 2024

Went to the supermercato to buy a couple of things for myself and a newspaper for Stella. When I got home, she walked in the house with a newspaper she had just bought. And so it goes. On the way, I discovered to my horror that there was a stink bug in the car. On me. Had to shoo it off as I was driving, then couldn’t find it when I got out.

At the confluence of the tightest fork in the road in Pietrabuona and a bridge, two giant trucks had to navigate passing each other and then round a sharp corner without jack-knifing. It was a marvel to watch them inch (or more accurately, centimeter) their way past each other, without scraping the walls of the houses on either side, taking out the lamps and balconies affixed to said houses. (Yes, there are no sidewalks, residents step out of their houses dirrectly into the street) or ripping off their respective rear view mirrors in the process. It required the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. My line of cars dutifully backed up the curved road to make room. The trucks eventually slithered past each other with microscopic millimeters to spare. Considering how…uh… animated Italian drivers are, I am surprised that there is no yelling, no wild gesturing, just resigned cooperation. It’s a fact of life.

This afternoon began the goodbyes, Lidia Lorenzo & Lucia, then Tina again because I left my hoodie at her apartment. Saw Maria Grazia there for the first time. She had been taking care of her ailing mother-in-law so this was my first and last chance to see her.

Sunday, Oct 13, 2024

Spent the first part of the day with Paola and Stella, cooking & talking. Paola invited me to come stay with her in Florence next time. She travels a great deal in Europe so I think she might be a good possibility as a travel companion? Will explore further.

Stella & her sister-in-law Paola

Cristina and Giuseppe picked me up around 3 and together we decided go to Vellano to check out the chestnut festival (La Sagra delle Frugiate) Which means eating roasted chestnuts and necci with ricotta. Yumyum. We parked below the town and walked uphill, stopping along the way to admire the town itself, the churches and the spectacular view of the valley below. At the top, in a little piazza was a group of folksingers/dancers/musicians dressed in mountain garb entertaining the crowd.

We ate necci on our way down, then bought bags of freshly roasted chestnuts, which we polished off by the time we got to the car.

We met up with Leo for dinner. Claudia was detained at the RR station in Florence by a strike that would be over by 10:30pm. ugh. Remind me to never take the train. The 4 of us had a great meal at a restaurant called Tagliere & Bicchieri, a place I passed numerous times but never noticed. Fabulous meal of fried fungi and pappardelle with fungi. Skipped dessert because we had two earlier the day.

Giuseppe, Cristina’s husband, and my cousin Leo

Going to Vellano was another unexpected surprise like walking up to Montecatini Alto. Such a simple pleasure, it’s really my favorite thing to do. Here or anywhere.

Saturday, Oct 12, 2024

Arminda worked until noon, Luca & Stella went out for the day, Paola is not coming until tomorrow so I have the whole place to myself. Took advantage of the warm, sunny weather and sat outside in the garden to read and think about things. It’s nearing the end of a splendid sojourn, and while I am sad to leave, I’m also glad to go/come home. It’s goodbye to the Fattoria, as Stella cannot continue for much longer and her son seems uninterested and not temperamentally suited to take over.

Being here has been amazingly therapeutic for my mental/emotional well being and I will be eternally grateful for the new good memories I carry with me from this day forward. I am reminded of one of Charlie’s sweetest rituals carried out at the very last minute before we left Pietrabuona. I debated whether to do it, too. OK, I’ll do it 5 days early, I tell myself, mostly because there is no one else around and I don’t have to explain anything to anyone. I walked up the narrow dirt road behind the villa that leads to Casa Gigi, where Charlie and I stayed many times. Back then, he carried speakers to play music in Casa Gigi. He would set them at full blast facing the valley below. Today, I set up my iPhone on the stump of a cyprus tree midway between the 2 houses and played Charlie’s favorite recording of Luciano Pavarotti singing “Nessun Dorma”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWc7vYjgnTs

And, of course, I sobbed.

But not for long, first I was approached by a father & son looking for the disc golf course, and then by a woman looking for the swimming pool. I was glad to point them in the right direction.

Later, Leonardo and Elisa came to pick me up for my last dinner of the year at Podere Gori. Alessio, Vanessa and Alissa came as well as Elisa’s parents, Roberta and Andrea, an adorable couple that I met for the first time. Giovanni and Elena were not there. Ate too well and too much! Emanuela suggested that next year I stay with her at Podere Gori and then she would come to US and stay with me for a month. Of course, I said yes.

View from my bedroom window

Friday Oct 11, 2024

Another wonderful day.

I spent the afternoon with Tina. We reminisced and looked through old photos and came across one I had given her of my grandparents in front of an old farmhouse. The photo captured them so perfectly that I asked Charlie to make several prints, one of which is now framed and hanging in the guest room. It’s my favorite photo of them. Charlie & I had always been curious about the location of the farmhouse, and even went to look for it based on Tina’s vague directions.

This time, I asked Tina if she remembered the street address, she said no but she could take me there. So we drove to the area between Ponte Buggianese and Casabianca, parked in a residential area and set out on foot. It had been built up since then and we knew that we might not find it. We asked a man sitting in his front yard repairing olive nets. He referred us to someone around the corner. The homeowner around the corner who was mowing the grass, invited us to sit at his picnic table to talk. Like he had all the time in the world. We had such a lovely conversation with Signore Camarotto. He couldn’t help us as he only lived there about 40 years but his next door neighbor, who was a little older, might know. He offered to introduce us to him (Sig. Gentilleschi?) a history buff who knew a lot about the area. Sadly, he was not home. Signore Camarotto then referred us to a street where, coincidentally, we had parked the car. He told us to follow it all the way to where it forks and take the left fork. There would be other older farmhouses. We found a number of them similar in style to the one in the photo. I’m pretty sure we were close, or at least in the right area. (via Firenze off of Via del Popolo, the Barbestetica barbershop on the corner, not far from the big hotel like building in Santa Maria) The view of the surrounding hilltowns was just so beautiful, especially late in the afternoon. It’s exactly the kind of place my grandparents would have chosen to live.

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Note to self: Several days later, on the way to the airport, I noticed that if I take a right on via Santa Maria from via Pesciatina and take the first right fork, I will end up on the street with the big hotel like building. Just past that on the left is the little street where we think my grandparents’ house is potentially located. It’s a much easier way of getting there than the way I came with Tina. Also easier to remember.

Thursday Oct 10, 2024

Drove to Lucca in pouring rain and came back 5 hours later to sunny blue skies(!) I am amazed at how fast the weather changes here. I spent those 5 hours with Anna, Francesco and Nicole who was only in town for a few days. She live in Barcelona now so it was my only chance to see her. She spent a year with us in 2014, learning English at GA Tech so she, Charlie and I share(d) a special bond. An all around great day of conversation, laughter and good food. We caught up on everything going on in our respective lives. Francesco manages to maintain a sense of humor despite ongoing health challenges. He dreams of a motorcycle trip on Route 66. I tell him let’s do it, I’ll follow them in a car!

I was glad to be out of the house all day as Luca and Stella seemed intent on getting down to business right away.

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024

This morning at breakfast Stella asked me if today was Tuesday. With some hesitation, I tell her today is Wednesday. Oh, she says Luca arrives today! I was almost hoping she would forget because it’s raining. Miraculously, by midmorning the rain stopped, the clouds cleared and yesterday’s severe weather predictions were …history. My commitment for the day fell through so, right after lunch, Stella and I went grocery shopping at Esselunga. The store was nearly empty and she and I had a good time yucking it up and giggling up and down the aisles. For someone who hates grocery shopping as much as I do, I’m amazed at how much fun it can be. And, of course, I bought more cashmere socks. As we left the parking lot, I accidentally called Pietrabuona “Casabuona” (good house) and it struck me that I really feel like this is home.

We came home to find the exterior wall of the house covered in stink bugs (cimice in Italian). Hundreds of them! I quickly unloaded the groceries and ran upstairs to close my bedroom doors & windows. They were inside the house as well. Stella and I spent about an hour filling 3 jars of alcohol with just the ones we caught on the first floor. UGH! We took a break to have our usual afternoon tea and cookies before she left for the airport in daylight. I made sure she took her beloved newspaper and made her promise she would wear her seat belt.

Then I tackled my bedroom which had its fair share of stink bugs, too. I don’t know how I am going to sleep tonight, knowing they are lurking behind the curtains, between the radiator slats and any other creepy place those creepy bugs can hide.

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Changing the subject only drastically, some time ago, I watched a video of Andrew Garfield talking about the grief he felt when his mother died. It is far more eloquent than anything I could say and profoundly accurate. Here it is:

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/08/entertainment/andrew-garfield-all-there-is/index.html

I also came across this quote from an article written by Samantha Joseph: “Now it’s time to find out who I am. To make the most of each new day I have. To bring purpose to my loss and grief. To love other people and to know they love me back. To love myself. To live, for both of us.”

Tuesday Oct 8, 2024

Another foggy cloudy rainy day in Pietrabuona. Stella asked me several times if today was Saturday. I tell her, no, it’s Tuesday. Domani, Wednesday, is the day you go to the airport to pick up your son, I tell her. Oh yes, of course, she says. His plane lands in the evening which means that she will drive to Florence at night. By herself. I can’t go with her as I have another commitment. I texted her sister-in-law in Florence to see what she thinks. I am hoping she offers to get Luca, bring him home and then stay overnight at Pietrabuona. Nope, she tells me Luca can take the bus and stay in his apartment in Florence. A weather advisory of possible flooding has been issued for tomorrow and none of us should be on the road.

Stella and I watched the news at lunchtime. Parts of Italy have already flooded and some houses have sustained damage. It is now 3:30pm and, again, from my bedroom window, I cannot locate my car in the fog. It looks and feels like the opening scene of a Fellini movie.

Across the ocean, another hurricane, Milton, is brewing in the USA, only days after Helene ripped through parts of GA, NC. FL, VA etc. Oi.

Strangely, there was less fog around 6 when Giovanni came to pick me up for dinner at his house. Emanuela is still recovering from carpal tunnel surgery so we feasted on a very simple meal of, among other things, toasted Tuscan bread with freshly pressed olive oil. From their olive trees at Podere Gori. There is nothing better than this, absolutely delicious!!! Giovanni made my favorite dessert, neccio, a kind of crepe made with freshly milled chestnut flour and filled with fresh ricotta. Again, there is nothing better than this! I thanked Giovanni for coming to get me and taking me home. No small thing as it is a one hour round trip in the dark. He says to me, why are you thanking me? It’s the least I can do, you came all the way from America.

We had an interesting conversation about garbage collection in Italy. It is collected every day. Every household puts out their refuse depending on the day of the week: Mondays only paper, Tuesdays, only plastic, Wednesdays only compostible material, etc. Also the trucks have automatic forks on the side of the truck (not in the back) and the fork lift picks up the receptacle, dumps into the truck and puts the receptacle back exactly in the same place. All done with just one driver. It makes soooooo much sense.

Monday Oct 7, 2024

The fog is so dense, I cannot see my car from my bedroom window. It is 3 o’clock in the afternoon. It’s also spitting rain. Perfect day to curl up with a good book.

Sunday Oct 6, 2024

Spent the day with with Roberta, Enrico, Anna and Francesco, just a pleasant, relaxing afternoon laughing and talking about everything under the sun. Couldn’t help eating too much, Roberta is such a wonderful cook!

Came home to find the hazard lights blinking on Stella’s car. I turned them off and went in the house. I asked her about her day and she said she went into town to get the newspaper around noon. So they had been blinking about 5 hours. Argh. She wound up being alone all day as her sister-in-law did not spend the weekend with her and Arminda has Sundays off. Worrisome.

Saturday Oct 5, 2024

For the first time in 19 months, I slept until 10 am.

Lunch with Emanuela, Giovanni, and Leonardo at Podere Gori. Emanuela made home made ravioli and home made profiterole filled with custard and dripping with chocolate, yumyum. It’s time to harvest the olives so Giovanni and Leonardo ate quickly and went back to work. To my great surprise and delight, Emanuela asked if I would like to walk up to Montecatini Alto. I had not been there in years and I was curious to see how much it had changed. We made our way through the olive grove behind their house, (located at the foot of Montecatini Alto) and climbed up a precipitous rocky path, crossed some tiny creeks and walked the rest of the way on gravel and asphalt. We passed under the funicolare and waved at its passengers as they descended. Emanuela pointed out a variety of wild edible greens and explained how to cook them. She knows a lot about plants including trees and berry bushes. I told her that I wanted to propagate a caper plant because the one I had transplanted from my late mother’s house did not make it. She and I collected caper pods (there are caper plants everywhere) and she told me what to do. I am sooooo excited!

Montecatini Alto is as lovely as I remember it, but with more tourists and a lot more restaurants in the main piazza. The view of the city below unchanged, still gorgeous. We walked around leisurely and stopped in the church at the summit. I lit two candles. Emanuela whispered to me, one for Charlie and one for your mother? Si.

It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever see Montecatini Alto again. I savored every moment. Truly special. On our way down, we did not interrupt Giovanni in the olive grove.

This is a good moment to plug their agriturismo, Podere Gori. There is another Podere Gori that has been plugged by Rick Steves, yes, that Rick Steves. Some American travelers have confused the two and, accidentally but happily, stayed with Emanuela. She and Giovanni have lovingly restored the family farmhouse and installed a restaurant style kitchen from which she makes everything from scratch. Emanuela can prepare a sumptious Tuscan meal, be it lunch or dinner. Also you can stay there in a Room With A View (see what I did there?) of the spectacular sunsets over Montecatini, sigh.

Just google Podere Gori and choose the one with her name (Emanuela Zucconi) to make a reservation. And of course, tell her I sent you. Forget Rick Steves.

Friday, Oct 4, 2024

The day started off sunny for the first time in 4 days so I convinced Stella to go for a walk in Pietrabuona Alta, just down the hill from her place. It’s sooooo old! Though many of the houses have been abandoned for years, it is still charming with its irregular stone pathways, ancient stairways, overgrown vegetation and, of course, breathtaking views of Pietrabuona Bassa (below). It’s the size of a postage stamp, nevertheless, it has 2(!) churches, a minute apart on foot. Only a handful of residents remain, including someone I have been curious about for years. We stopped to talk with him in front of his well maintained, postcard perfect house. He and his wife are Australian and spend the summer months here and then go back to Australia to spend the summer months there. Genius.

After lunch I offered to go into town to buy Stella her newspaper. I ask where I can buy socks, since I noticed that the cute little socks shop I used to go to downtown has closed. She said Esselunga, my new favorite place. I found not just any socks but cashmere socks. Top that, Whole Foods! I’m wearing them right now, as a matter of fact.

I came across this today:

Aging is a gift, a chance to keep growing, learning and experiencing life in new ways. It’s about defying limitations and embracing the possibilities that lie ahead. So, for anyone else pondering the future, remember: It’s not about passively accepting age, it’s about actively living each day to the fullest, wrinkles and all.

It’s my new mantra.

Tonight Federico picked me up after work and we went with his family to a wonderful pizzeria near his house: his parents Maria & Vasco, his brother Emiliano with his girlfriend Giulia, and, of course, Serena, with Federico’s two boys Leone, 4, and Noah, 17 months, whom I met for the first time. I noticed that they are both blonde and Federico immediately tells me they are not his. Such a liar. Great evening!! He showed me his future house under renovation, which hopefully will be finished by December. He bought out his aunt’s share of the compound where he grew up and is modernizing/expanding to accomodate a family of 5. He wants his boys, including Serena’s son, Diego, by her first marriage to grow up there. It’s perfect.

Federico and I had a lot of time to talk in the car, we talked about Stella, he asked me point blank what I thought. I told him, and he told me that she frequently calls his office with computer problems that don’t exist. Apparently, everyone is aware. Her son arrives Wednesday. He has some very difficult conversations ahead of him.

Also in the car, Serena mentioned that, years ago, I was the first person in Federico’s family she met. I am flattered, but surely, she meant after Federico’s parents and his brother. Actually, it was true: Federico and Serena’s relationship began under controversial circumstances that angered their families. But Federico and Serena managed to weather the storm and begin a life together. I love a happy ending. Especially for Federico.

Thursday Oct 3, 2024

Another day of dense fog, ominous clouds and intermittent rain in Pietrabuona. Would love to stay home again and just read/study/nap/write in no particular order. But duty calls, I have promised to join Riccardo and his son, Vittorio, for lunch. I hope that the fog will clear up by noon so I can see where I am going. And more importantly, other drivers can see ME. Driving here is a scary combination of Keystone Kops and lawlessness. Italians drive down the middle of the road, straddling the solid white line until oncoming cars necessitate swerving into their own lane at the very last freaking second. It’s unnerving. Charlie and I agreed on almost everything but this is one case where our opinions diverged wildly. He loved driving here. He loved that Italians drive decisively, as if they have somewhere to go and don’t dawdle. He drove like an Italian. Me, I’m grateful to arrive at my destination in one piece and not have killed any pedestrians along the way. Where there are no sidewalks, people walk along the streets, in dark clothes, or cross the street at faded pedestrian crossings without waiting for the light to change. I make a note to remember where those barely visible pedestrian crossings are and to be on the lookout for people. Also, dogs since they don’t bother with pedestrian crossings at all, sigh. And I think tailgating (In Italian, tallonare) is the national sport second only to soccer.

I spent a lovely afternoon with Riccardo and Vittorio and their high energy dog, Paco, who never stopped moving for one minute. R and V seem to be at peace now and have settled into their lives without Antonella who, until her premature death, was the center of their world. Vittorio, with very strong opinions about everything, is surprisingly open to whatever comes next. He would like to come to America, and we talked about taking a road trip together. Maybe after he gets his Master’s degree.

Came home and took a 2(!) hour nap. I didn’t realize I was so tired. When I woke up, I heard Stella and her housekeeper, Arminda, arguing. I went downstairs to see what all the fuss was about. They couldn’t decide which months comprised autumn, which months comprised winter, etc. I was still too sleepy to care. Besides, Internet.

Wednesday Oct 2, 2024

Woke up late this morning and watched the clouds, literally outside my window, lift and dissipate in slow motion. It’s a good day to stay home, read and take care of a few things. I went downstairs but the house was uncharacteristically dark. Perhaps Stella, an early riser, overslept, too? I waited about an hour and then opened the doors and windows (all locked from the inside) so that Arminda, her housekeeper, could get in. Stella heard me and joined me for breakfast. She gave me a momentary scare.

One thing that surprised me about yesterday was how crowded the train station was. It was packed FULL of tourists with their oversized suitcases and local students with their oversized backpacks. A pickpocketer’s dream. It was very difficult to move around and I lost Stella several times before we made it out of the station together. I asked Claudia if there was a special reason for there to be so many people, a Taylor Swift concert or something. She said it’s always like this. Oh Lordie, going to Mantova on Oct 18th is going to be a nightmare as I have been told that I will have to change trains at least 3 times. If all three stations are this crowded? Or worse, if there is a strike that day? oi.

Giorgio to the rescue, my Knight in Shining Armor. Uncannily intuitive, he texted me late yesterday that he wanted to come all the way to Pietrabuona to pick me up. We had originally talked about meeting halfway on the autostrada if a cousin could drop me off, say, in Bologna so he would only have to drive 1-1/2 hours one way. Or less considering how he drives. But he is taking the day off from work anyway and to him it’s not a 6 hour round trip but “un giro” a pleasant little trip. I texted him that he is a gentleman. He texted me back: and you are Franca. God bless him! So he’ll arrive here around noon, he can meet Stella, and then we’ll leave for Mantova right after lunch. Scratch that off my list of things to worry about.

On the road home to Pietrabuona yesterday, Stella and I passed an area under repair that necessitates turning two lanes of traffic into one with a timed automatic traffic light on either end. I asked her how long she expects it to be this way as no one has been working on it since I arrived 10 days ago. She said, well you know, there’s a lot of bureaucracy and first we need to get the necessary permits from Jesus, Mary & Joseph and all the Saints in Heaven. LOL

Tuesday Oct 1, 2024

Happy 100th Birthday, Jimmy Carter!

I went to Florence with Stella, Cristina, Claudia, and her friends, Rita & Guja, to see La Biennale Internazionale dell'Antiquariato di Firenze at Palazzo Corsini. A lot of fancy Italian words for what is basically a VERY HIGH END Antique Show in a very high end location. It was over the top! Obscenely excessive, at times. Very fine furniture, 14th &15th century antiques and more paintings than I thought possible (after all, aren’t they all in the Museums Of The World?) They even had a sketch by Michelangelo for sale. The exhibit hall was divided into small rooms, each representing gallery owners from all over Europe, all doing a brisk business. It opened two days ago, yet many things had already been marked sold. There are a lot of very rich people here.

Claudia was most interested in the sculptures of Libero Andreotti, a native son of Pescia. She is the director the museum that bears his name. I may have mentioned that she is quietly relentless. I think she needs to be if she wants to enlist rich patrons to help expand the collection and put this somewhat obscure museum on the map.

Looking around at the furniture, I realized that alot of the furniture in Stella’s house looks like the stuff we saw today. Jiminy Crickets.

As if all the ornate antiques dripping with gold and the jewelry dripping with diamonds wasn’t enough, the building itself was AMAZING. Every square inch of it was heavily frescoed, trompe l’oeil-ed, with carved decorations everywhere you looked. One room had a wall entirely sculpted with mythical figures and (real) water running and emptying into a small pool. Like I said, over the top. The building faces the Arno River so, of course, every room had a view. It was overwhelming and totally out of my league.

We walked along Via del Parione where Giorgio Biondi, my dad’s college friend/business partner, lived and worked. As a girl, I loved to visit his wildly eccentric Florentine apartment with red walls, dramatic drapes and Savanarola chairs. It’s all changed now, the little shop where he used to buy his morning paper is gone, replaced by a high end boutique with a guard at the entrance. My favorite wedding dress shop that specialized in one-of-a-kind hand-crocheted dresses, also gone.

We passed Sabatini, a restaurant on via Panzani near via del Giglio. When I was 17, my parents and I went there for lunch because my dad knew the owner. Every table faced an interior courtyard with an enchanting garden and fountain. Very elegant. I ordered lasagna verde as a primo that was so delicious I ordered it as a secondo. My parents were ok with it. The secondo took a very long time to arrive. I found out later that the waiters were so scandalized that they waited until the people sitting on either side of us left before serving it. The following summer, I saw the owner, a very refined and well dressed gentleman, walking down the street in Montecatini. I approached him and introduced myself as Dante’s daughter and he said “I know exactly who you are, Signorina Lasagna Verde.”

Monday, Sept 30, 2024

I had a packed weekend so I decide to stay home with Stella today. She is thrilled.

Her sister-in-law, Paola, arrived from Florence on Saturday. She spends every weekend here, thank goodness. We caught up with each other basking in the afternoon sun, in the garden, drinking camomile tea with a squeeze of lemon freshly picked from a few feet away. It was so aromatic that as I sliced it, we all noticed the scent immediately. Incredible.

That night, Stella and I were invited to dinner by Claudia at a restaurant somewhere in Marginone, (don’t ask me where that is) called Il Fornello. Had the BEST home made tagliatelle (pasta) with Ovoli mushrooms. OMG, SO GOOD! I had never had Ovoli mushrooms (scientific name: Amanita Caesarea) According to the locals, they are equal to Porcini or truffles but to me they were better than both. For dessert, I had freshly made ricotta with fresh figs and fig marmalade. The BEST! Anna (Claudia’s sister) who loves ricotta as much as I do, tells me that there is a dessert to die for in Catania called “Raviola” a pastry filled with the best ricotta. Must go to Catania.

Yesterday, I went to the Festa dell’Uva in Impruneta (very close to Florence) with Emanuela & Giovanni. Their son, Leonardo, lives there with his wife in a house with a million dollar panoramicherete view of the Chianti Valley. Must move in with them. Just kidding. Sort of. Leonardo, who years ago stayed with us in Atlanta, prepared what he called Brunch, an interesting array of scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, American bacon(!), salmon, guacamole(!) hash browns(!) and focaccia. All delicious. And, of course, Emanuela made dessert. We ate on the patio with that incredibile view, sigh.

The Festa dell’Uva was wonderful, but it’s hard to describe accurately. A celebration of the history of grapes, a kind of small town meets any Olympic opening ceremony meets Star Wars meets Hollywood with parades, flag throwers, elaborate floats pulled by tractors, a sound track that included What a Wonderful World (so I lost it for moment), narration, you get the idea. Every citizen of Impruneta (including Leonardo’s wife Elisa), mothers with their children, fathers and sons, children of all ages, dancers, gay and straight, actors, singers, musicians took part. They all made their own costumes, so shiny and colorful in the afternoon sun. After each “Act” representing the 4 rioni (neighborhoods) of Impruneta, the partecipants enthusiastically hugged each other, gave each other high fives, to celebrate what had to be the end of months and months of preparation and hard work. Really very sweet. So grateful to have been invited and so glad I went.

Tina

Many years ago, I came across a book called “La Polvere sull’Erba” that had been censored in Italy for 50 years. So, naturally, I bought it. At the time, my Italian was not very good and I read it with a dictionary close at hand. It described in excruciating detail the horrors visited on Italian resistence fighters during WWII. It was so awful that I would not let my mother read it. But it made me curious about the people I knew. I asked Tina about it and she told me this story.

When she was a little girl of about 9 or 10, she lived with her parents and 2 older brothers in a very simple house, way up in the mountains overlooking Montecatini. The Germans occupied the whole countryside and, luckily, her brothers had already gone into hiding in the woods. Every day, she would walk to a predesignated spot to drop off food for them. The Germans were everywhere, including at their house(!) amazing in itself, considering how isolated and how far up the mountain they lived. She and her parents had to sleep with the animals in the barn. The soldiers set up munitions at the cliff overlooking the valley below. From there, they shot down enemy planes, including two American. One pilot was killed and the other escaped, only to be found later and shot by firing squad.

When the Germans left, her father told her to tell her brothers to come home. They were home a short while when, to their shock, some German soldiers appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. They had been hiding, too. And waiting. They lined up her brothers and her father along the back wall of the house. Just as Tina and her mother were about to witness their execution, a German officer appeared, had a conversation with them, and apparently, ordered them to stop. Their lives were spared at the very last minute. Goosebumps.

Tina, Sandro, Charlie and I went up to see the house. It was a long drive, very high up in the mountains, on a winding asphalt road, the last few kilometers of which turned to gravel. Tina pointed to a seemingly random place in the road, we parked the car and walked the rest of the way, maybe another kilometer on a not very obvious “path.” How the Germans ever found that house I will never know. Now it is abandoned, in ruins and overgrown with vegetation.

After the war, Tina went to live with my grandparents in Montecatini in order to go to school. She got a job, married Mario, a very nice man a little older than her. They lived in an apartment on via Boito with his mother whose name was Italia. Years after he died, she met a widower, Sandro, and went to live with him in his beautiful home. They did not get married for 2 reasons. His only daughter disapproved. And Tina would have lost her late husband’s pension if she married. For 20 years, she took very good care of Sandro and, very good care of his daughter when she almost died of a mysterious infection a few years ago.

While she was attending Sandro’s funeral, thieves broke into the house, sadly a common occurence since obituaries are posted on special kiosks, and therefore, public information. She moved out as soon as the renovations on her apartment were finished. Even though she has to climb three flights of stairs, she feels safe there.

She still babysits Sandro’s only 9 year old granddaugher who loves her to pieces and decided on her own to call her Nonna. For someone who did not have biological children, this is big.

An epilogue of sorts. In this morning’s local newspaper, there was an article about an 84 year old woman who was the last survivor of Marzabotto, a town near Bologna. When she was 4 years old, she and her mother watched her father be taken away, held for days, and then killed by the Nazis. His body was dumped in the river and never found.