Italia

In my second life, I am Italian. Robust and ripe, laden with grapes and widening to the world around me. Eating…and still eating. Drinking…and still drinking. The hills, the castles, the frescoes, the olives, the oil from the olives. It is all so good, so fresh, its beauty absolute and contagious.

Each day I was in this country that combines Mediterranean tangy lust with European lofty culture, the sky was bright blue. The sun was warm, not hot, as many July days are prone to be in Italia. A gentle breeze kept the air fresh and alive; tingling, it seemed, with possibilities. We could go anywhere, do anything. It’s a beautiful and perfect day. This was the theme in the summer of 2009 for Beckerloo’s trip to Italia – The Perfect Day.

Oh now…don’t get me wrong. There were a few glitches. But then, even the glitches allowed for new and wild experiences that were so…perfect!

I have the remarkable good fortune of having my very best friend living in the hills of Tuscany. She and her husband, Roberto, have numerous residences in the region, but their main home is in the hills near Montesportoli. Lily and Roberto are both artists and musicians. She left the states in the early 80’s to study art restoration in Florence and has worked on the frescoes of Italian masters. She met Bob there, married and had two sons who are now grown. I would go into all of their wonderful artistic accomplishments, but suffice to say that if I did, this letter would be a small book. Please note, however, that Roberto at times shows his work at OK Harris in SoHo, NYC. So if you are ever in New York, please stop by the gallery to see his work, which depicts facades and scenes (three dimensional) that are quintessentially Italian – in miniature. Also note that Lily is an accomplished writer and poet (aside from her music and art), publishing her first novel in Italian in 2007 – her themes often relate to the search for identity as a stranger making her way in a foreign land.

Anyway, I have been to Italy several times in the past, but have to report that this was the very best trip ever. Some highlights:

Inside a small shop in Montepulciano, I wander into a back room…shutters open to more than a vista; it is truly paradise…a steeple chimes the hour…sun streams inside. Pivoting, I see the finery continue in the handmade fabric of woven table clothes, linens…even aprons.

The Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit at the Academia in Florence. Alongside Michelangelo’s masterpieces – the prisoners in their inexorable attempt to break free from the stone that contains them; David towering above – Mapplethorpe’s photos reflect the yearning, the journey, and the arrival to a “Perfection in Form”, the title of this show. It was one of the best exhibits I’ve ever experienced. Lily did the translations for the curator, and because of her contribution we were able to avoid the long lines down the block…lovely!

The fresh fruit…ripe plums and figs falling from Lily’s trees, made into pies and jam. A special birthday pie of plums and cherries upon arrival, and a pie of figs, apples and blackberries to send me back off to the states. No wonder I gained a few pounds…a delicious and delightful way to do that!

The Abbey Monte Oliveto Maggiore, a place where Benedictine monks still reside in a centuries old monastery tucked away in the hills near Pienza. Lily completed restoration work on the frescoes in the mid-80’s, and wanted to see how they were holding up – they were wonderful, depicting the many stories of St. Benedict and the building of the abbey. We stopped in the herbal remedies store there and purchased some tonic for a number of common ailments…sleep, digestion…those 50-year-old issues that often only respond to 300-year-old antidotes.

The healing hot springs at Rapolano. This little town is one of the places where Lily and Roberto have an apartment, a bequest from his grandmother. The hot springs helped rejuvenate us after some nasty food poisoning we got after eating at a five-star restaurant in Cortona, and also were a general tonic for our minds and spirits. Speaking of the food poisoning episode, there’s a story there too…read on and see what I mean by wild adventures after glitches!!

After perusing the shops in Cortona, Lily and I decided to treat ourselves to a special lunch in a hotel restaurant’s terrace overlooking the wavy hills punctuated by castles and farms. We ordered the “antipastissimo”, which is like Italian tapas – little tastes of a wide variety of regional specialties. We were expecting maybe four courses and received nine. Everything was delicious, although we both thought the fish dish tasted just a little bit funky. But we ate it anyway. Ah-oh. Soon afterwards, Lily was riding the porcelain bus, and my job was to drive us back to Rapolano (I was feeling a bit queasy, but okay). Driving? On Italian highways? Oh, no problem. I had Roberto’s 6-speed Fiat. Shifting gears was not difficult, I just didn’t know how to navigate our way back to the town, and Lily was very sick, slumped in the seat and barely functioning. I felt bad having to rouse her to ask frantically, “Which way?” However, after only two missed turns, that we self-corrected quickly (okay, one was backing up on an entrance ramp to the main highway), we made it home, only to have me follow Lily to that porcelain bus. Dang. But again – a wild adventure – and in recovery we found a reason for it all – and another excuse to go back to those healing hot springs.

The island of Elba, where Lily purchased an apartment in the late 80’s for a song. It overlooks the port town of Rio Marina and the Mediterranean Sea. We spent five days there, and each day Roberto, Lily and I headed off to the pyrite and malachite glittered beaches and swam in the sea. One evening we went to nearby Cavo to visit her aunt. Two of her aunts and their husbands were there, as well as her 31-year old cousin, Valentina, who happens to have Down Syndrome. I mention this because my assumptions about Valentina were dispelled almost immediately after we were introduced when she said to me, “Oh, you are from America, so you would prefer I speak English?” I nodded and we happily engaged in a spirited conversation about Elba and Napoleon Bonaparte, about whom Valentina has many informed opinions. Lily’s aunts prepared an extensive feast from the south which included a cacciatore dish. Silly me, I thought that was the main course. Soon a huge dish of pancetta wrapped quail (yes, quail!!) came with roasted potatoes. Homemade Limoncello and peach gelato, along with roasted candied nuts were served as well, just to make sure I was totally and completed stuffed. Her uncles complimented Lily on her American friend who likes to eat and drink. They were very impressed, and invited me out on the terrace for a cigarette. When in Italia….

Elba View from Terrace

And now, the most amazing experience of all. Are you still with me? I know this is long, so thank you for hanging in there.

On the evening of an early waxing moon, July 26, 2009, we headed to an event hosted by a conservation farm to raise funds for its operation to continue to train Italian farmers in organic techniques. Some of Lily’s friends were performing – the band’s name is Whiskey Trail – they play Celtic music and most of them have played together for over 20 years. As we arrived at this extremely remote location (gravel roads for miles), the late afternoon sun was casting its shadows on the hills. Etruscan ruins could be seen in the near distance, now almost melting into the hillside with worn abandonment. Magic was in the air. As the sun set, the colors in the sky went from magnificent to stupendous. Rich royal pink melded and gave way to a dazzling racy orange. Soon the sky was a rich ruby red.

It seemed as though this sunset lasted an hour, as there was an afterglow in the sky that seemed to insist upon extending the daylight. During this time a meal was served buffet style in huge ceramic bowls. Tuscan specialties such as eggplant misto, bread salad, and mixed olives with greens were served, and everything was made on this farm. Cheese and sausages, pesto and mustard dips, fresh wine in barrels – it was a feast like no other. Soon we gathered, along with about 50 others, to the benches in the clearing at the edge of the hill. Lily and I sat up in the front row, wine in hand.

Then, just as the light in the sky was that luminous indigo where the brightest stars begin to twinkle, just as the crescent moon dipped its smile midway up to the heavens…the band began to play. It is impossible to describe this moment. It is one of those moments when time holds you captive…when the moment is held and suspended…and your perception shifts. Each instrument in the band was perfectly in tune and the fullness of the music enveloped us, seeped into our bones. I closed my eyes and let it move me, brought to tears by the vitality, the life that was there in that moment. I’ll never forget it. The evening continued with Irish folk dancing. I did my best to follow the steps, but by then most of us were all so happily inebriated, we were dancing freely and simply enjoying each other’s efforts. I remember thinking of how amazing it was that here, right here on this earth, I was there...

Of course the very best part of the entire trip was spending time with my true soul mate, Lily. We filled up on each other and strengthened the bonds of our friendship immeasurably. Her husband, Bob, treated me as if I were visiting royalty, cooking lovely lunches and dinners for us, and making sure we had what we needed throughout the trip (full tanks of gas, snacks for the beach, etc.) He even wrapped all of my olive oil in bubble wrap for my return trip home…and for this I am eternally grateful! Her sons, Lenny and Benji, spent time with me sharing themselves and their ideas, speaking the perfect English that their mother made sure was a part of their upbringing. Each and every moment there was magnificent.

Suffice to say, I have decided to make this an annual pilgrimage, take Italian lessons this next year, and participate more in conversations in the future!

But for now….ciao bella!!!

Becky Burns, our new Soulful Traveler editor, is an educator living in the Chicago area. Her column will give you insight and inspiration, taking you to the core or essence of the travel experience, something we all feel as a result of exploration and discovery. Look for her monthly postings describing local exploits in and around Chicago, regional road trips in the Midwest, national adventures from coast to coast, and overseas excursions. You are bound to be inspired and enriched, nodding your head in agreement as a familiar reminiscence comes to light again.