One of my choir buddies, Maria Pia Rondolini, who has shown up in one or two other posts, has finally published her reminiscences! There was a dog-and-pony show today in the Archbishop's palace, and it was just lovely to see her beaming with pride.
Maria Pia is an extraordinary woman. She looks like a rather woolly old lady who has never done much in her life. However, just a few minutes of talking to her and you know that this is a woman not to be underestimated: she has spent much time over the years in Burkina Faso helping with mission work (including gallivanting around on bumpy dirt roads on a motorbike at the age of 78 or something), climbed mountains (probably not EVERY mountain, but a fair number), visited numerous religious sites throughout Europe, participated in twinnings between Todi and other cities throughout the world, and more.
Humble, but interesting, this lady does not stand still. Not that she moves vigorously. But she has a force and a love of color (I covet her purses, hats, and shoes) that betray her energetic spirit. She has definite thoughts about how the world works, but despite that, she has the extraordinary capacity to listen and not tell you what to think or how you should do things better...she smiles and soaks in what you have to say and loves you even if she doesn't agree with you.
Unsurprisingly, the Bishop's room was full. Probably 100 people turned out on a rather nasty, wet day to see Maria Pia and support her excitement and celebrate her accomplishment. There was a panel including our parish priest, the mayor, and "il professore"...all of whom had to make a speech. Fortunately, said speeches (which I'm sure were delightful, but I was rather tired) were interspersed with Elisa's amazingly talented 12-year-old son Paolo on the violin accompanied by his friend on the guitar. Elisa did ask that we not post photos of the boys online, so I honored that by taking a video of the room while the boys were playing so you could enjoy the music, too!
The frescoes date I believe to the 1600s, but I don't quite remember. There were some later updates in the 1800s in specific areas.
With love to Maria Pia and many congratulations,
Alexandra
Maria Pia is an extraordinary woman. She looks like a rather woolly old lady who has never done much in her life. However, just a few minutes of talking to her and you know that this is a woman not to be underestimated: she has spent much time over the years in Burkina Faso helping with mission work (including gallivanting around on bumpy dirt roads on a motorbike at the age of 78 or something), climbed mountains (probably not EVERY mountain, but a fair number), visited numerous religious sites throughout Europe, participated in twinnings between Todi and other cities throughout the world, and more.
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| Greeting her guests! |
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| Il professore and Maria Pia |
The frescoes date I believe to the 1600s, but I don't quite remember. There were some later updates in the 1800s in specific areas.
With love to Maria Pia and many congratulations,
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