October 12th has always meant Columbus Day to me,
perhaps because I grew up in a largely Italian neighborhood. A shout out to you, Sis.
This year, friends invited us to join them at their home in southwestern
Tuscany close by where Umbria meets up with Lazio. It gave us the opportunity
of celebrating the big day in the old country though, not to anyone’s surprise
I’m sure, Columbus Day isn’t celebrated in Italy.Still, in this part of Italy today happens to
be the festival day for welcoming the beginning of olive harvest. We’ll be headed there shortly.
It’s said that Greeks and Italians are “Same Face, Same
Race,” and each language has that same phrase.But as similar as they are, Tuscany has a unique captivating beauty.Here’s just a portion of what we’ve seen—thus
far.
—Jeff
My Upcoming Events
Saturday, November 2, 4:00-5:00 PM
Dallas, TX
BOUCHERCON–Hyatt Regency Dallas
Moderating, “If I Could Turn Back Time,” with
Joe Clifford, Laura McHugh, Hannah McKinnon, Lissa Marie Redmond, and Scott Von
Doviak
Sunday, November 3, 8:30-9:30 AM
Dallas, TX
BOUCHERCON –Hyatt Regency Dallas
Panelist, “Detectives Overseas” with Ian
Hamilton, Ragnar Jonasson, Michael Sears, and Stanley Trollip, moderated by
Nancy Tingley
Thanks to the good offices of John Lawton--fellow crime writer and dear to many of us MIE bloggers, I have had my first visit to that part of Tuscany preferred by visitors from the British Isles: the Crete Senesi, the hills southeast of splendid Siena. Nicknamed Chiantishire because of its density of English population.
Montisi is a beautiful medieval hill town. The atmosphere is nothing short of splendid. Viz--
What impressed me most about the ambience of Montisi were the relationships between the locals and the expats--whether seasonal or year round. I saw no divide between the resident Italians and the resident imports. They all seemed capable of sliding between English and Italian, sometimes within the course of a single sentence. Much more telling: they took a kind and caring interest in one another--who was sick, who needed extra company because his wife was away, whose chid was nervous over a university application. All the kinds of things one might expect in the life of a small village, but with none of the "us/them" dichotomy typical of say a town in Florida where northerners show up only in winter. With the people of Montisi, there is only "us."
My host was Ugo Mariotti who was a producer and casting director for the movie "Don't Look Now" with Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland.
Lawton (my term of endearment for him) told me about the artists and writers who call the town their full or part-time home. Among Ugo's neighbours are painters Liz Graham-Yooll (who also illustrates children's books), Elizabeth Cochrane, and Sue Kennington. And sculptor David Mackie.
Mackie's magnificent bird house.
Mackie's avian neighbor, but presumably not a resident of the above.
Mackie's sculpture of Caliban, which figures in John Lawton's
brilliant "Friends and Traitors."
In addition to John, Montisi has hosted authors Rupert Thomson and at one point a few yers ago, our own Zoe Sharpe.
The area is home to Bruce Kennedy, a world renowned maker of harpsichords and clavichords. He is also the executive Director of Picolo Accademia, a music school in Montisi, which jointly with my hometown favorite Julliard School of Music, hosts an annual festival of baroque performances. I am missing it by a week. Next time, I plan to be there to hear the music.
In the meanwhile here is a sample of the playing of this year's star performer: Skip Sempe'--playing one of Kennedy's harpsichords:
It wasn't a toothache screaming to be fixed. But it was troublesome and demanded attention. My dentist in NYC gave me a recommendation. Dr. Ricci--who gave me an immediate appointment and told me his address. I walked. Here are some of the wonders I saw along the way:
The raibow flag is a symbol of support for gay rights in NYC. In Italy it is a symbol of Pace--peace. To me it is both.
The Church of San Michele.
The dentist is on this street
The garden across the street from the palazzo where the dentist has his office. His treatment room, it turned out, over looked this view.
The decoration over the entrance door to the dentist's office!
Later that same day:
A walk along the Arno to the meeting place...
For a drive to the Villa Corsini for an evening of food, conversation, music.
The next day:
Blue sies...
...and a trip to my idea of heaven on earth--Santa Cristina in Chianti...
...and lunch.
...Followed by a visit to an exhibit of the brilliant works of Steve McCurry, the man who took this photo...
,,,and also this one...
...and many more. And then on to a lovely place in the hills above Florence for dinner after sunset.
