Finished magnets

These are the finished magnets. I think they turned out quite nice considering they are photos from a date book glued onto magnets that came with the phone book.

This is a magnet that I made from a panforte wrapper. Panforte is the Italian version of fruitcake. The wrapper was so pretty but I didn't really have any purpose for it before it got a second life as a frig magnet.

Recycled goods

Last year, I received a beautiful, spiral bound datebook about my favorite love, Italy. The datebook was made of a wonderfully thick cardstock and although, it was lovely, I had my regular, monthly datebook in which I scribble all of the things I am supposed to do and things I have done. Still, I kept the Italy calendar on my desk, opened to the nearest photo page, so when I glanced over, I would see the photo and smile. So, as the year comes to a close, I hated the thought of throwing the datebook away but didn't really want to store last year's calendar for an indefinite amount of time. (Yes, I am one of the millions of viewers who have made A&E's TV show, Hoarders, a hit.) After all, I have my own photos of Italy neatly stored on digital media or in albums. So, I leafed through the calendar, tearing out my favorite photographs thinking that I would make a collage or maybe just put them up on my bulletin board with a stickpin holding them in place.

But then, I found these gentlmen stuck on the refrigerator. They were lovely 4 inch by 4 inch advertising refrigerator magnets that came with last year's phone book.

Last year, I made a bunch of these smaller refrigerator magnets from scrapbooking materials. But the photos from the calendar were much larger and I didn't think that the scale would work for the size of the magnet.

So, I took a piece of scrap paper, put the magnet on the paper and used a exacto blade to cut the area of the magnet from the paper. I could then move this template around the photo to choose what portion of the photo to use for the refrigerator magnet. I guess the size works.

Unfortunately, I have to choose between these two possibilities for this photo of St. Peter's Basilica.

As much as I love the dome, the one below is the one I decided on.

So, carefully mark the limits of the photo from the template and cut it down to size ( I prefer to use a large paper cutter rather than scissors or, ack!, my rotary cutter). You may want to leave the photo just a bit bigger than the magnet and trim off any excess photo after gluing. If you cut your photo short, no problem! Just trim the magnet down. Lay down some newspaper to protect your work surface and spray adhesive on the non-magnetized side of the magnet and press the cut out photo on it. If you get any air between the photo and magnet, try to smoothe them out. Trim any excess photo and voila! Beautiful refrigerator magnets from Italy! (Photos tomorrow!)

The Horses of Rome

When we were Rome last, we just happened to tour the Capitoline Museum and saw this recently restored horse. I really didn't know much about this statue, except how strikingly beautiful it was.


So you can imagine how surprised I was to see this while trying to take a shortcut through the Villa Borghese Park from the Borghese Gallery to the Piazza del Popolo. Of all things, in the middle of the park, there was a horse show! These gentlemen, I believe are the mounted carabinieri. Yes, these horses were as beautiful as the statue I had seen a few days below, just a lot more high-strung.

This nice policeman was trying to get his horse to do something for us so we could take their photo. But in the end, I think his horse was trained for crowd control and he was very intent on herding us. I couldn't believe how tall the horses were, 16-17 hands? And I have no clue as to their breed. Eventually, our policeman had to give up trying to get us a proper pose and work the kinks out of his horse so off they went down the road. But, not before his horse made one more high-spirited prance at us. So, I grabbed my niece who was patiently waiting for the photo op and dragged her behind something to protect us from being "crowd controlled". While she wasn't afraid, I didn't want her laid up in the hotel after being kicked or knocked down by the horse. We still had 4 or 5 days left to see as many of Rome's treasures as we could.

And I like more mellow horses, like the one Marcus Aurelius is riding in his newly restored atrium (also at the Capitoline Museum).

Parole Italiane del giorno:
1. quasi - almost
2. venerdì - Friday
3. cavallo - horse
4. cavaliere - horseman
5. amazzone - horsewoman (I'm not making this up, it's in the dictionary!)
6. ippica - horse racing
7. sella - saddle
8. fieno - hay
9. briglia - bridle
10. morso - bit

The Divine Augustus

The first time I came to Rome, I don't think I saw this statue. Maybe I missed the room in the Vatican. Or maybe it had been removed for restoration. If you want to see all of Italy, you must be patient because something is always undergoing restoration... But, here he is, the divine Emperor Augustus of the Prima Porta. Archaeologists think that originally, the statue was painted but the traces are too far gone to determine what color they might have been. I can't imagine that color could have made this statue any more beautiful and majestic. It was found in the the area believed to the villa of his wife Livia.

Keeping Cool - Italian in 10 words a day

It has been over one-hundred degrees here the last few days (and it's supposed to be for the next few days) and I have been practicing being Italian - which means I haven't turned on the air conditioning. Yet. So I decided to re-post this photo from the Villa d'Este to keep cool thoughts....I can just feel the lovely, cool water spraying me now...
And, I can think of myself maybe on my next vacation on the sailboat in the lower left-hand corner of the photo near Positano...
Or, perhaps just jetting down to Sorrento or Capri from Rome on this James Bond like speedboat ...

So, here are the words of the day:

1. il sogno - dream

2. Una barca a vela - sailboat

3. il mare - sea

4. la spiaggia - beach

5. la sabbia - sand

6. insieme - together

7. tonno - tuna (I forgot this the other day for seafood, and you want to know what this is just so you can/or don't want to order it on your pizza with onions)

8. mai - never

9. forse - maybe

10. carino/a-dear, sweetie or cute, use at your own discretion

And as Meg of Dolce and Nutella pointed out to me the other day, a mora, in addition to being a blackberry can also be a brunette.

Why I love reading blogs/The hunter and gatherer in me

I haven't posted much lately and for good reason. I've always been a very happy person my entire life. When I was a little girl, I would laugh and sing all of the time. So much so, that even my own mom made comments on what a happy girl I was. Pretty much all the time. Even going through breakups and divorce and bad jobs, I have always managed to keep a sense of humor and joy in my life. But, lately, well a lot of this year, things just went to heck after a pretty decent start. I noticed in college that I suffered bouts of depression linked to that seasonal affective disorder (SAD). So, I bought the special light bulbs to simulate sunlight. And endless days of fog that we have in winter, can make me go crazy and paint parts of my house very bright colors.

But this sadness was getting worse and worse and really, nothing is that terrible in my life right now, except for... I am not in Italy. I've discussed this for some time with my sister and a good friend. Geographically, I don't particularly care for my current location. It is hot in summer. It is foggy in winter. It is always dusty and frankly, really noisy. Fire/police sirens seem constantly responding to car accidents on the highway. The cool and quiet of having a cup of tea on the porch on Saturday and Sunday mornings are ruined by the cacophony of lawnmowers, weed eaters and blowers. Trucks, cars and motorcycles are modified so they can rumble, whine and grumble through town with the most possible noise to impress other.... males. (My own sister's ex-husband tricked her into changing the muffler on her brand new truck to "Flowmasters". For the un-informed, non-rednecks, theses mufflers make a rumbling noise. He told her that he wanted to change the muffler on the truck to "save on gas". She was appalled when her male co-workers oohed, and awed when they heard the truck and said, oh, you have Flowmasters! Then, she new she had been hoodwinked.)

Whenever real estate agents talk about the town I live in they say it is centrally located (real estate translation: there ain't nothing here, but we have a highway were you can get to somewhere else). But the cost of gas has made every trip to San Francisco or other interesting places very costly. Money, I would prefer to save for a plane trip you know where.

Then, I just finished reading Marlena De Blasi's third book, The Lady in the Palazzo. I love reading her books but I am always saddened by them. I like them way more than Frances Mayes books. I guess her people connect with me more. I like her outlook on life. She says they are poor, but poor can be a relative thing. She seems to have a lot of money for fabric and remodelling when she needs to and as one who has remodelled and sews, I know that none of that stuff is cheap.

So after reading her book, I realized that several things had been bothering me about my life. In her books, Italians are always out gathering wild garlic, grasses, nuts, whatever. These are things that my family did when we were younger. We went fishing, we used to go for crabs off the pier in San Francisco and clamming at the beach. If we went to the mountains, we would look for Indian arrowheads, pretty rocks, or old bottles, pine cones and other pleasing things from nature. Even in San Francisco, when we were little kids, we would go to our local park and pick blackberries and make jam and pie! These are the things that Marlena (we are on a first name basis) enjoys so much in her books about Italy. (Now, I try to limit my recreational hunting and gathering to the thrift store and garden shops. Are there thrift stores in Italy and garden shops except those by the roadside? Sorry, another digression.)

But here? Sorry, the thought of even going into the mountains with a few pals seems to be too inviting to serial killers or predators (and not the 4-legged ones). Picking up pine cones and rocks? Need a permit. Any wild nuts and berries, look out they are probably sprayed with chemicals.

Frankly, I think that is why Americans are such mass consumers. What is shopping but hunting and gathering except you need money. But, I digress again.

So, this brings me to my other dilemma. As my friend pointed out to me, I am a very project oriented person. I can't help it. It is how I have made my living. It is how I have segmented my life and accomplished what I have in life. College, job, hobbies, buying a house, remodelling a house. Everything is broken down into the components and lists in order to accomplish the ultimate task. But moving to Italy has stumped me. Tortured me. Depressed me. And even made me question the meaning of life. I can hardly get up in the morning to face life. My job, which has normally been the source of stress in my life, is now a safe-haven. Eight and a half hours not to wonder about the meaning of life. and oh yeah, I've gotten help. So, I can stare at the ceiling in my bedroom and wonder about the meaning of life, it's just that I'm not sad about it like before. But, for God's sake, this is not the meaning of living. To exist.

But, I know that the real problem is that I have not figured out a way to move to Italy and live. My job here pays decently, I own a home and I actually have health benefits and a pension (calculated every Monday morning and each Monday morning not enough to move to Italy). I don't think I would be very happy living in Italy if I were homeless (plus, I know the authorities frown on this). I'm not a writer, at least of too much fiction. My writing is more technical stuff even though I do it almost every day. I could re-learn programming but sitting on my rear all day long doesn't appeal much to me either, running a B&B, hmm, not really my cup of tea either since I want to be among the ruins and stones.

So, I run through the list. Tour guide? Maybe? The thought of needing to survive on tips horrifies me. Run a business? Never have so far and don't know if I'd be good at it. Import export? What products? And so it goes on. Do I need a life coach? Should I get another degree? Take a class in floral arranging? I buy a lotto ticket every now and then, when I think of it and ask the Lord, surely, wouldn't you want my dreams to come true? Should I seek professional help? I don't think that falls under mental illness although, it could be obsessive compulsive behavior. My sister who has never been to Italy cannot understand.

But, I don't seem to be the only person with the disorder and they seem fine once they move to Italy. I don't feel crazy. Sometimes I want to give up the dream but then what would I have? A job, a house, a truck, possessions, a better pension but no dream. (Yeah okay, I have family and friends, too.) So, I read your blogs. Thank you, it helps. I know it is possible, that I might be able to do it someday, I just wish I could do it sooner than later. But when I read the blogs, I know it wasn't all the easy, it didn't happen overnight and that I just have to keep working at it. Lord help me.

Arezzo - Part 2, Pottery Obsession - Part 1

I've always loved pottery. Maybe it is because I love the handmade and the artisan-crafted. Maybe it is because I grew up in a time when people were starting to reject products of mass production. Or maybe, because it is so beautiful and yet meant for everyday use. So when I happened upon the Archaeological Museum in Arezzo, I sort of hit a bonanza of pottery. First, there was this plaque called a campana plaque not because they are from Campania but because the man who first catalogued them was named Campana. I kept coming back to this plaque trying to envision the house it must of graced. Not a grand and ostentatious home meant to impress, but a simpler home, cottage-like with tastefully chosen decorative elements . Whoever, had it made must have had a lovely garden, a pond and tadpoles.
Then, I came upon this pleasing pottery called bucchero.

These lovely, rounded bucchero pots were even more beautiful.

This pottery was locally made with a slip glaze causing the final product to have a reddish color. This is called Arezzo ware or Arretine ware. There is an entire exhibit room full of Arezzo ware. It is amazing to look at the craftmanship on this goblet.

In case you're wondering how such a delicate design was put upon the goblet, there are shelves full of little moulds like these that have been found.
They kind of remind me of little butter moulds I have.
All in all, the Archaeological Museum in Arezzo is quite the find. While the collection may not compare in historical significance to the treasures in the museums in Rome, Florence and Naples, it is nontheless truly a wonderful treasure worth visiting even if you are not pottery obsessed!

Arezzo

Arezzo is a town as well as a province and one of it's other famous sons is Petrarch who wrote the lovely poems about his unrequited love for Laura in the 1300's. The city is full of beautiful streets and shops like this one...
Architectural interest is abundant....beautiful doorways... the symbol of the Medici family in the Vasari loggia

Or this ancient balcony.
Ahh, here is another famous aretino, the Chimera of Arezzo but much to the chagrin of other aretini, he resides in the Archaeological Museum in Florence...

Piazza Grande is the center of the old town where they hold medieval a medieval jousting tournament called the Giostra del Saracino.
Arezzo is probably most famous for the chapel decorated by Piero della Franceso depicting the legend of the True Cross where photographs are not allowed. William Tode was on exhibit in the newer gallery in 2005 and I bought one of his signed prints.
Arezzo also has a fine Archaeological Museum next to the old roman amphitheater.

Where among many fine objects, you can see items recovered from gladitorial training. Err, looks pretty sharp to me for training....
This grappling hook looks like serious business, too!
Ouch! I think I'd want more than this helmet for protection!
Arezzo like many Tuscan towns, is lovely and beautiful. I made three trips to Arezzo and still didn't get to see the inside of Santa Maria della Pieve. Oh well, next time.....

Pienza delle Piante

Pienza is a beautiful Tuscan town remodelled in the Renaissance by Pope Pius II of the Piccolomini family. The town used to be called Corsignano before it was renamed Pienza in honor of the pope. When I read this, I wasn't overly impressed and not very interested in visiting. But, it was on our Chianti Country wine tour itinerary so I would have to tolerate it. Our guide said he thought there was a festival happening on this particular day but I think he meant fiera or market. What a surprise we were in for! The town was covered in flowers, plants and landscaping for sale. Imagine a flower show, but in a 15th century town! I wandered around clicking away with the camera but this was one of the "camera malfunction" days! These are the best photos I have and just don't do this town or fiera justice! This is the landscaping in front of the church but flowers, trees, cactus, succulents, herbs, shrubbery, annuals and perennials for sale lined all the streets. The lovely but different smell of peccorino cheese also wafted through the town!

The entire town was decked out in its best as well not to be upstaged by the vendors!

I just love potted plants and old walls.
This was a nice old doorway.
This is just the front of someone's house!
Che bella!

Pienza was a delight to visit and made all the more beautiful by a fiera di piante. I wished we had had more time to enjoy the sights and definitely plan to return there for another visit. The fiera took place last year on the second weekend of May. (Why, just about a year ago!) Later in the trip,when we returned to Florence, I bought a tube of Bottega Verde Crema Viso Effetto Lifting face cream from a 1 euro bin in an underpass shop at the Santa Maria Novella train station. When I read the ingredients on the back of the tube, I saw that the cream was made in Pienza. So on the days when I put it on, it smells wonderfully organic (and not at all like the very tasty peccorino cheese pannini I ate there) and I remember the beautiful town of Pienza!

The Ecstasy of Gian Lorenzo Bernini

(St. Peter's Square, Vatican)

Sometimes, I find it difficult to decide what to post about. Not because I can't think of anything to blog about but that it is difficult to narrow down the selection. When I went to Italy, I had several themes that I followed in my travels. The art theme with subcategories of Michelangelo and Bernini, the archaeological theme, the early Christian theme and the anal, organized part of me wants to chronologically post in minute, historical detail all of the fascinating pertinent facts. But, then my tush starts to hurt, I have to go to sleep/take a nap or something actually interesting comes on TV, the sun comes out or I need a cup of tea and I just blurt something out. And yet I have still spent an hour or more writing a post. Plus I wonder, does everyone really want to know about how fascinating the Romans are or maybe it is just me that finds them so darn fascinating?

I have posted some of my photos on Flickr on the menu sidebar and I have lots, lots more photos of Italy I haven't gotten around to posting. Part of me wants to do all the background research to explain them to everyone, but then that darn time gets in the way. Then, I wonder, who is looking at them and why are then 8 views of the the shoes of Mars and none of the new Italian sandals? Then, I am trying to decide if I should post the photos that I use in the blog on Flickr or the ones I don't use? What is your opinion? Is their an unwritten blog protocol that I haven't figured out yet? There is lot's I haven't figured out yet like how to get the thumbnails on the sidebar. But as it seems that my beloved Nikon D70 has decided not to focus lately, I won't be posting any new photos of my garden or flowers for awhile. But, as I am the appointed photographer of my sister's upcoming wedding, err, I gotta get it fixed soon!

So here is the post topic. The Baroque artist, GianLorenzo Bernini. He was a child prodigy. Born in Naples (another very handsome southern Italian man) his father was a Mannerist (post Renaissance) artist. He was the architect of the welcoming "arms" of St. Peter's Square. And, the designer of Holy Spirit Dove stained glass below...

(The Holy Spirit, St. Peter's Basilica)
And, this silly little elephant carrying a obelisk at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

And, this lady in rapture,

(Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, San Francesco a Ripa, Rome)

These are also two of his commisions on the bridge to Castel Sant'Angelo. They have been relocated to Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, Rome

Angel with a Crown of Thorns

Angel with the Superscription

(Medusa, Capitoline Museum, Rome)

And, let's not forget Medusa cursed by Minerva and slain by Perseus. But, I think the most beautiful Bernini's are the Rape of Persephone, Apollo and Daphne and his "self-portrait" as David in the Villa Borghese where unfortunately, photography is not allowed. As I left the Villa Borghese, I wandered around for awhile in my own sensory ecstasy while my head tried to come down back to earthy matters. For after what I had seen there along with Michelangelo's David and Pietà, surely I had seen the most beautiful art in existence.

P.S. This post has been edited by the author to correct a mistake!