The Farm Blair Pessemier Acrylic/Canvas 13 x 16" 33 x 41 cm
Yellow Green Fields Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 11 x 16 27 x 41cm
View from above Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 16" 30 x 40 cm
View from above Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 16" 30 x 40 cm
Rocca de Sopra Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 20 x 14" 50 x 35 cm
Castle at Guiglia Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 14 x 18" 35 x 45cm
Rocca Malatina House Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas panel 10 x 12" 25 x 30cm
Chickens in the driveway Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 14 x 8.5 35 x 21.5 cm
Pineta Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 16 30 x 40cm
Bologna Restaurant Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas panel 10 x 14" 25 x 35 cm
Artnotes: Buon Giorno
We celebrated
Blair's birthday in Bologna this week.
While we were there, we mailed a
package at the Fedex store (could people really be this friendly, or am I jaded
after 20 years in Paris?), and we bought art supplies. Earlier in the week we negotiated the
purchase of a new cell phone and number, entirely in Italian, at
Vodaphone. So far, so good: lots of
smiles and grazies.
Bologna isn't the
easiest place to get around (Blair is sure we'll receive one of those
photo/mail-in tickets), and I had jotted down possible restaurant addresses. We
ended up at the Drogheria Della Rosa which was listed as one of the five best
tables in Bologna -- it was
terrific. A fixed price deal included a
glass or two of prosecco, an appetizer of delicious pancetta and mortadella
(famous in Bologna), a first course, second, wine and dessert. I had the green lasagna to start, which was
absolutely delicious -- Blair chose a light cheese ravioli with zucchini
blossoms. I proceeded with the guinea
hen, prepared with a sweet sort of sauce:
I tasted honey in there; Blair had the veal with tuna sauce, something I
have never prepared at home. Both were
flawless, beyond delicious. But I had
no room for dessert. It was a modest
price for the two of us, on such a special occasion.
The other thing I
LOVED about the restaurant was the people there. From the young, skinny maître d'hôtel with
his large head and very slight, black-suited body (imagine a male Nancy Reagan,
serving wine), to the young woman, wearing a giant crown of laurel leaves, at
the very large table of exuberant Italians on the sidewalk. I later learned her family was celebrating
her graduation, hence the laurels. An enormous man was seated across from me,
one table down, and he seemed to be making love to his food. The food loved him back. The owner of the establishment visited
with us in depth, and provided an extra couple glasses of wine to ensure our
return. He was a round little man,
wearing a bright orange polo shirt and colorful glasses. The whole experience was fun and delicious.
Everything in Italy
is a surprise to us, most wonderful.
We've been out in the countryside painting GREEN landscapes, while
Harika explores for local fauna. The new
vet comes to the house on Sunday, and who knows, maybe we'll invite him for
lunch.
We are all
practicing SMILING and our Italian, and wake up embracing every day. Buon Giorno!
