Monte Corone Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 24 30 x 60 cm
Sassi Painting Workshop Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 14 x 60 35 x 40cm BUY
Monte Corone October 8 Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 17.5 30 x 45 cm
Painting from il Faro Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 17.5 30 x 45 cm
Painting October Workshop Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 12" 30 x 30 cm
Pear Tree Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 17.5 x 14" 45 x 35cm
Apples Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 10 x 14 25 x 35 cm BUY
Apples on a gold tray Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvs 12 x 9.5" 30 x 24cm BUY
Harvest
I had some great guests these past two weeks: a painter from Alaska, a group of four from
New England, and three from the Washington, DC area. We ate a couple of times at the Acqua
Solferoso, a local restaurant chock full of marvelous, homemade food. Large tables with families surround, and one
can’t help but feel loved. It almost feels like church to me, eating all
around, visiting, smiling, laughing, praising life – but without the
unsolicited advice.
We have our share of churches here, which dot the Italian
countryside like gas stations in America.
We peeked in the chapel at the Sassi, visited the 10th
century Pieve di Trebbio, and actually attended a mass at the parish at Rocca
Malatina. We went to the church at St.
Petronius (5 October is his feast day, a holiday in Bologna), the patron saint
of Bologna.
On the recommendation of our Italian teacher, we saw the
best ever attraction in Bologna: Il
Compianto de Niccola dell’Arca (otherwise known as the screaming Maries). It is a sculpture of the Lamentation, executed
in Terra Cotta, the preferred sculpting medium this side of Italy. The multi-character work of art was created
in the late 1460s, but its power gives it an almost contemporary quality. It was shockingly wonderful, deserving an
entire article written about it, and the brilliant sculptor.
We have increased our exposure to the Italian language by
signing up for “Italian for Foreigners” classes in Vignola. We
went to a mostly Italian-speaking dinner last night. I thank all the people who put up with my
halting, sometimes stalling, conversation.
We are “getting there”.
That said, we picked up six boxes of book donations this
week for the English Language Lending Library I am launching at our house. We advertised (free) for book donation on
AngloInfo, an internet expat publication, and drove the 50 minutes south of
Florence to pick them up (if you have any books you’d like to donate, here or
in the US, please contact me). Books
range from classics like PG Wodehouse to Doris Lessing. A box of maps were among the lot.
We are socked in by fog today, and I am picking through the
forgotten details overlooked in favor of the guests. Amazingly, I enjoy doing things in my
house: cleaning, primping,
arranging. I formerly hated to clean my
house. I haven’t stopped drinking or
quit any bad habits, found religion or lost weight. I have just started to like home.
