ART'S BIRTHDAY DINNER
JULY 29, 2004
We finally got to celebrate Art’s birthday with a dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. This was the end to a very interesting day.
As planned, I got up early and gathered the basil to make pesto. I had to grate the parmesan and chop the garlic, then I was ready to put everything into the food processor. The mortar and pestle may be traditional, but the food processor sure does make things a lot easier.
I had planned to take a container of pesto to Adamo, and then I decided it would be nice to also give a container to the new neighbors. I guess calling them the new neighbors isn’t quite correct since they’ve probably lived here since they were children…at least the relative of the man we bought our house from.
Art was outside while I was finishing up the pesto and he came in to tell me that our new neighbors were outside, and that I should come and say hello. I grabbed a container of pesto and went for the “official” meeting.
The neighbors were out by the garage where the husband was putting up a clothesline between the house and the medieval wall. He had cut back the climbing rose that grows against the wall and was cleaning up the branches.
From the sounds coming from the garage, I gather that the washing machine is in there. I wonder if they used to use the clothesline in our backyard, or if this is their usual procedure? This way would certainly be more convenient than carrying the wet clothes around to the back yard.
Art had been talking to the woman, and it turns out that the house wasn’t owned by two brothers, but rather by a brother and sister, and SHE was the sister. She told us that her brother would be coming to stay with them later in the week, so we’ll finally get to meet the man we bought the house from! I guess we’ll give the whole group the grand tour once he arrives. I wonder what they’ll think of all the changes?
The woman, whose name I was never told, had been telling Art how pretty I was, and how lucky he was to have such a young wife. He later said to me “boy, she must think I’m really old!” I’m sure this wasn’t her intention, but it was at that point that Art decided not to have any more birthdays. Later, my sister would make him feel a little better by telling him that HE hadn’t had a face lift! She also told him to enjoy his dinner, because if he didn’t celebrate his birthday, he wouldn’t get to go out to dinner. This made him change his mind about celebrating his birthday!
Anyway, while the husband was trimming the rosebush and making sure the clothesline was both tight and secure, the wife just kept talking and talking. She asked if we knew anything about when the park would be cleaned up. Of course this is one of our questions too!
Art told her that we had heard that it would be cleaned up at the end of the summer. He also told her that we had heard that because San Venanzo was so small, we were on the bottom of the list for this type of work. I pointed out that just the four of us, plus Armando and his wife were the only ones who had access to the park, except of course for the hotel guests.
I mentioned that many of the trees were dead, and she told us about a time when one of the dead trees had fallen over. As the road goes down the hill, the park gets more and more above street level. This means that the tree had fallen over from above the road, and a car that was coming down the road was lucky not to have been in the spot where the tree fell, since he wouldn’t have seen it coming. As it was, he was barely able to stop his car in time to avoid crashing into the tree!
I gave the pesto to her, and told her that Adamo was letting us use his garden for the basil and tomatoes. She told us that she had seen our garden, and also complimented us on the garden in the back. It’s undergone an incredible transformation since the last time she saw it!
She also told me that the three planters in front of our kitchen window are mine to do with as I please. She said I could plant whatever I wanted there, but that they were important to keep the cars from parking on the sidewalk. I certainly understand this…give an Italian a few feet, and he can make a parking spot out of it, even if it means parking sideways, or the wrong way.
I told her that I liked to garden, and that I would probably replace those plants eventually. Since I don’t know much about what will and won’t grow, for the time being it’s just easier to leave the stuff in the planters. I have no idea what these plants are, but they stay green the whole year, and seem to survive snow, drought, whatever. At least there’s something green out there. I did prune them back severely, just to thin them out, and they seem to be coming back.
Later in the evening we took some pesto down to Adamo. His mother, another old lady, and the woman who watches the two ladies in the afternoons were all sitting outside. I don’t know who this other old woman is…she’s just been there a week or so. Adamo told us that these two women are 93 and 95 years old. His mother is not quite with us 100%. Maybe it’s Alzheimer’s, I don’t know, but she tends to ramble on, sing, and occasionally call for help from passers-by.
We had what was probably the longest conversation in Italian that we’ve ever had. Adamo told us that he would like to visit the United States, and we talked about how big it is, and how difficult it was for him to imagine. We told him that once he learned more English and we learned more Italian, he could come with us to the United States and we could all visit the Grand Canyon together.
We also talked about the differences between Italian and English, and he told us that English is very difficult for him. He does speak French, and said that it was fairly easy to learn. Because the verbs are conjugated the same, we had heard that French was fairly easy for Italians to learn.
I showed him how well the rosebush next to my tomato plants was doing…. I’ve been feeding and watering it when I do the tomatoes and basil. I told him that roses needed lots of plant food to make flowers. I’m hopeful that this bush keeps on responding. The ground in this area resembles concrete more than dirt, but the plants seem to somehow keep growing, although they don’t exactly thrive.
Our neighbor walked down, and told us that she had enjoyed our pesto for lunch. She thanked me profusely and said that she had already called her brother to tell him what wonderful people we were! I guess this means that we can’t crank up the music too loud while they’re here!
We walked to the hotel to make sure the restaurant was open. As soon as we saw that the doors were open, we knew that the answer was yes. Art really likes this restaurant and I decided that this would be the perfect place to celebrate his birthday. They have a very nice and interesting menu, and a nice wine list. We could eat later, Italian style, and not have to worry about driving home in the dark, or under the influence.
We walked back home to take showers and change for dinner. Since it was only 7:30, we knew we had plenty of time. We didn’t want to be the first and only people in the restaurant. As we got dressed we both moaned abut the weight we’ve gained. Although I can still wear everything, some of it looks bad enough that I WON’T wear it! I need to lose a good ten pounds…maybe more, and Art would like to lose twenty. This is no easy task under the best of circumstances, and damn near impossible in this land of delicious carbs!
When we entered the restaurant we saw that there was a table of seven Brits already eating. They must be staying there. At least we weren’t the first!
A flute of Prosecco was brought to the table, as is normal here. This was followed by a small antipasto…one slice of sausage, a piece of Parmigiano, and bruschetta. We were then given menus to peruse.
We decided to each have a pasta dish and then share a steak. Art ordered umbricelli, which is an Umbrian form of spaghetti, fatter than regular spaghetti and ideally, hand-rolled. I ordered the ravioli with arugula and tomatoes. We asked the manager, who is also a sommelier, to pick out a reasonably priced red wine for us.
The pastas were both delicious, as expected. The steak was then served, and it had been cut in two pieces and each plate had been arranged beautifully. The steak sat on a bed of arugula, so at least I feel that I had my greens for the day.
The wine we had was a red, and it was very nice. We would later be surprised to see that it was only €13! For a whole bottle!!! I don’t think you could get a bottle of RIPPLE in a restaurant in the states for that price!
We decided to splurge on dessert, but again we decided to share one dessert. We chose the Torta di Ciocolatto, and it turned out to be very similar to a brownie! What a pleasant surprise! Usually the textures of baked goods are quite different from what we are used to, and we don’t really care for them. This was different and delicious!
Once we received the bill (which arrives ONLY after you request it), we were surprised to see that the total bill was €47. This was for a large bottle of water, the Prosecco and antipasti, the two pasta dishes, the steak, a bottle of wine, and one dessert. Oh, and they also brought us a sweet dessert wine, which was on the house, in recognition of Art’s birthday, I think. Oh, and Art had a coffee after dinner (Isn’t he becoming Italian-ized?)
We wished that our walk home was longer, but in just a few minutes we were home. At this point we didn’t know that we would have one more interesting thing happen to us.
Art went downstairs to the bathroom, and when he turned on the light, what should he see in the sink but the scorpion!!! I guess you can’t really kill anything with air freshener after all! Luckily for us this time, it was in the sink, and probably couldn’t get out because it was so slippery. Art was able to squash him, but he did manage to save one of his claws to show me
SCORPIONS AND PESTO AND THE ELECTION
JULY 28, 2004
We’ve seen a few scorpions since we’ve been here. Most of them are small, and they tell us they’re not poisonous, but I still don’t want them in my house!
I killed a few in the garden, hiding under stones, and also a few in the garage. I found one just inside the front door one day, and the other night we saw a tiny little thing on our bedroom ceiling that we both thought might have been a scorpion. By the time I squashed it, it was impossible to tell.
The weirdest place we’ve seen one is in the bathroom sink. Art was brushing his teeth, and I was waiting for him to do something. He said for me to wait, because after he brushed his teeth he had to kill a bug that was in the drain.
I walked in to the bathroom, and he told me that he had seen something in the air vent/overflow hole in the sink, located right under the faucet. We weren’t sure how we were going to get the bug out, so we splashed some water in the hole.
That’s when we knew it was a scorpion…we saw its little claw stick out of the hole, but unfortunately it wouldn’t come all the way out. I grabbed some window cleaner and sprayed in the hole. Nothing. Then Art shot some air freshener in the hole…what a way to go…death by air freshener!
I got my spray bottle for water and just kept squirting water in the hole. I was afraid that the scorpion wasn’t dead and would come crawling out of the hole and sneak up on us later. After sitting on the toilet and watching the hole for several minutes, I finally gave up, although I still wonder if it was just playing possum. I’m sure there will be more before the summer is over. Although I’m not a “girly girl” about bugs, I’d just as soon they stay outside.
Another new creature for us is the lizard that lives in our garden. It’s just a little lizard, about three or four inches long. At least I’m not scared of it. We see these lizards all over the place, sunning themselves on the rock wall across the street, crawling up the wall of the house, hiding in the flowers. I guess people from the southwest wouldn’t be so surprised to see lizards and scorpions, but these are things we never saw in Louisville!
We took a drive today to look at the sunflowers and to take some pictures.
Many of you know that I am a camera geek. I would like to think of myself as a good photographer with this wonderful eye, but that’s not really true. I’m more of a wanna-be who just won’t give up.
This is the first time we’ve seen the fields of sunflowers in bloom. This is our first July in Italy, and next month will be our first August. After that, we will have been in Italy in each of the twelve months.
The temperatures this summer are so much milder than they were last summer. Last night the low must have been n the 50’s and I got so cold in the middle of the night that I had to close the window and pull up the bedspread.
We can really tell the difference between the temperatures in Perugia and the temperatures up here in San Venanzo. We always have a nice breeze, and have only had three or four hot days so far. Of course we still have August to look forward to!
I got some info about renewing my passport today. I was hoping to be able to do it in Florence, but I just found out that I’m under the jurisdiction of Rome and must go through that consulate.
I did read on their website that I could renew my mail, so that may be the route I take if I can find a place to have an official passport size photo taken.
Our neighbors arrived today. These people are the relatives of the man we bought our house from. Originally this was one large house, and at some point the two brothers split it in two.
We knew the brother would be coming soon because we heard someone opening up the windows this morning. Armando told Art that they would arrive today and that they would stay for twenty days.
When we went outside to water the tomatoes we saw the man and said hello. He was busily greeting the neighbors who were all welcoming him back. His wife was hanging out the window, and we said hello to her as we walked by. We’ll make our formal introduction once the get settled a bit.
I put in two more basil plants in Adamo’s yard, and potted one up for the back yard. Hopefully these plants will keep producing until the weather gets cold. It’s amazing how much bigger and fuller the plants are that are planted in the ground versus the ones in pots, even though the ground outside is filled with rocks and doesn’t look very rich at all.
Adamo told me that the basil plants in his yard were about to flower, and I told him that I planned to make pesto tomorrow morning. I asked if he would like some, and he said yes. Since I knew that he liked pesto, I figured this was a safe bet. The plants will bush out even more when I pinch them back tomorrow.
We’re glued to the television these days, watching the Democratic Convention. We are so hopeful that Kerry can actually win this election and get our country out of the mess we’re in. When we traveled to Italy in October of 2001, we experienced so many acts of kindness and concern from Italians and others for us as Americans. After 9/11 we had the sympathy and concern of the whole world.
George Bush has managed to lose the good will of the world, and make us actively disliked. We find it amazing to see the strength and leadership of the United States evaporate under George Bush.
Right now I’m reading “Against All Enemies” by Richard Clarke. What an amazing and disturbing tale! To read of the ineptness of the CIA, FBI, and high ranking officials is sad, unbelievable, and frustrating. It’s hard to believe that the United States of America, the smartest, richest and most advanced country in the world could make so many mistakes for so many years.
In the past I’ve only made a few passing comments about politics. One reason is that I’m not very interested in politics. I find it boring and frustrating, and figure that in the end, they’re ALL crooks. Art is very interested in politics…he finds it fascinating. Anyway, with the election just about 100 days away, I really feel the need to let people know how we feel, and to encourage everyone to vote for Kerry.
As Americans living on a fixed budget in a foreign country, we see the value of our dollar sink lower and lower. THE DOLLAR!!! The AMERCIAN DOLLAR!!! The currency on which all other countries USED to measure themselves. How can our government sit by and watch our dollar lose value and our country lose respect?
And then there’s the attitude of the rest of the world towards the United States. We used to be the country that everyone wanted to emulate. We were the biggest and the richest country, with opportunities for everyone. It was a dream for many to one day come to the United States. We were the gold standard. These days, there’s quite a bit of tarnish on the United States.
Of course this blog is supposed to be about our life in Italy, but this IS about our life in Italy. The policies of the current administration definitely affect our life in Italy. I know that this probably won’t change anyone’s mind about their choice in November, but hopefully it might help someone who is undecided, or make someone realize that they really do need to cast their vote for Kerry in November.
MOTHERS (FROZEN) MILK?
Here's an ad we received in the mail for a local festival...featuring gelato. Keep in mind that these festivals are definitely family events...
I NEED TO THINK LESS AND RELAX MORE
JULY 23, 2004
For me, there’s lots of time to think. Of course it’s not this way for every retired person...there are those who begin a second career or get a job at WalMart, or take up a hobby that’s been long deferred. We won’t even talk about those people who never retire…or maybe we will….
What started me thinking (THIS TIME!) was a conversation I had with a friend in the states yesterday. She’s a few years older than I am, very active, still working. Her husband is a very successful businessman, and I really don’t think she would have to work unless she wanted to, which she does. The thought of not working and doing “nothing” has absolutely no appeal for her.
The company her husband works for was recently bought out, and for a while they both figured that he would be laid off. That possibility is still there, but not as certainly as they had first thought. Since he must be in his mid to late 50’s, and has worked for this company a long time, if he were to be laid off, I’m sure there would be a very generous severance package.
For many people in his shoes, this would signal the end of their working days….an opportunity to be seized and savored. My friend told me that if this should happen to her husband, she just can’t’ imagine him not working. She said she can’t imagine him EVER not working! And the thought of the two of them being together 24/7 was not appealing.
This isn’t because they have grown apart or fallen out of love…quite the contrary. This is just something that she doesn’t think would work, and if you had asked me about that same possibility for me and Art, I would have said the same thing. While absence may make the heart grow fonder, familiarity DOES breed contempt.
So far, Art and I have done okay, with no more than an occasional heated disagreement, and we had those in the states too. But here we are, with every day spread out in front of us like a blank newspaper each morning. Should we read, or go for a walk? Water the garden? Maybe straighten up, run the vacuum, try to tame the never-ending dust?
Art is so dedicated and disciplined; he studies his Italian every day for at least three hours. I usually read, or write like now, or peruse the internet. And then there are the times when I just sit and think. Yesterday’s conversation got me to thinking again. My friend is definitely a type “A” personality, as am I. Driven. Strong. Opinionated. Impatient. So if she doesn’t think this freedom and togetherness would work for her, why do I think it will work for me?
I wouldn’t mind being a more patient person, or a less driven person. But how do you change your basic personality? I know about the type “A” personalities, and assume that there must be a type “B”, but are there also types “C” “D” “E” etc, and what are the traits of these other types? Would it be possible for me to change?
And then I started to think that this was really not the root of the problem. The real problem seems to be that I am still very much aware of what other people think, or how other people might perceive my life. Why, after all this time, am I so concerned with what other people think? Insecurity? Maybe guilt? Maybe I need to work on the self confidence that I was able to project but never really feel in my heart.
Many actors confess to being painfully shy, and the general public often sees this as a contradiction. For the actor, there IS no contradiction; THEY are not on stage…their character is on stage. These people use their characters to hide from the world, or at least to hide their real feelings and emotions.
Although I’m definitely not shy, I do mask my insecurities with a very strong personality, and people just assume that I’m very self confident.
And now, when other people’s opinions should matter the least in my life, I seem to be controlled by them. Think about it…no boss to please, no teacher to impress. I don’t have to set a good example for my children or worry about offending a co-worker. I’m no longer trying to “get ahead” and those closest to me are fully aware of my character flaws…and yet they seem to like me anyway! (The true definition of love!)
If only I could relax and enjoy…but how to do MAKE yourself do that? And if you have to MAKE yourself do that, isn’t that a little contradictory? I think I’m in the situation that some stay-at-home moms face…Yes, you ARE an equal partner. Yes, you DO contribute, just not monetarily. But how many of these women secretly feel that they are less than their spouse? Or less than their working friends? It all sounds good in theory, but in reality things are often quite different.
I think that I feel that at age 52 I’m really too young to be retired. I didn’t work long enough or save enough to justify this early retirement. I do know that it was because of my discipline and conservative financial attitude that we were in a position to retire when we did. But….we’re living on Art’s pension, and I contribute nothing. I feel guilty about that sometimes. And the rest of the time I blame George Bush and his lack of concern over the decline of the dollar.
Time to fix a glass of iced tea and go sit in the garden to read a book….Enjoy the tranquility and the mild temperature….Listen to the cicadas….Count time with the chiming of the church bells. In other words….start enjoying my retirement!
AN ITALIAN SAYING?!
JULY 26, 2004
Yesterday we had a barbecue. We had hoped to have five couples, but two couples couldn't make it. Enrico, Wilma, Wendy and Giuseppe came, and Art grilled ribs and chicken. I made a barbeque sauce that turned out great. We had prosciutto and melon for an antipasto. This seemed cool and refreshing, and was delicious. After that, we went to American style, with everything on the table, help yourself.
Enrico insisted on eating only one course at a time, but the rest of us just dug in. We had cole slaw, because I knew Giuseppe really liked it the last time, and Enrico and Wilma liked it too!
I also made a cold pasta salad...My favorite one, a Greek pasta salad. I got the recipe years ago when I worked in the Kroger deli, and it's been a staple at our house every summer. Sliced tomatoes with dinner, and brownies for desert finished things off.
As we sat around talking, Enrico said something that Wendy translated for us...Apparently an Italian, or maybe Umbrian saying: "Not every donut is born with a hole". Hmmm... this means that things aren't always perfect!
Wendy had a neck brace on...She was rear-ended on Saturday as she was on her way to be a witness in a wedding! She went to the hospital AFTER the wedding since she the accident made her late. I hope she's okay!
Our other news is that I talked with my son yesterday. Maeve is scheduled to have a CAT scan today, and then her parents will meet with the neurologist and urologist to discuss test results. This means that by the end of the day, we should all have a much better idea of what lies ahead for Maeve.
Siobhan went to the hospital on Saturday to meet her new baby sister. Of course when it was time to leave, that wasn't too much fun. With the move from N. Carolina to Florida, and the tests Shannon had to undergo while she was pregnant, Siobhan has spent a lot of time away from home and away from her parents. Although she stayed with her other grandparents, this was still hard, and I'm sure that she's picked up on some of the anxiety concerning the new baby.
In addition to being a normal, precocious 2½ year old, she's also something of a drama queen. She cried. She pleaded. She wailed. "B..b.b.but... I want you to come home NOW!" And of course her parents felt bad, but they're also smart enough to know that in ten minutes she would be asking NaNa to tell her a story. It will be so wonderful when all four of them are together again.
A STARRY NIGHT
JULY 24, 2004
We had an interesting experience last night. We had taken a short walk and were sitting at the bar closest to our house. Art had a gelato and I had some water before we went back home.
Our neighbor Adamo drove by in his car and stopped in to talk with us. He told us that there was to be a lecture of some sort given by a professor from Siena. It was to be held in a park on the other side of Ospedaletto, and he asked us if we would like to go. Of course we said yes…why not?
We went back to the house, put on slacks in stead of shorts, and headed out the door. Although we weren’t exactly sure where we were going, we hoped we would find it.
Luckily for us, Adamo was in his car waiting to lead the way. As we wound our way up the road that leads to Ospedaletto, then past Ospedaletto, we began to wonder where we were going. Eventually we reached the crest of the mountain and began our descent towards Orvieto.
Finally we saw a group of cars parked alongside the road, and we pulled in behind Adamo. Another car was there with some people that Adamo obviously knew, and the five of us began walking down a wide gravel path.
After a short walk we saw a building of some sort, but our lecture wasn’t there. We passed a large outdoor amphitheatre. Adamo told us that shows were often given here. But this was not our destination either.
The gravel path was wide enough for a car, but Adamo told us that cars never drove this way. The path took us deep into the woods, with a steep drop-off to the left and a slight hill to the left. At last we saw a path branching off to the right, and Adamo indicated that this was where we were headed.
We headed up a hill to a large stone building. The sign indicated that this was the area for the study of the flora and fauna of Monte Peglia. I asked if this was the Volcano Park, but Adamo said no, that was located in San Venanzo. We’ve looked for that park and still can’t find it, so I was hoping that this was it.
Once we got to the top of the hill and the stone building, we saw several people outside, and also several cars. Apparently it is possible to drive up this path!
Adamo introduced us to several people, always introducing us as the newest residents of San Venanzo. I’m not sure exactly what word he used…it wasn’t “San Venanzites”, but something to indicate that we were a part of the town, not tourists, not guests, not temporary.
We were introduced to the professor from Siena who was giving the lecture. He was originally from Papiano, a small town not far from Marsciano, and told us that he always liked to come back to San Venanzo…that it wasn’t at all like “work”
We were handing a printed sheet which was a map of the stars in the July sky, and amazingly it was in English! Our lecture tonight would be about the stars! The print-out was from the University of Michigan.
People were still milling around in the outer room, and we had the good fortune to be introduced to the (new) mayor of San Venanzo….I had seen her picture in the paper, and knew that she was the only woman mayor in our area.
Her last name was Valentini, and the last name of her husband was Rellini…she told us both names were very common in San Venanzo. Since our geometra AND our electrician are named Rellini, and since the Hotel is called the Villa Valentini, this didn’t come as a big surprise.
I made it a point to congratulate her on her victory, and Adamo made sure that she (and everyone else) knew that we were HIS neighbors…he was almost territorial about it! We felt like we were the prize in some unknown contest!
As everyone began moving to the next room, we saw that a computer had been set up in conjunction with a large screen. There were plenty of chairs, and a man graciously offered us seats in the front.
The professor began his introduction by telling us that we would see a movie about the Mars Rover. He asked if we had seen it before, and we said no. He turned the (English) narration down (damn!) and explained the movie in Italian. Fortunately, most of it was self-explanatory. We watched computer simulations of the take off and landing of the Rover on Mars.
After the short movie was finished, we all went outside, where a telescope had been set up to view the moon. The moon was moving towards a half moon, and gave off plenty of light. I had never looked through a telescope at the moon before, and it was too cool!
Our next assignment, and apparently the object of these meetings, was to locate a specified star in the sky. First we had to locate the Big Dipper. Then we had to look at the middle star in its handle. He told us the name of this star, and then showed us how this star would lead us to the handle of the Little Dipper. Our job was to find a very faint star located in between these two areas.
Although the moon was bright, we did find the star! Cool! Then we were directed to find other stars. We saw Cassiopeia, and several other constellations whose names I don’t remember. We were supposed to see a satellite moving across the sky, but I never did find it.
The big deal of the night was to be the space station moving across the sky in about an hour. The professor showed us the location and direction of the space station on our maps.
As people continued to look at the stars, it became obvious that this was a regular event, and that many of the people knew the location of many different stars. Adamo seemed to know many stars, and he told us that he had invited us so that we could get to know some of the people in San Venanzo. How nice!
People were also joking with Adamo about his lectures…since he seemed to know a lot about the stars and their locations, he tended to lecture the others. Everyone seemed to know each other and I guess this group meets whenever this event is held. We have no idea how often this is.
One of the incredible sights, in addition to the moon and the stars was that we could see the lights of Orvieto by looking to the west, and the lights of Marsciano in the other direction.
We decided to leave before the space station came by so that we could find a darker location. There were streetlights surrounding the building which made the conditions less than optimal. We said our goodbyes, and started our walk back.
As we left the glow of the streetlights and entered into the darkness of the forest, it was incredibly dark. We stopped a few times just to look up and watch the stars appear in increase in number as our eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
We were also glad that a car made it’s way down the road while we were walking, just to light the way and confirm that we weren’t about to walk off into the woods!
Once we got back to the car, we headed back towards San Venanzo. Trying to find a good place to watch for the space station was difficult. There were few places to safely pull off the road, and then we had to make sure that we had a view of the section of the sky we needed to watch.
Once we had passed Ospedaletto we finally found a place to pull off. The moon had turned golden. We watched the skies expectantly, but I think we must have been just a few minutes too late. The professor had told us that the space station would only be visible for about three minutes. We probably needed to be looking at the end of its path rather than at the beginning.
Despite missing the space station, the stars were incredible. Since I had always lived in a city, I never saw the stars from a remote, totally dark location. I had just asked Art to drive down to the cemetery a few nights before so that we could look at the stars. I would love to take a blanket and just lie there, letting my eyes take in more and more stars.
We hope to attend the next lecture, although I have no idea how often these meetings are held.
A BABY, A PHOTO SHOW AND A BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF
JULY 20, 2004
The tomato plants are really growing now, but still lots of flowers and no fruit yet! And the basil is thriving too…it’s amazing that even though the ground is very poor, the basil plants that are in the ground still do better than the one in the pots. I think next week I’ll buy two more, since I expect the growing season to be longer here. I don’t want the plants I set out earlier to poop out before I have enough pesto!
We found the origins of the name Ospedaletto. I don’t know the altitude of Ospedaletto, but it is higher than San Venanzo, and therefore cooler. Since the air up there is so fresh and cool (supposedly receiving ocean breezes), many people came to that area the rest and recuperate from whatever ailed them, and so it was like a hospital….ospedale is hospital in Italian.
This week we’re seeing much higher temperatures…every day it gets a little hotter. By Saturday the prediction is for 97º! The amazing thing is that the evenings are still cool. I was actually cold when we were sitting outside at the gelateria the other night! It’s usually in the upper 60’s in the mornings, which is quite nice. We open up the windows to let the cool air in, then as the sun moves and the air heats up, we close the shutters to keep the cool air in and the hot air out. Our thick walls are a big help with this.
The dry summers and humid winters are very new to us. Clothes dry in no time. You can even hang clothes out overnight, and they’ll be dry in the morning…no morning dew! Of course this also causes the ground to dry out, and I’m dreading my next water bill. I need to get the plants well established, and between the dry air and the cedar trees, it seems as if all the moisture is just sucked right out of the soil. I’m glad that I’m using mulch, but even with the mulch I’m watering a lot.
Since our yard gets patches of intense sun for short periods each day, I think next year I’ll plant the dreaded begonias in place of the impatiens. As long as I can get the begonias with the green leaves, and not the ones with those ugly dark red leaves, it won’t be too bad. I’m also going to attempt to plant a rose in the area where the verbena is.
This raises another question for me…in the states fall is a great time to put in larger plants…roses, shrubs and trees. They have the winter to settle in, then can take off in the spring. But here, I don’t know if the damp winter would cause problems or not. I guess I’ll wait until spring, since I would like to buy some of these water-holding crystals when we come to the states in December. I brought one jar back with me in May, which was all I had room for, but I really needed several more. Since roses are so demanding when it comes to food and water, I want to make sure the conditions are optimal.
I blogged earlier about the contest they had on the SlowTalk website. We knew what prizes we would like, and had to wait for the seven winners before us to choose. By the time it was our turn, the prizes that we had wanted most were gone. The apartment for a week in Venice was our first choice, followed by the apartment in Sicily for a week, then the week in northern Tuscany. We didn’t think we had much need for a week in Rome, so we ended up taking a 4 day/3 night cooking school held in the Lucca region of Tuscany.
Our thinking was that we knew we would eventually visit Venice, Sicily, Lucca, and of course, Rome. This cooking school valued at $2200 (for two, but still!!!!) was something that we would have never done on our own, so it would really be a treat. At least that what I kept telling myself, since I REALLY wanted that apartment in Venice!!!
The woman who runs the cooking school, Carmelita, contacted me by email the other day. She asked if we would be interested in taking a WEEK LONG cooking class in Cortona instead of our four day class. This class would be at the end of August. She told us that she only had one couple scheduled for this class, and that she would like to have at least one more couple for the company. These classes have limit of six participants, so four would be really nice…lots of one on one time to perfect these techniques and recipes!
Carmelita also told us that the accommodations at the Cortona location were a bit nicer than the Lucca site. Cortona is just under two hours from here, but the Lucca location would take at least three hours, maybe longer…I don’t know the exact location. Closer is nicer for the coming and going, but then we could theoretically visit Cortona anytime we wanted. Lucca would have been someplace that we would have more difficulty getting to but….
Since the school in Lucca runs for four days and three nights, the schedule is a bit more intense, with not enough free time to make a visit to Lucca. I would hate to be so close and not be able to explore Lucca a little more…we were only there for one afternoon, but we really liked it, and would like to go back. In order to include a visit to Lucca we would have to make additional hotel reservations for X number of nights, meaning that we would be spending money that we hadn’t planned on, and also that we would have to research hotels and make a plan. Although I love to plan vacations, this was just not what I wanted right now.
So, as you’ve probably figured out by now, we decided to take the week in Cortona. I know it’ll be hot, but it’ll be hot here too, so that won’t be too much of a difference. We can take our fan with us since we’ll be going in the car, and Carmelita wrote that we’ll have all the cooking classes in the morning. There is also a day or two free, so we might go to Arezzo, maybe even Florence for the day.
We’ve been to Cortona, and I’m not sure there’s enough there for a second visit. That stupid book sort of blew Cortona all out of proportion. Yes, it’s a cute little town, but if I were going to make a list of cute Tuscan/Umbrian hill towns worth visiting, Cortona would be pretty far down my list.
Larry and Jill’s place isn’t far from Cortona…maybe we can visit them and enjoy their pool one day. Amazingly, the place in Cortona doesn’t have a pool!
To be honest, I’m just blogging to kill time…to try to distract myself from what’s really on my mind. Yesterday our son and his wife were scheduled to have their baby. This is their second; the first is 2 ½. The baby was scheduled to be delivered by C-section because we knew it had spina bifida.
I knew very little about spina bifida, although I have read about it. It seems to be caused by a lack of something in the mother’s system....something weird like magnesium, but I can't remember specifically. Why in the world a person would be lacking in this is beyond me. Anyway, the reason I don’t know a lot is because there are so many variations with spina bifida. A lot depends on the location of the opening.
We do know that this baby has the opening in the best possible location, which is low on the back, but there’s still no way to know what the damage is, or what the possibilities are. The baby will need to have surgery within the first 24 hours, and will be taken to an adjoining hospital. WE also have no idea how long the hospital stay will be…again, this will depend on the specific situation.
I had an email from my daughter yesterday evening to tell me that Mauve Claire was born at 11:45 a.m. yesterday. Siobhan knew what she was talking about when she said she was getting a baby sister! I’ll wait until a little later to call Shannon’s mom to get an update. I’m so happy, but also scared to death at the same time! You just feel so helpless at a time like this.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21
We drove to Panicale today to see Margaret’s photography show. We went the back way, rather than the E45, which was more scenic and less stressful. The sunflowers are starting to bloom, and I found a couple of places that I would like to take some pictures.
We had previously visited Margaret and John’s home in Paciano, which is very near to Panicale. Panicale is the larger of the cities, and both seem to be quite popular with tourists and ex-pats.
We found a shady (and free) place to park, and walked to the centro, through the city gates, into a beautiful small piazza. We immediately saw a sign directing us to Margaret’s show.
Her exhibit was in a nice sized room, about half a flight down, but with plenty of light. I’m not sure how many photos were displayed…maybe fifty. All the pictures on the wall were framed, and there were also matted prints of varying sizes for sale. Each picture had a small sign indicating where it had been take, which I always like.
I guess it’s been quite a while since we’ve actually seen each other in person, although we do keep in touch via phone and email. Margaret looked great, and her photographs were wonderful! Italy is a photographers dream…there is just so much variety…scenery of all types, people, architecture, flowers, sunsets, sunrises, etc, etc. Margaret has a good eye, and caught some great scenes.
A few people wandered in and out while we were there, but we did get a chance to catch up, and tried to find a date when they could see our house. Margaret and John are always so busy…they either have guests, or are traveling, sometimes for business, sometimes for pleasure.
After John’s mother returned to the states in June, Margaret went to London for a short visit while John went back to the states to promote his book. All of July has been taken up with preparations for the show, then the show itself.
They brought an Epson printer with them, and the prints it produced are incredible! These pictures are indistinguishable from those that had been done by a photo lab. Margaret told us that the Epson’s have eight separate color cartridges, so that the range of colors is complete, and also allowing cartridges to be changed individually.
John arrived a little later, with their current houseguests, a couple from Switzerland, whose names I can’t remember. The man had been a crewman for John and Margaret on their boat when they sailed to Bermuda. This was one of those friendships that just “clicked” immediately for them.
Since Switzerland is one of our favorite places, we began to talk to the couple while Margaret talked to some visitors to the show. As it turns out, this guy does parasailing in the Alps, and offered to take me (in tandem, of course) when we’re in Switzerland. This is something I’ve always wanted to do!
We were amazed to discover that you could remain aloft, depending on the winds, for one hour, two hours, sometimes longer! A new record was just set…for 10 ½ hours!!! The man took off in Switzerland and landed in Austria! Amazing! I’m moving Switzerland up on our list of places to visit so that I can take advantage of this offer!
We left Panicale around one, after deciding that the first week in September was the first time we could all get together. John and Margaret are doing a house exchange in August with a fellow SlowTrav member, and will be spending three weeks in France. Maybe we should look into this possibility. It could be a good and inexpensive way to see the rest of Europe.
I spoke with Shannon’s mom today, and the baby was in surgery as we spoke. Apparently there wasn’t the urgency for surgery, since the protrusion on her back was covered with skin. If the spinal column is sticking out with no protection, surgery is performed immediately to prevent infection. Since the spinal cord was covered, and since she is kicking and moving like a “normal” baby, we’re all very encouraged. We won’t know much until after the surgery, and with spina bifida there is also the danger of hydrocephalus, and also of nerve damage later on. Our prayers are with the baby, the parents, and the doctor.
JULY 22, 2004
I spoke with Shannon's mom this morning, and the baby came through the surgery just fine. the doctor said that she found NO frayed nerve endings, so hopefully, there will be no damage! The baby will be monitored for hydrocephalus, which is common with spina bifida, but if they do notice fluid building up, they can insert a shunt. For now, the news is good! WHEW!
THINKING ABOUT MOVING TO ITALY?
JULY 19.2004
Okay, I finally got the Tiscali internet sevice connected!! We went round and round with a woman on the phone this morning...she only spoke Italian, and for something this technical, we just didn't know the right words. She finally connected us to someone who spoke English and he talked me through a manual installation. Whew!!!
This service now allows me to be online between 9 am and 6 pm for a flat rate of €14.95 per month. Of course this limits the time when I am online during US business hours, since there is a six hour difference between Italy and the East Coast, but I think it'll work out.
I found our about this service from another ex-pat, Patrick, who with his wife Marilda, lives in Cetona. Cristina, from www.expatsinitaly.com did a lot of research on the various offers for internet and phone service, and this is the one that sounded like the best deal for us.
Cristina was the moderator for the Living and Working in Italy Forum on the SlowTalk website, and because of the interest, that forum has now become a site all by itself!!! Cristina is a San Franciscan who came to Italy to be a nanny about 8-9 years ago. The nanny thing didn't work out, but she stayed anyway, went to language school in Siena wwhere she met her (future) husband, and the rest is history!!! Well, you know what I mean.
One of the things that we have found most helpful is to have someone explain the Italian way of thinking and the Italina way of doing things in terms that we, as Americans, can understand. Remembering the fiasco we had when we bought our house using a British realtor really emphasized the different perspective that we as Americans have.
This is Cristina's gift...she knows not only HOW they Italian sytem works, but also WHY it works that way, and what it means to us. She also has an American perspective and American tastes. She can tell you where to buy taco fixin's or English language paperbacks. She can answer questons about what needs to be done to move to Italy, and once you're here, she can answer questions about everyday life, taxes, driving, etc. This message board has been a lifesaver for us!!!
It seems like I always talk about the people at SlowTrav and SlowTalk, but since the Living and Working in Italy section is now located at www.expatsinitaly.com, I thought I should let everyone know about that site too. I don't know if anyone reading our blog will move to Italy because of us, but if they do, there is so much more information available than when we moved...everyone gets to benefit from the mistakes of others...and Lord knows, we've certainly made our share of mistakes!!!
MOOD SWINGS!
JULY 18,2004
Yesterday I was in one of these pissy/depressed/don’t f#!* with me kind of moods. This was mostly induced by my frustration with being unable to download the stuff I needed to connect to my new ISP. Of course they’re not my new ISP yet, since I can’t connect. Except I guess I started paying for it yesterday. Don’t get me started.
I received a welcome email from the company, Tiscali, after Cristina (www.expatsinitaly.com) was kind enough to walk me through the registration screens. I was unable to download the program at that time because the internet was so slow, and when I tried to complete the process via the link provided in the email, a strange thing happened.
The directions said to click on the button, then when the dialog box appeared on the screen, click “open”. The dialog box is the small gray box that pops up in the middle of your screen whenever you are downloading something. Except that for me, when I clicked the button, the gray box appeared for ONE SECOND! Then disappeared!!!! After repeated tries, unblocking Tiscali’s cookies from being downloaded, turning off my “pop-ups” blocker from MSN, even waiting patiently for something to happen, I was ready to scream!!! Why can’t anything with computers be simple and easy for the AVERAGE person to understand!???!!!!
So anyway, despite the best efforts of Welbutrin, I was just in one of those moods. I don’t know if I can blame this sort of things on hormones any more or not. I was never one of those regularly scheduled mood swing women…luckily for Art. Several years ago I had a hysterectomy, so although my ovaries remain, I have no physical proof that they still function, or at least function in a pre-menopausal mode.
This brings up an interesting story about my former gynecologist. His name was Doug Peeno. Some of you may remember his wife…I think her name is Linda, but anyway, there was a movie (made for TV I think) that was made about her. She was a nurse who worked for Humana at one time. I probably don’t need to tell you what heartless bastards THEY are…but let’s not single them out….I would go so far as to include ALL insurance companies in the heartless bastard category. But I digress (as usual).
After years of working for Humana, being forced to deny services that she thought were justified and needed, Linda Peeno finally quit, and she now works as a consultant and expert for people who are suing their insurance companies over services denied. Nothing like having an “insider” on your side. Although I never met her, I admire what she’s doing. My feelings about her husband are quite different. (And even more so after seeing the movie, where his philandering ways were exposed to the world. The Peeno’s are now divorced….big surprise)
Dr Peeno was my gynecologist when I needed to have bladder surgery a few years back. I had switched to him because Dr. Zegart, one of the other doctors in the practice had ZERO personality, and really, when you just see these people once a year with your feet in stirrups, it’s nice to at least have someone who can (attempt) to make you relax and feel comfortable.
So I needed to have this bladder surgery. And in order to make the surgery most effective, my uterus would need to be removed. Since I wasn’t planning on using it anymore, I had no problem with that. What I DID have a problem with was what Dr Peeno suggested next: that I have a complete hysterectomy!!! He said that most “ladies” (his term for women, and I always just HATED IT!) chose to have this done. I looked at him in disbelief!
I asked him WHY other women would do this…what could be the reason, the point? He said it made them feel “safer” in general, but even if you are having your uterus removed because of cancer, there is NO connection between uterine cancer and ovarian cancer, at least as far as I know.
Natural menopause can be a bitch for many women. True, some women go through it without even noticing. Their periods taper off gradually. Or for some of the lucky ones, just stop one day and it’s over. Other women of course suffer through night sweats, hot flashes and mood swings. These symptoms can go on for years! It’s always been my contention that if MEN went through the same types of things, the problem would have been solved eons ago.
Anyway, menopause is certainly a natural occurrence. Yes, it can be uncomfortable, and there can be unpleasant side affects. Luckily for us, we live in an age where many of these post-menopausal symptoms can be alleviated, although those options have shrunk due to studies linking hormones to increased cancer risks. But the point is that menopause something that our bodies do naturally, gradually. To forcibly rip out two perfectly good ovaries and force your body into an UNNATURAL and premature menopause would be crazy, stupid, and completely unjustified. (THIS would be the type of thing the insurance company should reject, not a liver transplant!) For any man who might still be reading this (I can’t imagine THAT!), let me just say that the ovaries are where the majority of a woman’s hormones are produced…the hormones that make us curvy and less hairy than men. And the hormones that fuel our sex drive….things you don’t want to mess with!)
Now I understand the concept of preventative medicine, and know that some women with a family history of breast cancer choose to have one or both breasts removed while they are still healthy. Or a woman might choose to have BOTH breasts removed when only one is (currently) affected. I can understand this choice, although it must be difficult.
But, to get back to my original point…. To have a doctor suggest a procedure that is medically unnecessary and will cause problems where there were none before, all because some misguided, uniformed, and probably scared woman suggests it, is just beyond my comprehension! I told him that I felt it was his JOB to EDUCATE these women. To follow the doctors’ creed…”First, do no harm”. Isn’t forcing a woman to endure the misery of an unnatural, forced menopause considered doing harm? And if not, why is that????
So, this is why Dr Peeno is no longer my gynecologist. At least I was lucky enough to have just enough knowledge to save me from his incompetence. And while we’re on the topic of incompetent gynecologists, let me just mention that my daughter was extremely lucky to escape the incompetence of her obstetrician…what was his name? I know that it started with a “K”, (Kirtley? Kirkley?) and that he was her doctor twelve years ago when she was pregnant. And also that he was an arrogant bastard (in my opinion), but more to the point, he was also found guilty of misdiagnosing breast cancer, and that at least one woman died as a result of his ineptitude. When I'm sure of his name, I’ll come back and add it, just in case he’s still practicing….which is an all too common occurrence in these situations.
That whole doctor/God syndrome is ridiculous, but is fed by way too many patients who just accept their doctor’s words as gospel. I strongly feel that we should educate ourselves, and at least have some idea of WHAT medications we’re taking, and why, of what options are available to us. I guess one of my favorite sayings is “the Lord helps him who helps himself”. You have a brain…use it! Don’t let others determine your fate, whether that means what medicine you take, what surgery you have, or what car you drive!
And although you might not believe it, I’m in a better mood today!
WE WON!!!
JULY 16, 2004
For those of you who don’t go to the SlowTrav website (www.slowtrav.com) or chat on the SlowTalk message board (www.slowtalk.com) , yesterday was a very exciting day!
In celebration of the message board’s three year anniversary, Pauline, the creator of the website(s) decided to have a contest, and yesterday was when the winners were chosen. Let me tell you a little about how the contest worked.
On the SlowTrav website, there are many different categories. Italy seems to be the most popular, but whether you’re off to Spain or Disneyland, there’s something here. And of course if you really don’t find the answer to your questions, there’s’ always the message board.
One of the best features of this site is the reviews and trip reports sections. After returning from a vacation, people often write “trip reports” and post reviews of the places they stayed. This keeps the info up-to-date and interesting. Of course the reviews and reports are very personal opinions, but if you want to find out about traveling with kids, traveling with a large group, or visiting hill towns in Umbria, you can bet you’ll find something here. One of the members posted info about riding the buses in ‘Rome, another about the Italian train system.
In celebration of the third anniversary of the message board, Pauline decided to hold a contest, and asked people to submit trip reports, travel notes, rental reviews and photo essays. I think she expected to have about ten prizes and maybe one hundred entries, but boy was she wrong! In the end, FIFTY prizes were donated, and I can’t begin to guess at the number of entries. That’s a good question for Pauline.
Anyway, the list of prizes was unbelieveable! Lots of people who are in travel-related businesses participate on the message board, and their generosity was amazing. The grand prize was a villa for TEN people for one week. The villa is just south of the Amalfi coast…I’ll bet the winner has no trouble at all finding ten friends to go!
There are also weeks in Rome and Venice, oh, and also in Sicily. There are guidebooks and cases of olive oil. There are original works of art, guided tours, car rentals, and cell phones. A truly amazing list! There are also lots of prizes giving discounts for various rentals and services. Something for everyone.
Art and I entered our blog, and also the trip report and picture essay from our trip to Prague. These past few weeks, as the entries were posted, I have been busy printing some of them out…a suggested driving tour of southern Tuscany, a story about apartment renovation in Rome, travel stories from places I love, and some from places I’ll probably never go to.
I guess it was about a week ago that Pauline started to list the winners of each category. Some categories had more than one winner. There were two winners for best blog, and WE WERE ONE OF THEM!!!!! Hard to believe you can win a prize for talking!
Once all the winners were announced, the names were written on pieces of paper and drawn from a hat. The first person drawn had first choice of the prizes. Each person has twelve hours to pick their prize, and this will go on until all the prizes have been awarded!
Marian’s name was drawn first! There were a bunch of us in the live chat room, and Marian was there! Pauline asked her to wait until all the names were announced before making her choice, keeping us all in suspense! Finally she got the okay after the 50th person’s name was announced…and she chose the villa for ten on the Amalfi coast! What a prize!
Rebecca’s name was drawn second, and Art tried to call her to tell her that she had won and that it was her turn to pick, but she had gone out for the evening! The Umbrian Jazz Festival is going on this week, and that’s where she was. Luckily her babysitter spoke English, so we left a message telling her to go online and pick out her prize so that the list can move on! We’re number EIGHT on the list, and I would LOVE to win the apartment for two in Venice, but we’ll have to wait to see what’s still available.
This contest was a great way to generate lots of up-to date information, and to read some wonderful stories! The site will be even more informative than it was before. As I’ve said a million times, if it weren’t for this site, and the knowledge and support of the people who participate, we wouldn’t be living in Italy today! That in itself was the best prize we could have ever gotten!
A TRIP TO FLORENCE
JULY 15,2004
Yesterday we went to Florence. This was the first time that we’ve been to Florence for the whole day, and of course it was wonderful. This trip was rather unexpected, and we only went because we had offered to take Maria, our neighbor’s daughter, to the train station so that she could go to Florence.
Maria is here because her dad, Frank, our new neighbor from Detroit, was in the hospital last week. A cousin phoned Maria to tell her about her dad, and Maria flew over here with her six year old daughter, Antonia.
Both Maria and Toni have been here many times. Maria’s mom was born in San Venanzo, and although she lived most of her life away from here, the family visited often. At six, Toni has been here at least three times, and remembers quite a bit about those visits.
On previous trips, Maria had taken the bus from San Venanzo to Orvieto, then caught the train to Florence. Her relatives told her that this no longer works…either the bus or the train schedule has changed, making the connections difficult. Frank was unable to take her to a train station because all he has to drive right now is an Ape. Although the three of them have squeezed in the Ape to go to the pool, this won’t work for a longer trip.
Last week we had told Maria that we would be happy to take her to the train station in Ponte San Giovanni, where she could catch the train to Florence. This station is a lot closer and more convenient than the one in Perugia. There’s always parking available, and you don’t have to get into the heavier traffic of Perugia.
At first we weren’t planning on going to Florence. Art and I had both thought about it, but then I looked at the forecast, and it was supposed to be cooler here, in the upper 70’s, but Florence was going to be up to the high 80’s. Florence, heat, and lots of tourists didn’t seem too appealing.
When the forecast was revised, Florence was expected to have much milder temperatures, and we decided to go. Our previous trip to Florence had been a quick stop in the city after a visit to the IKEA store located outside of the city. We had accidentally driven into the centro…a mistake you do NOT want to make! Anyway, we had only spent a few hours there, and knew that we would enjoy another visit. Florence is our favorite city in Italy…so far.
We checked out the schedules, and found that if we left at six a.m. we could get a direct train to Florence which would get us there by eight. I am NOT a morning person. Never have been, never will be. The fact that I had to get up at ungodly hours when I worked at the Post Office never changed this fact. To take this train, we would have to get up before five A.M. and leave the house no later than five fifteen. No thanks. Luckily Maria agreed.
We decided to catch the eight o’clock train, which required a change at Terentola, but would get us into Florence before eleven. Maria agreed with the scheduling, and after checking the weather for a few days, we decided that Wednesday would be the day.
The day started off badly…neither one of our alarm clocks went off, and we didn’t wake up until six thirty! Since we planned to leave the house at seven, we were a little rushed. Luckily I had organized the backpacks and clothes the night before. We arrived at the station in plenty of time to buy our tickets and check out return schedules.
Our mission on this trip to Florence was to visit a store called VIVI in order to look for some food supplies that I couldn’t find in Umbria. Since Florence is a larger city with a larger ex-pat community, the selection of “foreign” foods would be better here. Our friend Judy, who runs a cooking school in Florence (www.divinacucina.com), had told us about this place.
(Please note: I STILL can't get this damn "link" function to work right!!!!!)
We also wanted to visit the Mercato Centrale, a wonderful two story market for fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, flowers and more. We didn’t plan to buy any fresh foods but thought we might pick up some Tuscan olive oil, which is generally more “peppery” than the Umbrian oil.
We also printed out Judy’s recommendations for places to eat near the Mercato, and decided to try Mario’s, a small lunchtime only place that quickly fills up. We planned to stop first at VIVI, then head straight for Mario’s.
The trip to VIVI’s was interesting. Although the store itself is small, they had quite a variety of foreign foods. Lots of oriental foods, Mexican foods, British foods, and of course American. We saw Crisco and Duncan Hines cake mixes. Microwave popcorn and Cheese Tidbits. Vanilla extract, peanut butter, Soft Batch cookies.
We bought ramen noodles to make Oriental cole slaw, Karo syrup, both light and dark…I don’t have a great need for these, but since they were there, why not? We also bought sweet pickle relish and treacle, which the saleslady, an American ex-pat, assured me was the equivalent of molasses. I’ve recently learned that I can turn granulated sugar into brown sugar using molasses! Use less to make light brown, more to make dark brown!
Most of the other items we saw were things that we had either brought with us, or things that we decided if we hadn’t used them for nine months, we really didn’t need. The backpack made carrying everything a little easier.
We headed to Mario’s, and arrived there about 11:30. Although they don’t open until noon, they invited us in to sit and wait. We struck up a conversation with one of the guys, and he told us that Judy had been by earlier in the day with one of her groups. She takes groups through the Mercato Centrale to shop for the best and freshest ingredients, then goes back to her apartment to conduct the cooking class with these ingredients.
Deciding what to order was a challenge. We wanted to try everything, but ended up going with one bowl of ribolitta, the famous Tuscan vegetable/bread soup, and an order of beans to start. Although the ribolitta is best in the late fall when the black cabbage is in season, we decided to take a chance since it’s one of our favorites and we haven’t had it for a long time.
As expected both dishes were wonderful. To follow this we had taken Judy’s recommendation and ordered the bistecca fiorentino…a TWO POUND t-bone that was about an inch thick! The waiter showed it to us before they cooked it, and it looked more like a roast than a steak.
The steak was delivered to us already cut in half and still sizzling. I took the slightly smaller of the two pieces and we both cut our first piece with anticipation. Judy had promised that it would melt in our mouth….and she was right! I didn’t think that a steak that large could be so tender, but it was absolutely delicious!
Since this is a small place, a single woman had been seated at our table with us. This is standard practice in European restaurants. Our tablemate turned out to be a fellow American, a teacher from North Carolina who was in Florence to teach a month-long photography class. This was her first visit to Mario’s as well, and we told her what little we knew about it and showed her the printout from Judy’s website. She decided to try the Wednesday special, Braciole with salsa, also recommended by Judy. Not surprisingly, this was excellent too!
After lunch we wandered around the Mercato, just looking at all the wonderful choices. We talked with a few of the people, mostly because we were looking for the more “peppery” Tuscan olive oil. We didn’t see any point in lugging around oil that wasn’t peppery, since we have more than enough fresh oil from last fall. We thought maybe we’d walk over to the place near the Ponte Vecchio where we had bought our oil before.
On the way we stopped in Edison’s, a bookstore located on the Piazza della Republica, because we knew they had English language books. Although I didn’t find any of the books I was looking for, Art did find a book that had short stores printed side by side in English and Italian. This will help with his understanding of Italian. He also found a paperback entitled “The Mailman” which seemed interesting.
We were hopeful that the olive oil shop would be open…it was early afternoon, and in Umbria, everything closes from one o’clock until 3:30 or four. Since Florence is a larger city filled with many tourists, most shops stay open all day. Luckily our little olive oil shop did too.
We tasted several oils, but the salesman was quite honest in telling us that last years oil was not especially peppery, but that the crop for this year would be much better. We thanked him for his advice, and left, promising to return.
Art wanted to buy some old balsamic vinegar, but I just couldn’t see paying $50 or more…it’s just not something we need, especially when the stuff I can buy at the grocery is so good!
Art also wanted to buy some olive wood, but the only piece that I really wanted was a bread board, and it was €65…about $80 at the current exchange rate! Maybe when we go to Montalcino I can find one cheaper.
After this I was ready to hit Vivoli’s! A trip to this gelateria is a MUST for any visit to Florence. As usual, I got chocolate, banana, and just a tiny bit of strawberry. The flavors in gelato are so much more intense than in ice cream, and Vivoli’s is always wonderful
We walked back through town, taking our time, people watching and sightseeing. The Doumo looks wonderful since it’s been cleaned…the white marble just shines!
Amazingly the city wasn’t nearly as packed as we had expected. Maybe because we did most of our walking around after noon the large tour groups had left.
We had agreed to meet Maria and Toni at the train station before four, to catch the train that left at 4:09. At five minutes after four they FINALLY walked in…I was already at the train, and had told Art that I would NOT miss this train! It seems that Maria’s watch is five minutes slow…although I thought that getting there at four was still pushing it. I like to be early for things, so that I know there’s not a problem.
For this train, I knew that we’d have a problem getting a seat, and would have preferred to board around then minutes till four! As it was, we had a hard time finding seats. Luckily we did find two sets of two seats in the same car. We wanted to stay close so that Maria would know when to change trains.
On the trip to Florence, we had sat facing one another for the first leg, then sat separately for the second leg. Art thought I was being “unfriendly” because I had brought a book to read, and when we ended up not sitting with them for this second leg, he REALLY thought it was an unfriendly gesture.
I of course, saw things differently. If he had his way, Art would have offered to show Maria and Toni around Florence, turning into his “Mr. Tour Guide” alter ego. Since Maria had been to Florence before, and since I knew she wanted to go shopping in the San Lorenzo Mercato for tapestries, I knew that this was not something she would be interested in.
My thinking was (and still is), that Maria and Toni had planned to go to Florence on their own to begin with. Maria didn’t seem to have a problem with this. When we offered to take them to the train station, we made this trip possible. Maria’s Italian is pretty rusty, and Art was able to get schedule and price information for her much more easily than she could have on her own. Of course, if she had been by herself, she would have managed, just as we have in the past.
Once on the train, we knew that we had to change trains, and also that we might have to change quickly. Art knew to ask the conductor which track we would need to go to in Terentola. Luckily for us, we had about 25 minutes until our train arrived, but we have made the switch when we had barely enough time to get from one track to the other before the train pulled out.
Anyway, although Art didn’t say so specifically, I knew that he was disappointed that I had made it clear we were going our own way and would meet up with Maria and Toni at the station. I told her that we would direct her to the tourist information office, where she could get a map and maybe ask about some things that Toni might like.
It would have been different if we had been with our own grandchild, but honestly, the thought of spending time waiting for Toni to decide which little trinket she would spend her money on was just too much. These decisions can be quite agonizing, especially when the parent is trying to gently nudge their child AWAY from blowing their money on something that will be broken in ten minutes, will never be used again, or is just downright inappropriate. With a small child you can’t let on that you don’t agree with their choice…you have to find something BETTER, then say, “oh honey, look at THIS!’, and hope they’re distracted from their original choice.
Also, I didn’t want to spend time wandering around the Mercato while Maria shopped for tapestries. Sure the Mercato is great, but we’ve seen it before, and weren’t there to shop for trinkets/presents/leather. I’ve never liked shopping with someone else. I want to look at what I want to look at, WHEN I want to, and for however long I want to. I hate to feel pressured, and even more than that, I hate being ready to leave and having to wander around while the other person is still looking.
So, call me the meanie, but this is what I wanted. I wanted for Art and me to have the day in Florence to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. I only agreed to go because I love Florence so much, and spending it with Art was what I had planned. I hurt my feelings that he would rather spend time with them than with me. Art didn’t see it this way at all.
Art thought that he was merely being “friendly”, and that I was being Unfriendly. I thought that they were pretty lucky to have someone offer to take them to the train station, and the fact that we were on the same train, going to the same place was almost irrelevant. Not that I would have ignored them, or minded telling them when to change trains, but that still didn’t mean we had to be chained to them for the whole day. And you know too, that I did NOT want to see Art turn into Mr. Tour Guide! I think that’s been made clear enough before!
Although I’m sure that Art still thinks (deep down) that I was mean and unfriendly, he’s still easy going enough, and smart enough to know when to give in. And the mean side of me still thinks that he wasn’t being friendly so much as he was hoping to get to be Mr. Tour Guide.
I have more thoughts along this same line concerning people who visit us, but I’ll save that for another blog.
REBECCA'S COMING TO DINNER!
JULY 12, 2004
Rebecca’s coming to our house for dinner!!! For those of you who don’t realize what an honor this is, and how much fun it will be, let me tell you a little bit about Rebecca and how we came to know her. As with all my stories, it can’t be short.
Back during the time when we were first falling in love with Italy, we planned a family trip to Italy. My daughter, her husband, and their son would travel to Italy with us, and we would all visit my son and his wife who were living in Italy, courtesy of the U.S. Marines.
Art and I, always wanting more time in Italy, arrived about a week before my daughter and her family. We spent a few days in Perugia, then we spent four wonderful days in an agriturismo. This is either a room or a small apartment on a working farm.
This trip was planned for late March/early April. We had been planning on this trip for over a year…ever since my son learned that he would be sent to Italy. Art and I had visited Italy for the first time the previous September, taking an organized tour and spending a few additional days on each end of it. We had also returned for a week in Florence in January, because NorthWorst Air offered a deal we couldn’t pass up. This family trip would be our third in less than seven months!
Somewhere along the line I stumbled on to the Slow Traveler’s website (www.slowtrav.com). At that time there was no message board, just emails flying back and forth among a small group of people. I asked Pauline for advice about an apartment rental in Umbria, because we needed to rent for less than a week, and most vacation rentals are for one week minimum.
Pauline connected me with Jane, who suggested Brigolante (www.brigolante.com) as a possibility. I contacted the people at Brigolante, and yes! They would rent to us for less than a week! We would have a small apartment with a fireplace and a bathtub. Perfect!
Brigolante is the name of the farm owned by Rebecca, an American, and her Italian husband Stefano, and Stefan’s family. Throughout our stay, Rebecca was the perfect landlord. We had our firewood refilled promptly by just sitting the empty bucket outside the door. We had the run of the garden, and Rebecca brought us fresh eggs, fresh pasta, and home made pesto! The apartment had a washing machine, and I used her clothesline to hang up my laundry. Best of all, since Rebecca is an American, she had wonderfully thick huge American bath towels! Anyone who has ever stayed in a European hotel or vacation rental knows that you usually get something the size and weight of a dish towel. We were in heaven!
That was the spring of 2001. Fast forward to 2003. The SlowTrav message board (www.slowtalk.com) is now up and running…no, thriving! We are coming to the decision that we MUST move to Italy, and the people on this board are helping us in so many ways. One of the members, an Australian, mentions that he will be staying at Brigolante on his forthcoming trip, and that this is a return visit to Brigolante.
Because he’s in contact with Rebecca concerning his stay, he suggests that she check out the SlowTalk site. She does, and she starts to participate! This is great news for us…another American right in our new neighborhood.
After a short time, everyone reading the message board discovers that Rebecca is a GREAT writer…and that she’s HILARIOUS! She starts to write some essays about various aspects of Italian life, and Pauline, the originator of the SlowTrav website, gives Rebecca her own section for these essays. You can read her stuff at:
http://www.slowtrav.com/rebecca
At some point I tell Rebecca that we once stayed with her, but of course since it was so long ago, and just for a few days, she doesn’t remember us. We figure we’ll get re-acquainted once we move to Italy.
Time goes by. Rebecca emails us to say that she and her husband want to have us to dinner. Scheduling is a problem. Not only does she have a husband, she now has a two year old tearing around the house. And the farm. And all her Italian in-laws who also live on the farm. And the agriturismo. And then, she finds out that she’s pregnant! It looks like the only way we’ll ever get to see Rebecca is to rent one of the apartments at Brigolante!
I decided to take the bull by the horns, and email Rebecca to suggest dinner. I try to make the invitation as open-ended as possible. I suggest that we get together sometime between June and November, when the baby is due. This should give her enough time to fit us in.
I get a rely email suggesting certain dates, and finally we narrow it down to one night! Rebecca has to go to Perugia for a doctor’s visit, so we can meet for dinner after that. I suggest that she and her husband pick the restaurant, since they know the best places.
Once we realize that the Jazz Festival has started in Perugia, we know that we’ll need to choose a restaurant somewhere outside of the city. Rebecca asks where we are, but doesn’t know any restaurants near us. She says she’ll wait till her husband gets home and get back to us.
Then Art has a great idea…why don’t we invite them to have dinner at our house? So we send off an email, since we don’t have her phone number. And this morning she calls back to say that they would love to come for dinner, and to see the house. I don’t know how much of our story Rebecca has followed, but we’re still happy to show off our house to anyone who wants to take a look.
I’m not going to stress out about the dinner…bruschetta for an appetizer, a wonderful new pasta dish that I’ve just discovered, some roast pork, an arugula salad, and for desert, the crostata I made yesterday. A bottle of two of wine and we’re set! This should be a fun evening!
SUMMER IN SAN VENANZO II
JULY 10, 2004
We’re finding our lives becoming slowing but surely intertwined with the lives of our friends and neighbors. Our new neighbor, Frank, the one from Detroit, is not only related to Marushka at the pizzeria, but also to Fabio, our plumber.
On two separate occasions we have returned to San Venanzo to discover that the town band had just finished playing. We were disappointed to have missed the band, but even more disappointed when we found out that Fabio plays in the band. Yesterday Frank told us that Fabio is quite an accomplished musician. For many years he was the number one rated squeeze box player in Umbria. Additionally, Fabio teaches music..
Although Fabio has a degree in music, he had to get a “real” job to support his family, so he became a plumber. Fortunately he still plays not only in the town band, but also in a group of some sort. We don’t know what type of music the group plays, but Frank told us that when they’re playing, a notice will be posted in the gift shop, where Fabio’s wife works.
Frank was taken to the hospital in Todi a few weeks ago when he had trouble breathing. He was in the hospital from Sunday night until the following Saturday, and was very pleased with the care he received. He needs to have angioplasty to clear a blockage, and was going to have this done in Perugia. Now he’s thinking that he’ll go back to the states for the procedure.
Anyway, as a result of his hospitalization, his daughter Maria flew over to help out. From what we have gathered, Frank’s children weren’t too happy with his plan to move to Italy. We got the impression that not only did they not support the move, but that they were basically more concerned about their inheritance. This made me think about the idea of inheritances.
Now we might be completely of base here, but from what Frank said, we think that his kids want a share of the money that his wife left Frank when she died last June. This includes property that she inherited from her family in Italy…property in Italy, as well as a house in Germany, where her family lived for many years.
Why his children would expect this is beyond me. In my case, when my dad died six years ago, everything went to my mom. This is exactly what I expected to happen, just as when Art or I die, the other will inherit everything. When my mom died last year, and when the last one of us goes, the children will divide the estate.
This is not the common procedure in Italy. When a parent dies in Italy, they inherit half of the estate. The other half is divided equally among the spouse and the children. Right now we’re not sure what, if anything, we need to do to override this situation. It’s a problem for us because I have two children and Art has one. Should Art die first, for example, I would inherit half, and Kelly and I would share the other half. This would give me ¾ of the estate and Kelly ¼. When I died, my two children would split that ¾, giving them each 3/8, and Kelly would have ¼. Not an equitable distribution. Our wishes are for the surviving spouse to inherit everything, and then for the three children to share equally when the other one dies.
Not that everything always needs to be divided equally. I think this is another area where I differ with the current thinking. It seems that nowadays, it’s EXPECTED for parents to leave a large inheritance for their children. Maybe it’s even regarded as a duty, but I completely disagree with this. I think of an inheritance as something completely unexpected…something that shouldn’t be planned on…a gift more than anything else.
Of course there are also situations where one child might inherit a larger share, or that people other than the children would share in an estate. I think this should be completely up to the individual to distribute the money they worked so hard for to whomever they choose.
When my mom died last May, we were very lucky that things seemed to work out between the three children, and also among the grandchildren. Although my mom had told us that her will would specify certain things to certain people, for whatever reason, it did not. We had all known for many years which pieces of furniture were meant for each of us though, and none of us had a problem with the way it was divided in the end. Since I was moving to Italy, I only wanted a few small pieces. My brother doesn’t have a house, and plans to travel, so for now my sister will keep the pieces that are his. And of course, the fact that my sister and I were both grown with houses of our own meant that we didn’t have room for a lot of stuff.
Most of the things I kept have sentimental value…the tiny souvenirs from our travels that I bought over the years for her curio shelf. The glass apple that my dad bought in New York City. The painting of my mom that my dad had done while he was in Italy during the war. I also brought a few pieces of crystal that I know are old. Unfortunately, the stories that go with most of the pieces she left will be lost.
All of the grandchildren were able to have some things from my mom also, and I think (and hope) that no one felt slighted. For me and my sister, the monetary value of the things we took was unimportant. We didn’t bother trying to make sure that the pieces she got were equal in value to the pieces I got. That was just so unimportant to us. We each got things that meant something to us.
It’s wonderful to have a piece of furniture or crystal or whatever to be a reminder of the person who’s gone. I think about how my mom loved to refinish furniture when I look at the antiques washstand in my living room. I think about how much she loved to sew and to quilt when I look at the wall hanging in my kitchen or when I use the placemats she made. Even the simple apron that she made for me many years ago has a special meaning.
In the end, though, those are just THINGS, and if we had fought over who got what, we would have been missing the point entirely. What my mom gave us was her life…literally. Her life, her time, her knowledge, her advice, her help. Anything else was just a bonus.
Art and I have assured our kids that we’ll do everything we can to make sure that they have very little to fight over! We both worked very hard and made a lot of sacrifices to be where we are today. Now is the time for us to sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of our labors, not squirrel everything away so that our kids will have a huge inheritance.
So, enough of the sermon! Back to Frank and his daughter! The daughter, Maria, seems to be the only child who is interested in Italy. And the fact that she’s the one who jumped on a plane when her dad was ill makes me think that she might not be greedy or upset with her dad’s decision to live in Italy.
Maria also brought along her six year old daughter, Antonia. We met Maria and Antonia the other night at the gelateria. Antonia has some cousins her age here, and as with all kids, seems to blend in despite the language barrier. Back home in Detroit, Maria has been driving Antonia thirty miles to take Italian lessons, but they don’t seem to be working out. The fact that Maria is making this effort speaks volumes about her interest in the Italian side of her family, don’t you think?
Maria wants to go to Florence while she’s here, but they’ve been having a hard time figuring out how to get there. Frank only has an Ape for now, and there’s no way three people could ride in it to the train station in Perugia. Maria talked about catching the bus from here to Orvieto, then catching the train to Florence, but the travel time would be so long! We offered to take her to the train station in Ponte San Giovanni one day this week, and may even go to Florence ourselves. Yes, we know it’s July and will be filled with tourists, but the temperature is supposed to be quite mild, so maybe we’ll go.
Yesterday Jill, Larry, and Jill’s mom Jackie came for lunch. And can you believe it…those FORTY tomato plants that Larry put out are all at the in between stage, with no ripe tomatoes! I was planning on a least a bushel!
We had a nice lunch, and ate inside because it was so breezy outside. The previous evening, sitting outside at the gelateria, I had nearly frozen! The wind was blowing up a storm and brought much cooler temperatures with it. Great for sleeping, but too cold to sit outside wearing shorts and a tee shirt!
After lunch we did sit in the garden. Our garden is so private and peaceful, and we get such a nice breeze. We’re very lucky to be one of the few people to have a garden in the centro, and we love it. All our hard work has paid off, and we’re both very pleased with the results. We painted the door to the caldaio room last week, so other than the major undertaking of painting the exterior of the house, I think we’re finished!
I told Art that I’ve decided that I really don’t want to spend the money to have the house painted. Right now it’s just gray…the color of the concrete that was applied as the finish over the bricks. I have no idea how much it would cost, but since we’re now on a fixed income, and since the dollar seems to be back on a downward spiral, I would rather spend our money having fun!
When we lived in the states, whenever we thought about a project, I would always measure the cost of the project against my travel plans. Finishing the basement, would cost $25,000….I could take a LOT of trips to Italy (or England, or Switzerland or Turkey) for that amount of money. Of course Art always thought that we could do EVERYTHING, but that’s because he’s the spender. I’m the saver, although I have to admit that he’s corrupted me over the years. But, as he likes to remind me, he’s had to force me to have all those good times, all those wonderful adventures! And yes, they all got paid for, we didn’t have to go into debt or rob a bank, so I’m glad that he forced me!
Today I made another batch of pesto. I need to look at the Coop to see if they have any small containers suitable for freezing it. I may run out of the ones I brought with me, but then again, I’m not sure if I’ll have room in the freezer. It will be a careful balancing act.
Today is yet another absolutely gorgeous day. The skies are blue and the temperature is in the upper 70’s. The humidity is very low…such a nice change from summer in Louisville! There’s a nice breeze blowing through the house. I think it’s time to go outside and enjoy the garden. Summer in Italy is wonderful.
LUNCH WITH ENRICO AND WILMA
JULY 4, 2004
Where to begin? How about with just a little background information. Enrico and Wilma Biscotti are the Wild West, American Indian aficionados that we met last fall. Enrico is the brother of Gino, who owns the hardware store in Marsciano. Enrico is also the president of the Italian branch of the Texas Longhorn Association, and an expert on American Indians. We’ve had dinner with them twice before, once at their house, and once at our house. We also spent the day with them a few weeks ago, attending a festival in Perugia and one in another small town.
Enrico and Wilma live in Ospedaletto, a tiny little town that’s about ten kilometers past San Venanzo, heading towards Orvieto. We know that they have a ranch, but we’ve never seen it. Today will be the day! Enrico has told us of his plans….he wants to recreate an old West town on his ranch, and bring Americans over here to see what like is like. We’re confused by this…leave America, come to Italy and see…. Dodge City?
We were supposed to have lunch with them last Sunday, but Wilma called us on Saturday and cancelled, telling Art (he thought) that Enrico's brother had been killed, and that Enrico was with his mother, planning the funeral. We then drove down to Marsciano to offer our condolences to Gino, and to see when the funeral would be held. Once we spoke to Gino, we learned that it was the brother of their GRANDFATHER, and furthermore, he had been buried over a week ago! Gino encouraged us to go to Enrico’s, but we told him that Wilma had cancelled.
We had been surprised not to hear from Enrico the following week, but then we decided that he must be consoling his mother. On Thursday or Friday he finally called, and asked if we could come to lunch this Sunday, and said he would also call Wendy to see if she and Giuseppe were free. Since Jill was still in the states, he asked us to see if Larry would like to come too. Larry had other plans, but Wendy and Giuseppe were free, so we agreed to meet at the bar in Ospedaletto at noon on Sunday.
Of course I had to figure out what to take as a small gift. My flower idea in December had been a disaster, and since we were going to the ranch, I didn’t think flowers would be appropriate this time. I asked Wendy for advice, and she told me to bake some chocolate chip cookies. I think this was so SHE could have chocolate chip cookies, but that was okay too. As it turned out, I had to bake two batches, since my oven is such a piece of #$%!, and the first batch looked terrible. Wendy wasn’t at all upset, since she knew she would get to take the ugly batch home with her!
We decided to ride up to Ospedaletto with Wendy and Giuseppe. Wendy had to go back to the agriturismo where she works on Saturdays, to straighten out some problem. She needed to leave Ospedaletto by about 4:30, so we figured this would give us an easy excuse to leave. Enrico is nice, but he can also be a bit overwhelming. He’s sort of like a puppy, who gets excited and never gets tired.
We met at the bar in Ospedaletto and had a drink since we had to wait |
