An aversion to toilet seats

Now that I’ve got your attention I want to pass along just a few quick observations about Italy, culled from our recent outing to the cools hills of central Tuscany.


Yes there seems to be a clear aversion throughout much of Italy to toilet seats and no I have no idea why but it seems patently obvious from the fact that so many commodes in public bathrooms lack the seat. Or perhaps there is an epidemic of toilet seat thievery in Italy. In any case, this presents an odd and uncomfortable state of affairs for at least half the population, that particular half that needs to sit down on the commode, thus giving one pause to think who is it exactly who makes the rules governing the purchase of seat-less commodes in the first place (men most likely). Anyway it’s not a pretty picture in those dank, airless, half-lit closet-like rooms. Be prepared. (photo: this has nothing to do with toilets.)

There seems to be an ever-increasing amount of skin on display here in Italy, male, female, young or old, it doesn’t seem to matter. Lest you think I’m talking only about women and only about their midriffs or the “double cleavage” look that has become popularized among young females throughout the world, the male side of the population is not to be left out here. Clearly things are changing, at least as far as styles and perceptions of formality go: five years ago one would have hardly ever seen an Italian male in his 40s or 50s in shorts. Now they are everywhere. Of course the weather plays a part here; with temps in the 90s and above it is no wonder that so many people are wearing less fabric on their bodies. Still perceptions of formality and the attending relationships must be changing right before our eyes.

Saturday was a fairly typical July day: sunny and hot, real hot. But that didn’t stop us from getting out of town and take a short day trip south to the land of wafting breezes; sweet zephyrs blowing throw the clean, cobbled streets strung out along and atop three sharply defined hills. That’s right I’m talking about Siena.

Susan and I walked over to the bus station – on via Santa Caterina di Siena (rather coincidental don’t you think) and while I ran inside the office and grabbed a pair of tickets (“andata e ritorno”, round trip) Susan got aboard the bus and grabbed two seats. Which as it turns out was a smart move since it was standing room only. We sat and waited in an airless bus, packed like the proverbial sardines, for about 10 minutes when the driver shut the luggage compartment doors, got on board and turned on the air conditioning. And we were off.

After a quick trip of about 75 minutes we stepped off the bus on the Piazza Gramsci in Siena and then strolled over to Via di Citta which of course led us to our favorite café, the “Quattro Cantoni” (Four Corners) where we had a “caffe” of course. We then paid a quick visit to Lisa at the bookshop around the corner. We had noticed a significant change in personnel at QC and Lisa informed us that in fact the business had recently changed hands. Things change. (“Cose cambiano.”)

We left the bookshop and strolled back down Via di Citta where a pair of musicians were playing in front of the Chigi palazzo, down to the Piazza del Campo, and what a view – we still do not tire of this fantastic place to hang your emotions and let your mind slide sideways for at least a few moments. Since we were returning to Siena between the two Palios (July 2 and August 16), we didn’t know what to expect to see on the Piazza: although one could still see some of the dirt between the stones on the Piazza the grandstands were gone, at least for the moment. Undoubtedly leaving the bleachers in place would have cut into tourist traffic in a really big way so I suppose they had no choice but to pull them up and then turn around and bring them right back again in the next few weeks.

We strolled around the edge of the Campo and headed up Casato di Sotto just a few meters away and to the Cantina in Piazza where we met up with our friends Aimone and Alessandra. We had hoped to see them and chat a bit – and talk we did. For about three and a half hours we talked about food, wine, Paris, life, death and a myriad of other things relevant to the human experience, all over a wonderful lunch taken next door.

At last it came time to say goodbye; but it seemed as if that simply wasn’t going to happen – indeed we might still be standing there in the enoteca talking about one thing or another, with no one able to say the final last goodbye, which signals the moment of actual departure. But at last we left them waving and standing in the doorway of the enoteca as we strolled back toward the Campo, skirting its edge, staying in the shade, and passed through one of the exits.

As we did Susan heard the most extraordinary thing from an Italian (?) couple passing us going down the steps into the Piazza. All she heard were two words: “Roberto Bechi”. That’s it. Now we had hoped to meet up with Patti and Roberto Bechi, friends from nearby Asciano, sometime before our departure from Italy and had discussed numerous ways to try and make headway on our Tuscan Voices interview project but our schedules just never seemed to come together. In fact Patti and I had recently been in email contact over trying to set up some last-minute 11th-hour date and time to do some voiceover work but what with one thing or another it wasn’t going to work out. And then we pass two strangers in Siena when we hear one speak Roberto’s name.

Now that is strange, and indeed I suspect it is more than mere coincidence. But then perhaps we’ve become overly influenced by the attention the Etruscans (and then the Romans and probably modern Italians) gave to such moments of serendipity. Who is to say that some manner of doing a thing, or a way of viewing a thing, isn’t handed down from generation to generation. For example, I’ve often been amazed at the great fondness Tuscans have for anything liver-based in their cuisine; they have so many varying ways of preparing liver and they seem to adore a wide variety of liver: rabbit, pig, beef, whatever.

Now is it just a coincidence that the Etruscans were world famous “hasruspices”, that is well known for their consummate skill at reading the entrails of animals, and the liver in particular?

I don’t know but I just love to think about it, don’t you?

Wish you were here,

Steve

Heat, heat and mussel soup

For those of you outside this particular hemisphere it’s been beastly hot here in Florence this past week, although by all accounts it’s nothing compared to the terribly hot temps here the week before we returned to Italy. Still, we seem to spend most of our time during the hot part of the day inside our air conditioned apartment, reading, sleeping, drinking plenty of water and just waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon so we can go outside and scurry around with the other ants looking for gelato, vino, or whatever. (photo: corner of Giotto's Tower.)

And speaking of scurrying, this past Wednesday we caught up with Melinda and Dave. We arranged to meet them at about 8:30 for dinner at Simone’s “ristorante” (a “club really, but more of that later) in the “Oltrarno”, the funky part of Florence on south side of the Arno River (and birthplace of Machiavelli for your poli sci majors).

Now one of the attractions of the “Oltrarno” is that there are fewer tourists around at night – although this time of year pretty much everyone is outside until late in the evening, probably to get away from the inferno inside their apartments. Anyway, we thought we would head over to the Piazza Santo Spirito for an aperitivo before dinner – and discovered – now get this – not only is there live (and free) jazz every night in the piazza but “they” have made a point of declaring it a free Wi-Fi access zone as well! Bring your laptop, surf the ‘Net, sit outside, buy a drink, eat some antipasti and just hang out listening to music. Now is that civilized or what?

Susan and I found a table, ordered a brace of Negroni Sbagliati (equal parts Campari and red Vermouth with a splash of prosecco) and just sat enjoying the warm evening air.

About 8:20 we got a call from Andrea, a woman in Holland who has an apartment for rent in Paris – and a great apartment too. We had been in contact by email and have decided to go with her offer. She just wanted to call and make sure we understood the disadvantages -- well only one really, there’s no lift and it’s on the 5th floor. It’s also more than we wanted to spend but we have come to the realization that in Paris rent schedules are on a wholly different plane than what we have previously been used to. More importantly, the apartment has a dynamite kitchen, a very homelike feel to it, is in a great location, across from the huge Jardin des Plantes (botanical garden), and should be a pretty easy Metro ride for Susan. We talked for about 20 minutes and reassured her that the “liftless” nature of the space was outweighed by the other (vastly more important) considerations. So now we have a place in Paris. Now comes the packing.


As I was talking with Andrea (“Drea”) Susan and I walked around the corner, to get away from the noise and bustle of the piazza. We had no sooner rang off than Melinda and Dave showed up just across the street from Simone’s “Club Canapone”. (The club is just around the corner from the Piazza Santo Spirito.) We rang the buzzer by the side of the “green door” and were let in. (photo: just off the Piazza del Duomo.)

So why “club” and not “ristorante”? Well the way it was explained to us is that in Florence there are far fewer restaurant licenses available and thus it is much more difficult (and far more costly) to open a restaurant where you can advertise your menu outside on the street than it is to open a “club”. Same deal otherwise from what we understand.

In any case, the food is outstanding and Simone does some truly interesting things: for example every Wednesday is Sushi night – Simone brings in a Sushi chef just for the occasion –and Sashimi is also available as well as veggie rolls and superbly prepared fish (Dave had grilled tuna, “tonno” and it was perfectly done).

For Susan and I the “piece de resistance” actually came early on in the evening; it was a seemingly little thing at the beginning of the meal that truly amazed us both. Before we started we were each given a bowl of steamed mussels in a fish broth (not a tomato broth please note). Now some years back I fell under the influence of the well-known Miami humorist Dave Barry, at least when it came to eating “mollusks”, which he described as the in the “phlegm family” of food. But this night we wolfed down the mussels – they were tender and cooked to perfection – of course what do I know about dining right, listening to Dave Barry all these years – and the broth at the bottom of the bowl was sooooo tasty. I just popped a bit of meat out of the shell, dipped into the broth and put in on a piece of the grilled toast which accompanied the “soup” and washed it all down with a crisp Falanghina white wine from Campania. The rest of the meal only got better as it continued the Asian theme: a smoky flavored fried rice that we all thought most unusual and very delicious, and three of us had Simone’s marinated chicken (Dave had the tuna). Wow!

Although the “Canapone” seats maybe 40 people, it doesn’t seem crowded or jammed. Moreover the prices are very reasonable (four courses with wine and water, about €35 per person) – indeed we think “Canapone” is one of the least expensive dining experiences we’ve had since moving to Florence. And they welcome you with a glass of chilled prosecco.

Is this a civilized country or what?

Wish you were here,

Steve

Italy wins/Italia vince!

As most of you know by now (Monday morning) Italy won the World Cup last night – and we had the pleasure of watching it on a huge screen set up in the Piazza Annuziata just a block up from our apartment.(See photo.)

We met up with Melinda and Dave at 7 on the Piazza della Reppublica and then walked over to a Chinese restaurant near our apartment for a bite before the game. We discovered earlier in the day that they (whoever “they” are) were setting up a screen on a stage almost next door to where we live so we thought that might be a good place to watch the people watch the game. (We had thought about going up to the Piazzale Michelangelo.)


So we strolled over to the piazza just as the game was getting underway and joined in the fun – Tuborg beer had a huge tent set up so there was easy access to libations. And what fun it was through two periods, two overtimes and through the winning kicks at the end. Man oh man the crowd went wild with each successful kick by Italy and were ecstatic when France missed one, which turned out to be the important one. And of course everyone went absolutely nuts when Italy made their 5th kick and so became World champs for the first time since 1982, a position they will hold for four years until the next World Cup series.


After the game we hung out in the piazza for a while taking in the moment so to speak. We stopped at our apartment for a minute or two and then the four of us strolled on to the historic center of the city to join in the festivities (read “craziness”) that was running (literally) rampant through town. Italian flags everywhere, he streets were packed with people singing, chanting, music, horns, you name the noise and people were making it – it was pure unadulterated fun.

And not a policeman to be seen anywhere. This is truly a civilized country.

We said goodbye to Melinda and Dave and strolled back to our apartment – skirting the Piazza del Duomo where there was an enormous traffic jam of human flesh and took the quiet side streets home.

Wish you had been here.

Steve

A Big Day in Florence

It’s Sunday and hot here in Florence, although it's a dry heat with very little humidity. Still that hasn’t kept the tourists off the streets, although we have gotten the sense since returning home this past week that there seem to be fewer tourists here than in April or May. We can’t put our finger on it of course but the lines seem to be significantly shorter and the groups fewer and smaller than this past spring.

Anyway, we are back into the groove here after a whirlwind trip to the US. It’s an odd feeling (odd feelings seem to abound here of late), it’s an odd feeling but we just can’t get over how strange it is to “visit” the US and then “return” to our home (what there is of it) in Italy. Mind you it feels good, real good in fact.

Our flights back through London from Boston went off without a hitch or delay and both Susan and I as well as our luggage arrived safely in Rome Thursday late morning. We then caught the Leonardo semi-Express into Rome’s Termini station, found the closest fast ticket machine and got our train tickets for Florence. After an half hour wait we boarded our train and by a little after 3 pm we were schlepping our bags to our apartment, which we found to be a bit on the warm side. Indeed, Florence had been suffering from some unusually hot weather earlier in the week and the previous weekend had seen temperatures over 100 degrees F – and so we counted ourselves fortunate that it was just in the high 80s when we got home.

We unpacked, fiddled with getting the air conditioning working and then walked across the street to the OK Bar where we sat outside, had a bite to eat and drank a little white wine. It was so nice to be able to just relax for a change – and in fact we spent the next several days doing just that, relaxing and sleeping late and staying cool. Aside from a couple of trips to the various markets to replenish our larder we did very little. Our neighbors are all gone on holiday – they asked us or rather Susan to water the plants in the hall – and there seems to be no one else staying here right now, which is actually quite nice.

It’s Sunday and the Big Day for football (soccer) fans around the world but particularly for those here in Italy – which is I suppose is just about everyone. This evening Italy and France play for the world championship. Unlike the “World Series” in the US which means just the US (well OK and Canada) the World Cup does in fact involve quite a few countries of the world.

So tonight we will leave the comfort of our air conditioned apartment and brave the heat. We will meet up with friends Melinda and Dave at 7 pm and the four of us will settle somewhere to watch the people watching the game. The word on the street is that there is to be a large screen put up on the Piazzale Michelangelo so we might try there – and what a place to watch the sunset from the hills overlooking the Arno valley.

Sounds like a good deal all the way around.

Our Midwestern tour - updated 7/4/2014

Our first week back in the Midwestern US began quietly – after Stan’s birthday of course – and we started settling into a sort of routine at Susan’s mother’s home in Grand Rapids.

Wednesday we stopped by Martha’s Vineyard wine store in the Heritage Hill area of downtown Grand Rapids; our purpose was to thank Kameel and Peter for being so kind to us during Stan’s birthday celebration Tuesday evening. They seemed to make everyone feel as if we were all just sitting at home, enjoying good food and great wine – two men whose characters are defined by kindness and generosity. (photo: Susan and I sitting outside at Mary's home in Decatur.)

On Thursday we met up with old friends Peter and Cyndi on Thursday at their home. It had been two years at least since we had spent any time together so we had quite a lot of catching up to do – all of us have been undergoing major changes in our lives, changes brought on by fundamental shifts in priorities. It was time to talk.

Early Friday morning we left Grand Rapids and headed south and then west to Chicago to visit family near Elgin. We had checked online to see if we could get a spot on the high-speed ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee but no luck; everything was booked for this Friday. So we hit the road and resigned ourselves to getting around Chicago as best as we could. We opted to skirt south of the city (south of Interstates 80, 90 and 94), which we did and actually found the traffic OK.

We arrived at Greg and Joyce's house near Huntley, just outside of Elgin and spent the evening catching up on that side of the family. On Saturday we drove to Springfield where we had lunch with my Aunt Barb and Uncle Bill – and had a blast listening to my Uncle Bill’s stories and eating aunt Barb’s great food.


We then drove to Decatur to have dinner with our friend Mary and her kids – Mary had been my Dad’s best friend when he passed away and we wanted to stop and say hello. We had a wonderful evening of more good food and wonderful company. We also had the opportunity to meet a neighbor, Heloise and her dog Miss Kitty. The evening was capped off by a visit to my nephew John’s house where we spent a couple of hours talking about why were are seemingly the only normal ones in our family.

We returned to Grand Rapids on Sunday and on Monday went to Stan and Margie’s for dinner –great food and even better company.

By Tuesday morning it had become clear to the two of us that there is nothing quite like good friends, something we sorely miss in Italy. But that is to be expected given the life style we've chosen for this time in our lives. As my Dad once told me you go through life with very few good friends and lots of close acquaintances. This trip has allowed us to renew friendships, at the same time renewing our spirits through contact with our close friends. Most importantly we have come to recognize how truly fortunate we are.


On Wednesday we headed up to Glen Lake to spend the day with one of Susan’s aunts and her husband, two of the most warm, gracious and generous pair of people it has ever been my pleasure to meet: Jack and Betsy. They are two people who simply enfold you into a world where hospitality, kindness and laughter are a package deal, where life is to be laughed at and enjoyed. These are two people who make you want to play along at the fun and simple pleasures of being alive. Their smiles alone make you want  to spend the summer with them but we had to get back to Grand Rapids.

Thursday, our last night in western Michigan, we just hung out and fixed dinner for Susan’s mom and Susan’s older brother William.

Friday we left a little before 8 am and pointed the car eastward for Hagerstown, Maryland (“Hub City”).

Our plan was to spend a couple of days with Mannie and Virginia and so we did – sharing in their new lives in western Maryland. Mannie is now a National Park ranger at Antietam National Battlefield, something he has always wanted to be, proving to all who would pay attention that you can find your dream if you are willing to look hard enough and take the necessary risks. And Virginia has embraced the world of selling books – which frankly is something a lot of us wish we could do.


On Saturday Susan, Virginia and I drove out to Antietam where Mannie was working and got a chance to watch him give one of his presentations on the overview of the battle of September 17, 1862, when more American’s were killed in a single day of fighting in any war before or since.

In his unique style of blending the simple facts with a storyteller’s feel for drama he had everyone in the room riveted for 30 minutes while he outlined the details of the battle. Afterwards we walked around – trying to keep cool after the heat – and eventually drove over to the Pry House where we witnessed a fascinating contrast with Mannie’s friendly, easy-going storytelling style in presenting Civil War history later in the afternoon.

Earlier we had read in a park brochure that at 3pm there would be a presentation on some aspect of Civil War medicine at the Pry House (where there is presently an excellent exhibit on Civil War medicine). So we headed over there, parked the car and walked into the big barn next to the house (where the presentation was set up). We found ourselves in a very warm space (notwithstanding the two large fans going in the corners) faced with a large screen directly in front of the chairs (rather like a classroom).

Soon after a man came up to the microphone and introduced himself (I make no mention of his name in order not to humiliate his family) and soon begin his “lecture” on something about amputees and a writing contest. Sad to say his Powerpoint presentation consisted mainly of him flashing one letter after another on the screen every one of which he proceeded to read, and after some 50 minutes he (and we) had lost sight of what the original theme of the talk had been about in the first place and thought that discretion was the better part of valor and so we three scooted out of there.

We had a wonderful dinner that evening – Mannie’s pizza in probably the best in Maryland – and of course the company couldn’t be beat.

On Sunday we left late in the morning driving from Hagerstown through the rain – a plague of late on the mid-Atlantic – and stopped for lunch outside of Lancaster to have lunch with Doug Adams and his wife Susie and their little girl. Doug and I talked nonstop about our respective Civil War projects and hoped to meet again in the next year or so and try and make headway in acquiring more Third Michigan pension files.

After we said goodbye to Doug and Susie we continued eastward and made a flying overnight visit to Dick and Kathy in Pennsylvania; the next day we pointed our car north for Massachusetts and made record time getting around NYC as we completed our “oval” around the eastern US.

We settled back into Dick and Dorothy’s house in Douglas, MA, and caught our breath for a couple of days.

On Thursday, 29 June we sold our car, the second to the last tangible “thing” we have remaining in the US. All we have left now is our furniture in storage in Vermont, and frankly we have no idea when we will see that next. Right now our plans go only as far as the end of Susan’s course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris; after that who knows? Anyway we had picked up a rental car (a Chevrolet Cobalt) at the Providence airport before completing the sale and so we had a car for the weekend, one last trip north.

Friday, 30 June we he hopped into our rental car and headed north to Vermont. We stopped for about two hours in Rutland where we ran a few last minute errands and then pointed ourselves westward toward the NY Catskills to spend the weekend with Don and Gloria – Don’s opening a show of his digital art in Windham, NY (just southeast of Albany) and we were invited to join in the opening festivities.

We arrived at Don and Gloria’s home a little after six in the evening and spent the rest of the night catching up on each other’s lives. The following morning I drove Don into Windham to the gallery where his show will be on exhibit through the month of July. (Don has been working in computer art for many years and is has focused primarily on fractal art since the early 1990s. He also manages the Museum of Computer Art.) I left Don at the gallery and returned to the house to help Gloria and Susan prep the food, etc. for the reception. Several of their kids (and grandkids) came in later that afternoon and we all drove to the gallery a little after 3 pm to set up.

We had a grand afternoon – quite a few people showed up, some invited and others just off the street – tourists in town for the holiday weekend. After the reception everyone drove back to the house and fixed hamburgers on the grill, talked and drank wine until ate into the evening. It certainly helped that Saturday was one of the most gorgeous days of the summer so far.

Sunday morning Don and I had a little time to talk about art and MOCA and the future but mostly we just had a great time all of us being together.

Susan and I said goodbye and a little before 9am were back on the road again, this time heading for Providence, RI to drop our car off at the airport there. We made good time – traffic was light – and soon we were rid of our car and officially without a vehicle in the land that Detroit built. And it was a good feeling too.

Dick picked us up at the airport and by early afternoon we were back in Massachusetts, ready to catch our breath and relax before the return flight to Florence on Wednesday.

I’d say we’re ready to go.