Some highlights from the past months

In February, I took a few days to run off on my own to Maratea. A small town south of Naples, it is halfway up some pretty impressive hills. Getting to the hotel was definitely going to involve a taxi. It was absolute heaven to have a few days where the only person whose opinion I had to consult was myself. I ate well, I slept well, I walked up to the Redeemer statue, and I got a marriage proposal. After the last, I quite happily hopped on the train home.

This statue is something like 70 feet tall

I definitely ate well!

You can see the Redeemer statue as the white speck on top of the hill

In March, several of us were in and out visiting Michael's dad in Tifton during his battle with cancer. A tough time for everyone, but important and rewarding. It was great to see other extended friends and family who came by, as well.

April was Liberation Day, along with the fun Bersaglieri, a military corps that runs in formation while blowing on brass instruments. Always a great spectacle!

In late May/early June, Michael was finally back for a brief time, and we took advantage of that to go visit Matera (not Maratea!) with Atlanta friends Nick and Angela. This is an intriguing place, because the inhabitants lived in caves until the late 1950s/early 1960s. At that time, it was considered a shameful backwater, but it has since been rehabilitated and is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Michael and I treated ourselves to a hotel that actually had been a cave home. It was delightfully cool compared to outside temperatures, but my goodness, was it humid! Some of the docents at the various museums had relatives who had lived in the caves, and they reported numerous health effects related to the damp. However, the forced removal did not win overwhelming support, since the strong community ties were completely ruptured as a result. Interesting trade-offs. 

This was used as the set for The Passion
because it so resembles old Jerusalem (supposedly)

On the way home from that trip, we went to visit Jeremy in Sicily. It was great to see his digs and be introduced to all the people he's already met! Plus, when he regales us with stories about happenings at this, that, or the other place, we can imagine it that much more easily. And, of course, it involved more train transportation: never a downside as far as I'm concerned. An added bonus was the train ferry, where the train is shunted onto a ferry, having previously been divided into two sections.

Jeremy and I thoroughly enjoyed crashing this baptism

The train ferry!

Going into the train ferry

June was a busy time for me, because I was making complete glam outfits (including shoes!) for a wedding we were planning to attend in early July. I was pretty much chained to my studio that whole month! I was pretty happy with how things turned out, though.

We also had the calcetto tournament! This is the mini-soccer cup that sees local neighborhoods and towns competing to be champions. This year they made the great decision to hold it in the park, which allowed for better crowd flow and management, better views for spectators, and the possibility of turning the courtyard of the high school into a lovely restaurant!

Late June/early July was definitely bittersweet: our first grandchild was born on the same day her great-grandfather was buried. She came a little early, most likely to bring comfort to our grief. Michael and I had the delight of visiting for a few weeks while she was still fresh! Such a sweet thing. We absolutely relish all the photos we can get (which I won't post since we want to respect their social media desires)! Also during that time Todi hosted a Fiat 500 rally in which I participated.

Back in Todi, we had the balloon festival. Our house has an absolutely spectacular view of the valley whence they depart, so I rose early every day to the whoosh! of the gas burners as the first balloons floated directly over our terrace.

I also had the pleasure of going on a hike which included the tour of a privately-held 13th-century abbey. The chapel is now host to modern sculptures, but the frescoes were still visible and quite impressive. The frescoes are not as old as the church, dating I think to the 1400s or 1500s. 

Todi as seen from the abbey

And now, in August, we come full-circle on our update: I have finally finished knitting that dratted cotton dress that caused this hiatus, and am making suede shoes to match. Here's hoping I'll be able to wear them in October, when the weather is a bit cooler!

Love,

Alexandra