No essay from me this week as I’m lounging like a lizard in the hot Italian sun, on my annual vacation to the village in Italy where I lived as a kid.
In an hour’s time I’ll be meeting a woman I’ve been friends with since I was 7, for an aperitivo in the town square. Tomorrow I’ll be back at the lakeside, dipping myself in the ancient waters to get some respite from the heat. But I love it, the heat. I’m quite reptilian in the amount of sun I can absorb. (With factor 50 of course, to protect my milky northern skin.)
So my only thoughts this week are of soaking up the Italianness of it all. I am reading a great book about Lucrezia Borgia, in which I discovered that her brother Juan (who went on to be murdered, possibly by her other brother, Cesare) attacked our town, which belonged to Borgia rivals the Orsini family! I was thrilled to imagine the mercurial and dangerous Juan Borgia roaming the tiny streets and plundering the castle amoung whose ruins I played as a kid.
Please, if you’re so inclined, follow me on Instagram where I very much enjoy spending time sharing reels of cute dogs and babies. My algorithm is very wholesome.)
I'd like to go on the 'Mediterranean Diet' -- a huge pot of lasagna, Italian bread and unsalted butter, and 4 bottles of red wine, then a cigar in the garden and a comatose nap.
Sounds like a lovely way to spend some time. I've only visited Italy once (Tuscany) but I was so taken aback by its beauty and character, I'd love to visit more parts in future. Have fun!
Glad you're catching some rays! Looking forward to your return full of [even more?] pee and vinegar.
I'd like to go on the 'Mediterranean Diet' -- a huge pot of lasagna, Italian bread and unsalted butter, and 4 bottles of red wine, then a cigar in the garden and a comatose nap.
Enjoy your vacation. Jesus Christ said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Love your cats pic ... 😊
Enjoy your vacation! What is the title of this great book about Lucrezia Borgia you are reading?
It's a great mystery.... why Italy is so perfect a place to live....
A well deserved R&R, and catching up with a good friend - food for the spirit.
Sounds like a lovely way to spend some time. I've only visited Italy once (Tuscany) but I was so taken aback by its beauty and character, I'd love to visit more parts in future. Have fun!
Glad you're enjoying a warm, Italian vacation.
So nice to get away from all the insanity once in a while and just relax. Have fun!
Hi to you and your mom. Enjoy Ermete's and the lake. Loved my time there.
And the town is????????
I want that door. Enjoy the vacation. We are on a plane to Mexico!
Hi Jenny, My son Ben and his wife Amy are in Italy presently. As of yesterday, they were in Tuscany. Enjoy your time in the sun!