Month: April 2006

Pane e vino Vino e pane

This is an interesting book, seventy years old but there are parts of it that seem to be talking about where we are today. A classic Italian story from WW2. By Ignazio Silone who was born Secondo Tranquilli but had to write under a pen name to keep out of the clutches of the Fascists. My copy is the 1962 re-edited version of the 1935 original. It is an anti war book in a sense, certainly a book that refuses to glorify or glamorize war. It shows the futility of blindly and illogically following the crowd whether politically, religiously, or any other way. Considering Silone himself was in exile for years and that the Fascists beat and tortured his brother to death, this was a calm, considered book. Maybe a bit bleak, but not totally hopeless. Close. But he made his points.

Here’s the general plot: The protagonist, Pietro Spina has lost his faith in religion and has become a sought after Communist fugitive. Like the author, he is in exile, but the main character of the book risks it all and comes back to work in the underground resistance. After almost dieing from the rigors of his clandestine re-entry into the country, Pietro hides in plain sight as Don Paulo Spada, a cranky priest recovering from a serious illness. I liked the Robbing Pietro to Pay Paulo first names he chose for his main character. And the last names too. The radical politician was a mere rose spine (Spina) while the small town priest was a more war-like sword (Spada). The book goes along in a complicated, what-the-heck-is-going-on vein for a while. To me anyway. And I will admit, I set it aside as preachy and political, several times. But yesterday, I read the last chapters and found it all came together in a well thought out way.

Here’s what motivated me to pick up the thread and follow it to the ending: I was working in the yard when our friend Gail stopped to invite us to dinner. She and Midge are directors of Spannocchia the non profit estate outside Siena. “It is just a We Love Italy Dinner” she said. “Pot luck”. I asked what we could bring. Knowing we’ve been a bit under the weather (all better now, thanks) she evidently took pity on us and gave us The Easy Out. “Bread” she said “and maybe wine”. I knew what she meant. But I also knew I had to finish the book. I had to bring her wine and bread and “Bread and Wine”.

Wiley has arrived.

I’m 31 days and counting,

See you in Italy,

Stew

Yes, The Wiley Traveler has Landed

Finally! A Vreeland is in residence there in Italy. In our Home Sweet Home away from Home. The Wiley Travel flew into Rome Thursday after a couple fun filled weeks in London. And drove straight to Panicale. All business now! She found our house “almost” ready for company.

PANICALE, Umbria, Italy— Finally! A Vreeland is in residence there in Italy. In our Home Sweet Home away from Home. Wiley Vreeland aka: The Wiley Travel flew into Rome Thursday after a couple fun filled weeks in London. And drove straight to Panicale. All business now! She found our house “almost” ready for company. Said it went something like this: Buckets, mops, cleaning products everywhere. Beds stripped. Rugs airing over balconies. Oh there you are, Anna. I thought you knew I was coming? Well, I only ask because . . . you know how we said we had company coming? When? RRRRRRRRRing. That would be the doorbell.

So, that worked out.

And a friend from California, who has a place down the block, just got off the train from Venice. She and Wiley have catching up to do immediately. So, The Wiley Traveler will be A Busy Traveler, immediately. She has her car organized, cell phone powered up and working. Now she is scurrying around getting email and computer hooked up, and up and down the streets of Panicale she is reconnecting with all our many Italian friends in town, too.

She has many, many new places to see on her list and is looking forward to all of the adventures that entails. She and Paulette are hoping to see a new property in San Casciano dei Bagni right away. Paulette says the town is totally A List, with her. We just reviewed the book A Thousand Days in Tuscany set in that very town. Feel like I have been there already. More news on that as it becomes available.

STILL COUNTING THE DAYS: 33

Our trip to Italy is shaping up well too. Midge and I would be there now, but we need to wait for our other daughter to get back from the jungles of Costa Rica. When she does get back, sea turtles and rain forest canopy both sufficiently protected, we are off like a shot. We are happy just knowing our friends, our Wiley and our home await us there in Italy.

We will let you know how it goes routing a trip to Italy through Holland. Several people we know have made connections to Italy via KLM lately, but we had not done that yet, so this is all new for us.

Wait a minute! Wiley! How DOES our garden grow?

TRAVEL NOTICE: FLORENCE AIRPORT HAS REOPENED!

Happy news. The Florence Airport has reopened after extensive renovations. A month EARLY! What about the dolce far niente work ethic Italy is so famous for? Obviously a total myth and fabrication.

FLORENCE/FIRENZE, Italy— Happy news. The Florence Airport has reopened after extensive renovations. A month EARLY! What about the dolce far niente work ethic Italy is so famous for? Obviously a total myth and fabrication. This is great travel news. Check out an official-looking press release about the REOPENING of the Florence Airport

Ah, Florence. Our Favorite Airport. Our entry point of choice to all of Italy so we are thrilled to have you back. And to think I didn’t trust that you would make your deadline of May 1. So, I booked all our end of May flights through Rome. Oh Me of Little Faith. Sigh. Next time!

What is in your Dreams?

Our new friend, Kathy of Dream of Italy, Travel Newsletter quoted little old us in her latest edition which featured Tuscan Hideways.

UMBRIA, 45 DAYS TO GO—
Well, this was a fun diversion. Our new friend, Kathy of Dream of Italy, Travel Newsletter quoted little old us in her latest edition which featured Tuscan Hideways. Her newsletter describes itself as the “Insider’s Guide to Undiscovered Italy: Newsletter and Resource Center”. And it does that very well based on her latest edition. She had a great cover story on an exotic estate outside Florence called Mangiacane. It was certainly undiscovered to me! And the story made me want to go there, even if I probably will not be able to avail myself of its helipad in the foreseeable near future. But I can Dream, can’t I?

This is SO not an ad. But Dream of Italy is a paid subscription newsletter, so I guess you will have to get take our word for it that we were in there. Or get a subscription. But there we are. Right on page 8 talking about Tuscany and Umbria. I made two points about finding something economical in Tuscany. The first one was that buyers need to consider southern Tuscany, the area around Chiusi. The other way to save money on Tuscan real estate is to . . . buy in Umbria! And why the heck not? Umbria is Tuscany is Umbria. Really. Those rolling cypress-topped hills do NOT have a clue where the border is. All the same to me. If you look at a map, Tuscany is on about three sides of Umbria anyway, driving down the road, even on a casual jaunt to Cortona, we find ourselves going across the border over and over. Tuscany, Umbria. Umria, Tuscany. Who cares? They are both great!

Anyway, Complimenti Kathy, nice to know about your publication. We were tickled to be mentioned in it.

YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT!

Spring is here? Spring is there! Spring is everywhere?

Spring in Italy. We’ve all been shut up in our homes all winter, like bears coming out of our Caves with Cable, sniffing the air, rubbing our eyes with the back of one paw, scratching some matted fur with the other, looking around and thinking This is ok. Did I miss any thing? Suddenly I am getting emails like Where ARE you? When are you coming? Did you know “your garden is green and flowerish” Perfect. Just how we like it.


UMBRIA—Ah, Spring. I like the word Spring. Such a nice, bouncy action verb. And who doesn’t like all memories we attach to the word? Bird sounds when you first step outside in the morning. Fruit trees in full flower, sheep in the meadows, yellow wildflowers rolling on and on over the Italian countryside. And grass. Green grass in that unnatural green color that we only see in the first lush early days of Spring. It really is here. Well, it is “here” if you are in Umbria, true. It is still snowing in Maine. But in Italy, at least, it seems safe to say Spring has arrived.

And everything really seems for a moment, somewhat right with the world. Note: this rose colored view is greatly enhanced by skipping the morning newspapers and just going quietly out into the morning. But, things have changed. Italian friends are upbeat and happy. We’ve all been shut up in our homes all winter, like bears coming out of our Caves with Cable, sniffing the air, rubbing our eyes with the back of one paw, scratching some matted fur with the other, looking around and thinking This is ok. Did I miss any thing? Suddenly I am getting emails like Where ARE you? When are you coming? Did you know “your garden is green and flowerish” Perfect. Just how we like it. The electronic jungle drums beat out other happy messages. Yes, Anna is cleaning the house top to bottom. And, trust me Anna DOES do windows. And does them like I’ve never ever seen windows done. She turns glass into polished air. And, speaking of windows, good friend Bruno HAS hung the new chestnut shutters Vittorio made for the entry hall windows. I’m sure the town was tired of seeing us wandering about in our bathrobes behind rattan blinds.

Little by little, even if it is being done by remote control from far away, we’re gently waking the house on Via del Filatoio from its long winter’s nap. Breathing life into back into it so it will be ready for Wiley.

THE WILEY HAS LANDED

LONDON—Slightly sleepy, slightly jet lagged, but still excited to be back on that side of the pond, Wiley calls to check in, five time zones away from Maine. And only one away from Italy. Getting warmer. Closer.

She will just miss Italian Easter this year. Too bad. It can be such a fine time to be there. You miss a lot if you get rain, as that often cancels out Good Friday, Stations of the Cross, and plays heck with the Day after Easter Cheese Roll in Panicale. But shortly after Easter she’ll be along and be sending in reports on all the latest real estate, fun gossip and Big Girl Adventures in the old country.

These spring photos here were taken by Katia, at a brand new listing — Ciliegio, just outside Piegaro . Have you been to Piegaro? Its right there between Citta della Pieve and Tavernelle. Keep going past Tavernelle and you find yourself in chic, fun Perugia. Piegaro is just south of Lake Trasimeno and of our Panicale. Here, I will put in a map.

Anyway, I thought these snapshots evoked the season. Complimenti, Katia. They say Spring to me.

But then. What do I really know about Spring? See attached photo of snow covering our car taken on the self same day as Katia&rsquo’s Sheep in the Meadows shot. Allora, Spring will even get to Maine. Sometime. And we promise to be most appreciative when it happens!

But, in the meantime, look out Umbria, Wiley will be In The House in less than two weeks. Stew in 48 days. But like Christmas mornings we thought would never come, the time will actually pass and we will wash up once more on Lake Trasimeno’s shores. And it will be worth the wait. Va le la pena in fatti!

See you in Italy!

Stew