Meredith Sue Willis
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Trip to Italy--Our travel agent, Andy's cousin Sam Rabin
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                                                                                 1-15-05

Florence– Enormous exhaustion– Airplane landing gave me a sense of slipping down into a beautiful red & rosy dawn. Train from airport to Rome train station, passed pink houses, palms & tall evergreens w/long bare trunks. Near track, thin strips of poor people's dwellings: squatters gardens, all the apartments had washing hanging out the balconies. Gypsies.

 

                                                                                                1/16

I really was about as wiped out as I've every been in my life last night. Slept @ 10 hours & felt much better--What I didn't get to from above: two gypsy girl pick pockets went for us in Rome while we were catching train up here to Florence. I never even knew it but they started touching Andy --opened my back pack, we think--took nothing (books etc. all that was there, my passport and money were in my pouch near under my clothes.) Scary stuff? I've been thinking about it every since. They sort of blocked us as if they were awkward, and we got caught between them–teenage girls. I guess that's how they make a living. But we didn't lose anything, unlike lots of people I know who have lost watches, computers, money, passports.

The Museum del Opera in Florence last night! Now I know why sculptor Donatello is a big deal--the Magdalena & and "profeta" or prophet were super--thin, anguished, etc. Also, Michelangelo's Pieta from his old age to balance out his youthful one I saw at the World's Fair. The old one never finished, portrayed himself as Nicodemus.

Joel seems to know a lot about Michelangelo after reading Irving Stone's THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY.

Last night-- incredible crowds in the streets! Young people in sharp toed boots shopping, shopping. A carousel on the piazza--wonderful stylish crowds--dark coats, all 20ish, a customer in the restaurant acromegalic? ---biggest nose and forehead I ever saw--deep voice, lots of special orders.

My first conversation in Italian:

"Signora, la piccola colazione--bruschetta--es (should have been e) tipica en Italia?"
"Si, tipica en Firenze,"
"Ah, grazie."
"Prego."
[translatlion: Lady, the breakfast with tomatoes and basil on bread, is that typical for Italy? And she says, Yes, typical in Florence. Thank you. You're welcome.]

 

1-16–05

This is Sunday evening in Florence. Yesterday and this morning I wrote in an actual tablet, so exhausted like nothing I've felt in years maybe ever. No, I remember arriving in London the first time and feeling some of that. This time, since we're still going out to dinner, I want to note a few things about today. Joel is sleeping happily, having spent the afternoon with his old friend from New Jersey Lucia Wallace-Kreuger, whois here for the winter interim of Oberlin. They had a good time being with young people who speak English!

But--today– nice piccola colazione with bruschetta and rolls with marmelade inside and coffee etc. Then off to Michelangeo's David, which turns out to be much much more than just the one giant statue, in the Museo Academia-- tons of 13th, 14th, & fifteenth century stuff-- Michelangelo's slaves or spirit fighting to get out of flesh, wonderful byzantine style madonna of the staring kohl eyes, several depositions of Christ with beautiful sadness in the eyes, etc. etc. An old crucifixion as a Tree of Life.

The David was splendid, much bigger than I expected, and the reality of walking around it, from back as well as front, was terrific. Joel offended by some modern art sitting around, thought there should only be the great David.

I'm not doing well here with listing what we did, which is what I set out to do.

From there, after coffee and Joel off with Lucia, we went to San Lorenzo, or rather the Chappelle of the Medici which was tall with red marble grandeur, rather affected me the way the robber baron "cottages" at Newport did. In the New Sacristy were the Michelangelo statues for Giuliano and someone, Lorenzo the younger? Florence is full of art and Medicis, who paid for it.

Andy and I had a lot of fun with the many reliquaries, ornate gold and silver containers for pieces of saints. He kept trying to guess what bone was displayed, me comparing them to owning piece of toilet paper Elvis wiped with-the physical nearness to someone important in the past. The intense carnality of this old catholicism.

 

1/17/05

Monday morning and off to the Bargello and the science museum. I had a really bad night's sleep, and also, somehow, I didn't pack bras! And spilled my juice this morning!

Yesterday we walked down to the Duomo again, the great Cathedral of Florence, which is right in the dead center of town with gypsy beggers and souvenir sales people and classes of children with their teachers and tons of motor scooters! It has beautiful green, pink, and white marble all over it. We then went on to the PonteVecchio (Old Bridge), which was fun in a carnivalesque sort of way, but the view of the River Arno was outstanding– lots of sun today! High elegant light gold on the yellow and tan buildings, and in every alley with the several layers of floors, laundry, and on the main streets expensive shops, interior decorators, chandeliers. A public toilet for 60 cents Euro a pop, or a pee, with marble floors and walls. The Arno again, and again that sense of the most beautiful thing I ever saw human. People claim Florence is the most beautiful city.

 

January 17, 2005 continued

Today we went to he Bargello climbed the cupola of the Duomo, and went to the Science Museum and saw wonderful machines, mostly made of wood that caused them to be polished, highly worked things of beauty in themselves each. Andy was crazy about this. Galileo's actual telescope, etc.

Joel said he wished he could have a day or so off and then continue sight-seeing and cetera. He really enjoyed his time with Lucia yesterday, especially when they were mistaken for Italian. He wishes he could communicate with the people here!

But: the Bargello was amazing 1255, the executions performed in its court, the raw heavy walls, the various collections, Donatello's bronze David with the feminine little hat--the first nude statue in European art since the Romans! Also Michelangelo's Bacchus from his youth, the competing panels of Bruneleschi and Ghiradelli of images of Abraham and Isaac, and we liked Ghiradeli's better (I'm spelling his name wrong). Very striking painted terracotta head by Donatello, a room full of ceramics-dishes beautifully and vividly depicting battles! A wild torture and death of Saint Catherine with cartoon faced characters sharpening knives, etc.

Then, the 463 steps up the Duomo dome, and I thought the challenge would be physical, but adrenalin kicked right in and I was fine that way, panted once, got up a little sweat. The outside is okay, with a view of the entire city, but inside looking down a couple of hundred feet at the church below is heartstopping. Outside, though, you see the orange roofs of Firenze in all directions, and hillside edges, cypress. I went ahead down and sat in the cathedral for a while and looked up words in Italian, and then we had pizza. All-around Japanese tourists and zooming motor scooters. One roundish lady in a fur coat and helmet, smoking as she drove the motor scooter. We stopped in a bookstore for Internet access. We took rest back at the hotel and I read some in the Medici history and we all napped a little and now it's time to eat and the Uffizzi tomorrow and places we are not going to get to see!

Another great dinner, Paoli's this time, down in the rich district, and it was expensive, especially the water, but this time we only had a course each plus one appetizer, wine, coffees, and two desserts.

 

1-18-05

My stomach hasn't been great today, and one more rich meal didn't help, but Joel is out with Lucia again, Andy and I reading here in the hotel. Tomorrow we're off to Rome.

Today was old paintings out the kazoo: First, three hours at the Uffizzi, at the end of which we were exhausted and ready to give up and over, totally overwhelmed by the size and bright colors of the Boticellis, all so much bigger than I expected, so I finally get it: Botticelli. Raphael somewhat less, but other individual paintings so stunning. Michelangelo, Rubens, etc. But then we broke for a light lunch which cost much more than it should have, a real tourist trap, or at least a trap for those who sat down at the tables in back. And then, in the rain, on the Pitti Palace, also enormous, but not in chronological order like the Uffizzi. Andy and Joel were all wrapped up in trying to discover th4e Medicis' secret passageway from the one palace to the other, over the Ponte Vecchio.

The Pitti Palace (remember, this a rainy day, drippy misting constantly, so vast!) Each huge sala with ceiling paintings, many with skillful trompe d'oeil stuff, more painters, famous mixed in with less famous, portraits, madonnas, historical--then the smaller rooms still amazing, and I did see the two Artemisia Gentllischi (the first "old mistress" painter!) pieces, harder to see in the Pitti than they had been in NYC two years ago. Finally home and a break, then Lucia with us for dinner, and dinner.

And now it is Wednesday morning, and we're going to go to Dante's house and the church at San Lorenzo and then off to Roma. Still gray and rainy. Sorry to leave Florence so soon.

 

1-19-05

We're in Rome at the Albergo Senato hotel, very lovely, a little upscale and snooty for my taste, but, maybe I'm just feeling grungy). Rome itself looks totally stunning. Everything is organized around piazzas! Joel said I promised him skyscrapers, but not a one in sight and that's great. Our room window looks out on the dome of the Pantheon, Roman temple now a church, which we stepped out and visited shortly after arriving, saw the artist Rafael's tomb, then strolled some more and ran across a church called Sainte Louis le francais or something like that and it had Caravaggio's Vocation of St. Matthew (not a bad painter, that guy!) and two more Caravaggios along with other art and what appeared to be a lot of french language church activities. Then we strolled some more, ran across the House of Delegates, with a facade by Bernini, and an obelisk the Romans brought from Egypt that is/was a sundial. Then a ricotta bun and an hour in the room, reading the Rome book, then dinner a block away at a quiet and lovely place called Crow in Italian. Andy and Joel have decided that I speak Italian, which is flattering but totally untrue. One of the interesting things is getting a sense of what you need in a language. For example, I am totally without the past tense, so I can't say things like "earlier today." Lots of common words that are just totally missing. But the Italians are very helpful if you try– correct you gently (when I put Spanish endings on words I'm trying to say in Italian).

 

1-20-05

 

Somo americano, ma non votamo per l'uomo en la casa bianca!

 

I really want to use that sentence on someone before we go! The language, of course is much harder than I wanted it to be when I felt like I was this close to speaking Italian, using the little mini-lessons online from the BBC– very good starters, I think.

The Bushster was reinaugurated today, with snow, and the parties are just getting started over there. Not that we aren' t eating high on the hog ourselves, here in Rome. The Hostaria Costanza tonight, which was a real adventure to find, and especially with Andy having a bad back. The day began with big breakfast followed by long walk up Via del Corso to, eventually, the Museo Borghese, under bright sky, cool, but perfectly comfortable, actually wonderfully comfortable. The Borghese Museum gave me a wonderful sense of how the seventeenth century guys viewed things: they mixed classical stuff they dug up around Rome with neoclassical (Bernini) and all those ceiling paintings too, so you get a painted Daphne coming out of the tree up there plus a marble one in the middle of the room and maybe a painting on the wall or a small ancient bronze as well. Again, far too many beautiful paintings to attend to them all. Carravaggio's self portrait as a sick Bacchus was nice--oh, a ton of nice ones, and marble has more colors than I ever guessed.

After, we wandered around the Villa Borghese , more or less lost, saw an Irish setter, splendid umbrella pines (a classical piece Andy knew called "The Pines of Rome," crows with gray bodies and black wings, cornacchies, and teachers with students we talked to a little, and made our way gradually to the Piazza del Popolo, where the hurdy gurdy man has a face that was badly burnt and wore a black hat, rather natty clothes, and signs showing his face before and after to gain sympathy. Lunch expensive and cold, but rest much needed. Back to Santa Maria del Popolo church to see more CARRAVAGGIO (Peter getting crucified ad Paul lying on the ground stunned beside his horse) plus a cappelle designed by Rafael, and another with as much marble as one of the Borghese museum rooms.

Then down the Via del Corso, over to the Spanish steps, all lovely and crowded with tourists and family and students, then to the Trevisi fountain where I bought chestnuts from a small old man who took great dignified time in choosing chestnuts for my little bag, and a separate little bag for the shells.

Finally back to the hotel, rest, feeling strong. Then we went searching for the Hostaria Costanza, near the Piazza di Fiore, which was a major adventure, wandering around the Jewish synagogue and the ancient footbridge, everything feeling like a cool spring evening. Couldn't find the restaurant, their card didn't help, people didn't know, not a pale young woman, or two young gypsy-type guys, but then I got smart and asked a man delivering bread, and he pointed me in the right direction, but we still didn't find it until we asked for help from two garbage collector guys. They were very eager to help, deep voices, graceful manners, and they really did know, and pointed us to the restaurant, where the waiter was truculent, didn't like our ordering too little, but eventually started smiling (after we ordered cheese and dessert and coffee). Actually, toward the end of our visit, he began smiling at us a lot. This was a busy place with ruins sticking out all over the walls. It was built on the site of a great theater complex built by Pompey in the way back BC! Oh boy!

Everywhere you look, unexpectedly, chunks of ruins, and every church with a Carravaggio or a Bernini, and I do like them in their context, all higgeldy piggeldy mixtures of style, none of the careful separation you expect from museums and books. And meanwhile, street after street of boutique shops. expensive clothes, shoes, then a tiny snack bar with wine and beer and bottles o hard liquor. Instead of carrying cardboard containers of coffee like New Yorkers, they stop and stand at a bar and drink an espresso. This is a beautiful place.

 

1/21/05

Our last huge dinner in Roma--a kosher place, old fashioned Roman place, heavy food, on the plain side. Mine was the least plain, cod baked with potatoes and pignoli and raisins, a little dried tomato. We let the waiter convince us that we wanted a lot of appetizers and an expensive kosher wine, but it was the last night, then up at six a.m. in the morning for the ten and a half hour trip. There's a blizzard arriving in the East of the USA tomorrow. So we may be hit with delays or who knows what.

Somehow, thinking of the gladiators, We Who Are About To Die Salute You, made me feel better--all the thinking about the Medicis and the Borgias and now the Augustuses and Constantines -- so many dead. Seeing their places today, in the warmest day yet-- blue sky, not too high sun– Rome on this last day:

the Parthenon roof just before dawn, deep deep blue, white sudden explosions of gulls between me and Orion's belt: deep salmon bricks, deep blue sky, chips of white flung against.

Small pink roses in bloom near the circus maximus!

Leaning out the bathroom window, which we open to regulate temperature and odors-- sound of music below, rising from "our" piazza.

Beautiful ancient Truscan Lupa with the little bambini from a thousand years later.

We did the Campidoglio today plus the Fori and the Colosseo-- it's really been too much. We saw an apparently very desirable Escher exhibit, or part of it-- one I'd love to see at my leisure in NYC.

My high point: almost back to the hotel at 4:30 or so we went to a café and sat outside (in the third week of January!) and the waiter was friendly, we took a picture, and I got up my courage and said, "Somos americanos ma non votamo per il Bush!" And the waiter shook my hand and each of our hands! Very satisfying.