An on-line connection with a vibrant woman known as Diva inspires me. I've already spent a few weeks here and there living by her philosophy and because of it I know that when I make the big move next spring I will continue to feel that I have twice as many days whenever I'm in Italy: do only one thing in the morning and one in the afternoon (make a trip to the salvage yard, do some gardening, go meet a friend, go see that painting, hit the mercato all'aperto, do the necessary banking). So it goes like this: wake up, have coffee, do the morning thing, do pranzo , have a riposo. Then wake up, have coffee, do the afternoon thing, do cena and passeggiata and some lollygagging around with whomever wants to, sleep. Then repeat. Daily. That's two days for one in my book.

As of this coming Monday, I am giving myself exactly one year to quit my job. I don't care about the early retirement hit on the pension and I'd really better go before they notice (and take umbrage at) my starting to live Diva's philosophy even here in NYC already. For I am become wild with weariness and resolve to live at least some of my life with fewer fetters.

posted by Joanna @ 2/28/2004 09:04:00 AM 0 comments  

I wrote to a friend about how depressed I have felt today. The reasons seem unfathomable. I'm not homeless, unemployed, friendless, ill or under indictment. In fact, I have TWO homes that need massive amounts of work, a job that I'm really tired of which pays a ridiculous amount, better friends than I deserve. I have raised avoiding doctors like the plague to an art form and I hope I am sneaky enough not to get arrested or burned for a witch. That particular hope, however, may be groundless since I've signed every anti-rightwing and pro-choice petition since 1964.

I found notes from a year or two ago that seem to be my paraphrase of a sentence I read somewhere: In America everything is changing; this country and thus the world is now constantly transforming, its noises becoming deafening and cruel.

I'm sure there were catastrophic disturbances in Castiglione d'Orcia as recently as during WW II, and yet I have only found one specific reference to turmoil there. It is from the fourteenth century and I have no idea yet whether or not Il Loggino even existed in this village then.

"...the little borgo of Castiglione, in that lively storm centre, the Val d'Orcia, looked with unconcealed hatred upon the monastery of Vivo because of a dispute about the use of certain meadows. In 1328 the Castiglionesi to the number of two hundred suddenly fell on the monastery, raised their banner over its campanile, pricked with their swords and lances, evidently in the spirit of rude horse-play, Frate Ranieri, who was celebrating the Mass, robbed the furniture and cattle, devastated the fields, in short, conducted themselves in a manner entirely worthy of their aristocratic exemplars."

F. Schevill
Siena The History of a Medieval Commune


Rather cheers me up, that does.


Posted by: Joanna / 11:58 PM

posted by Joanna @ 2/17/2004 09:24:00 AM 0 comments  

I can see Paolo's medieval tower out in the Val d'Orcia when I'm at Il Loggino. He e-mailed me in New York just before he rushed off to Sicily this week. He's relieved that he had pruned my olive trees earlier this winter during the harvest, since many trees lost branches during the snow storm a couple of days ago. How wonderful of him to have taken my little crop off to the frantoio along with his own. My four trees netted me a big bottle of my very own organic oil.

When I look down at his village, I anticipate getting to know the three women he introduced me to last spring: the young widowed owner of one of my favorite restaurants, the Roman architect's wife, the gynecologist. They were warm and welcoming and seem very like my women friends from Mantova, Vigevano, Urbino, Sovicille and Buonconvento- not to mention le donne di SlowTrav living in Italy, too.

Now it's February and it isn't dark at five o'clock anymore. I walk home from the clinic thinking how I won't have to stay here in New York more than another year. I've lived overseas before. I look forward to the clarity of vision about my native country that comes from being away from it. Lately, it's too painful up close like this. I wonder if this is somehow similar to Gore Vidal's transitional year. I'm certainly as arrogantly opinionated but I hope I'm not as narcissistic.

posted by Joanna @ 2/06/2004 02:29:00 AM