January thru February.
We arrived safely and all went very well with picking up the Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was first class treatment with their purchase abroad program.
Our friends in Aalborg, Denmark were a welcome sight and their apartment in Berlin was simply perfect for our needs. If it wasn't so cold outside we would have wanted to stay a few weeks. We enjoyed having an apartment as a home-base for several days in Berlin. The boys were able to get school work done at the internet café across from our apartment. We were able to visit some of the tourist spots like Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charley and Museum and various sections of the Berlin Wall.
Since Evan is reading Romeo and Juliet for his English class, we made a quick stop in Verona to see and photograph the famous balcony. Touristy but cool none the less. And then on to Cremona and the birthplace of Antonio Stradivarius. When we arrived in the center plaza there was a Sunday afternoon theatrical swordfight between two medieval family rivals. Spent a night and a day exploring the many sites (tombstone, house) of Stradivarius and the museum of historical and current international violin making. There seems to be a luthier on every corner and we visited the shop of Gaspar Borchardt who came to Cremona from German 25 years ago to study and has remained !
From Cremona we drove about 3 hours and reached Certaldo in late afternoon. The sun was finally out and the car temperature was registering 55. Ah, finally the warmth of Italy we had been hoping. GPS Jane had some original difficulty locating the old farmhouse converted to ceramic studio on a hill top in Bagnano about 5miles outside the city center of Certaldo but such gave us the chance to drive around the city center a few times. We arrived to welcome hugs from Claudia Bruhin (the administrator) and Pietro Maddalena (the artist) and their little ceramic nirvana (featured in Ceramics Monthly April ‘05) who seemed impressed that we ventured so far with our family. Claudia showed us the small apartment above the studio where we were welcomed to stay a few days and helped orient us to the area (grocery story, laundromat, etc.). She arranged for us to visit a possible apartment to rent for April/May the next day. As we settled in to a simple dinner of bread, cheese and a few extras; there was a full moon rising over the Tuscan landscape. I am overwhelmingly blessed and thankful that I can share this experience with my family.
We have spent three nights at La Meridiana International School of Ceramics near Certaldo and they have been a welcome stop along the route. Both Claudia and Pietro have been wonderful hosts and the apartment above the art studio has been ideal. Tuscany is rolling hills with olive trees and vineyards and seeing the countryside at sunrise or sunset is simply awe inspiring. We have been able to connect on an apartment for April/May, arrange details for my art residency, have dinner one night in a medieval castle on the hilltop in Certaldo and simply get a whole bunch of stuff done like laundry. It has been very beautiful here and we look forward to spending several weeks in the Spring.
We next visited Gubbio along the journey south. I had been given the names of two people who live in Gubbio that are relatives of teachers at Valley View High School. The first is Leo Grilli, a 70-80 year old master ceramic artist. He is a master craftsman in the majolica technique which this region is famous. We found his shop on a narrow street and either his daughter of niece, who was working in the store front lead us down a narrow stair case into Leo’s workshop which was filled to the rafters with ceramic pieces in all phases of completion. After a few photos we drove on to the Relais Ducale Hotel to meet Sean Pegula who is from Jessup, PA. After a brief visit and promise to return to Gubbio when there is no snow on the hillside we drove on to Deruta.
From Gubbio we drove an hour south to Deruta, the seemingly capital of the majolica ceramic world. As we exit the autostrada there is a factory building with these huge 2 story vases at the entrance. The town is filled with ceramic stores and studios. We are later told that in the 5km span of Deruta that there are 280 ceramic factories. We find the Deruta School of Ceramics and Director Nicola Boccini. Nicola was referred to me by Bruce Dehnert at Peter’s Valley and Nicola is very welcoming. He gives us a tour of his facility and then makes arrangements for us to stay in the nearby hotel which to the delight of the boys has wireless internet in the rooms. After we check into the hotel we take a quick drive thru the old town of Deruta which of course is located on the top of the hill, we stop and pick up some pizza to bring back to the hotel and spend a relaxing evening watching CNN and Fox news on the TV.
After a night in the Hotel Ubias, we decide to spend a week or two in this unique village. The town of Scilla is a small inlet with about a mile of beach and a fortress on a hilltop at one end. Being winter with temperature in the fifties, the town is fairly deserted with the exception of a few hotels and several restaurants. We are told that this little swordfish fishing village has ties to Greek mythology and the Homeric myth of “Scilla and Cariddi”. Legend has it that Ulysses built the oldest part of the castle as a temple to honor Minerva.
The evening ended with Joe’s other cousin (Marianna's brother Massimo) meeting us at a local pizzeria with his two 15 year old nephew and niece for dinner. They wanted a "special treat" for Evan and Aaron to share some conversation with some other kids. We plan to stay in Scilla thru the end of the month then go to Sicily were Susan has uncovered a maternal grandfather connection in the town of Caltagirone.
We arrived safely and all went very well with picking up the Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was first class treatment with their purchase abroad program.
Our friends in Aalborg, Denmark were a welcome sight and their apartment in Berlin was simply perfect for our needs. If it wasn't so cold outside we would have wanted to stay a few weeks. We enjoyed having an apartment as a home-base for several days in Berlin. The boys were able to get school work done at the internet café across from our apartment. We were able to visit some of the tourist spots like Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charley and Museum and various sections of the Berlin Wall.
One night we went with a couple of German friends (one is the artist I met via the Landfill art project I am doing and the other is an apartment neighbor who owns a unique lamp shop) to a local East German restaurant with very traditional food then they took us to a very small "kinda bar" converted store front and we listened to a German trio play "country and western".
It was great fun and the music was wonderful. Crazy hearing Johnny Cash and Patsy Kline in English with a southern drawl then between songs they would speak in German to the audience. Only drawback is that Germans smoke a lot in public places. The locals here tells us that Berlin rarely gets snow more than an occasional dusting. It is fairly cold but doesn't prevent people from still riding their bicycles. My favorite as I walk to the local coffee shop in the morning is seeing the mothers with their children on the back of the bikes all bundled like that scene from "A Christmas Story"
From Berlin we drove to Prague and what a beautiful city. So many neat old buildings and stories. It really has the feel of a medieval town. We saw the place where Mozart first performed Don Giovanni then later that evening went to a marionette performance (which Prague is famous) of the opera in Italian.
Very, very, cool. Kids loved it !!! Visited the house that Albert Einstein lived when he taught at the University and also the house of Franz Kafka.
Spent a few days in Salzburg, Austria. We explored some of the places that I remember from when I studied here in 1973 (WOW.... i am getting old). Visited both Mozart’s birth house/museum and also his father’s house/museum. Great education for Evan and Aaron. We climbed the famous fortress and also saw the house and gazebo from the Sound of Music.
Made a quick stop in Bolzano to see the “prehistoric ice man” then visited Trento, Italy to meet one of Susan's cousins who is a classical musician and composer. The boys played some music for him and we were able to share some conversation with a relative from the “old country”. It was very special for Susan.
From Berlin we drove to Prague and what a beautiful city. So many neat old buildings and stories. It really has the feel of a medieval town. We saw the place where Mozart first performed Don Giovanni then later that evening went to a marionette performance (which Prague is famous) of the opera in Italian.
Very, very, cool. Kids loved it !!! Visited the house that Albert Einstein lived when he taught at the University and also the house of Franz Kafka.
Spent a few days in Salzburg, Austria. We explored some of the places that I remember from when I studied here in 1973 (WOW.... i am getting old). Visited both Mozart’s birth house/museum and also his father’s house/museum. Great education for Evan and Aaron. We climbed the famous fortress and also saw the house and gazebo from the Sound of Music.
Made a quick stop in Bolzano to see the “prehistoric ice man” then visited Trento, Italy to meet one of Susan's cousins who is a classical musician and composer. The boys played some music for him and we were able to share some conversation with a relative from the “old country”. It was very special for Susan.
Since Evan is reading Romeo and Juliet for his English class, we made a quick stop in Verona to see and photograph the famous balcony. Touristy but cool none the less. And then on to Cremona and the birthplace of Antonio Stradivarius. When we arrived in the center plaza there was a Sunday afternoon theatrical swordfight between two medieval family rivals. Spent a night and a day exploring the many sites (tombstone, house) of Stradivarius and the museum of historical and current international violin making. There seems to be a luthier on every corner and we visited the shop of Gaspar Borchardt who came to Cremona from German 25 years ago to study and has remained !
From Cremona we drove about 3 hours and reached Certaldo in late afternoon. The sun was finally out and the car temperature was registering 55. Ah, finally the warmth of Italy we had been hoping. GPS Jane had some original difficulty locating the old farmhouse converted to ceramic studio on a hill top in Bagnano about 5miles outside the city center of Certaldo but such gave us the chance to drive around the city center a few times. We arrived to welcome hugs from Claudia Bruhin (the administrator) and Pietro Maddalena (the artist) and their little ceramic nirvana (featured in Ceramics Monthly April ‘05) who seemed impressed that we ventured so far with our family. Claudia showed us the small apartment above the studio where we were welcomed to stay a few days and helped orient us to the area (grocery story, laundromat, etc.). She arranged for us to visit a possible apartment to rent for April/May the next day. As we settled in to a simple dinner of bread, cheese and a few extras; there was a full moon rising over the Tuscan landscape. I am overwhelmingly blessed and thankful that I can share this experience with my family.
We have spent three nights at La Meridiana International School of Ceramics near Certaldo and they have been a welcome stop along the route. Both Claudia and Pietro have been wonderful hosts and the apartment above the art studio has been ideal. Tuscany is rolling hills with olive trees and vineyards and seeing the countryside at sunrise or sunset is simply awe inspiring. We have been able to connect on an apartment for April/May, arrange details for my art residency, have dinner one night in a medieval castle on the hilltop in Certaldo and simply get a whole bunch of stuff done like laundry. It has been very beautiful here and we look forward to spending several weeks in the Spring.
We next visited Gubbio along the journey south. I had been given the names of two people who live in Gubbio that are relatives of teachers at Valley View High School. The first is Leo Grilli, a 70-80 year old master ceramic artist. He is a master craftsman in the majolica technique which this region is famous. We found his shop on a narrow street and either his daughter of niece, who was working in the store front lead us down a narrow stair case into Leo’s workshop which was filled to the rafters with ceramic pieces in all phases of completion. After a few photos we drove on to the Relais Ducale Hotel to meet Sean Pegula who is from Jessup, PA. After a brief visit and promise to return to Gubbio when there is no snow on the hillside we drove on to Deruta.
From Gubbio we drove an hour south to Deruta, the seemingly capital of the majolica ceramic world. As we exit the autostrada there is a factory building with these huge 2 story vases at the entrance. The town is filled with ceramic stores and studios. We are later told that in the 5km span of Deruta that there are 280 ceramic factories. We find the Deruta School of Ceramics and Director Nicola Boccini. Nicola was referred to me by Bruce Dehnert at Peter’s Valley and Nicola is very welcoming. He gives us a tour of his facility and then makes arrangements for us to stay in the nearby hotel which to the delight of the boys has wireless internet in the rooms. After we check into the hotel we take a quick drive thru the old town of Deruta which of course is located on the top of the hill, we stop and pick up some pizza to bring back to the hotel and spend a relaxing evening watching CNN and Fox news on the TV.
Breakfast at the hotel and a little internet and email before I head over to the Art Center where Nicola and I exchange conversation, computer visuals and then Nicola takes me in his car to visit the local ceramics supply store and its owner Giulianno Mencarelli. We also visit the shop of a local artist who makes Greek urns in the “old style” and also some beautiful raku works. It is interesting to note that among this town of traditional style pottery that there is this undercurrent of raku artists. As Susan said there is a pottery shop on every corner. Nicola says that he can make arrangements for us to rent an apartment for a week or two at the beginning of April. I was impressed with all of Deruta and the many possibilities that exist here.
We pack up the car and plan to drive the estimated 4-5 hours to the Amalfi coast. We autoban past Rome and Naples and set JPS Jane to exit at Castellammare di Stabis where we can see Mt. Vesuvius and the port of Naples. We slowly drive the 25 miles of winding and twisting coastal road thru small little towns like Postimo and Amalfi and decide to drive to Scelano for the night. As we arrive in Salerno around 6pm we discover that it is a major city with simply too much hustle and bustle and would prefer not to try finding a hotel. We drive into the night for about an hour and find a hotel along the autoban to sleep. Was a bad “Friday the 13th” decision not to spend a night in Amalfi but am thankful that that was the worst the day had to offer. We had previously agreed not to drive at night and were reminded of the consequences of not following the agenda.
We awake in the Forum Hotel in the small town of Polia and make the decision that we would like to drive to Calabria nonstop. Polia is located inland and in the mountainous region of Italy. Both Susan and I are impressively tall and snowcapped the mountains are and once again how incredibly amazing Italian town planning occurs. It seems that first they find a hilltop or small mountaintop and build a church, then clinging to and cascading down the mountain side the town grows. These towns are visually harmonious with earthen color building materials and terracotta tile roofs contrasting the backdrop of greener mountain terrain. And they all appear to be at least a thousand years old. I comment to Susan that now I have a “visual” for Italy.
We pack up the car and plan to drive the estimated 4-5 hours to the Amalfi coast. We autoban past Rome and Naples and set JPS Jane to exit at Castellammare di Stabis where we can see Mt. Vesuvius and the port of Naples. We slowly drive the 25 miles of winding and twisting coastal road thru small little towns like Postimo and Amalfi and decide to drive to Scelano for the night. As we arrive in Salerno around 6pm we discover that it is a major city with simply too much hustle and bustle and would prefer not to try finding a hotel. We drive into the night for about an hour and find a hotel along the autoban to sleep. Was a bad “Friday the 13th” decision not to spend a night in Amalfi but am thankful that that was the worst the day had to offer. We had previously agreed not to drive at night and were reminded of the consequences of not following the agenda.
We awake in the Forum Hotel in the small town of Polia and make the decision that we would like to drive to Calabria nonstop. Polia is located inland and in the mountainous region of Italy. Both Susan and I are impressively tall and snowcapped the mountains are and once again how incredibly amazing Italian town planning occurs. It seems that first they find a hilltop or small mountaintop and build a church, then clinging to and cascading down the mountain side the town grows. These towns are visually harmonious with earthen color building materials and terracotta tile roofs contrasting the backdrop of greener mountain terrain. And they all appear to be at least a thousand years old. I comment to Susan that now I have a “visual” for Italy.
Heading down and winding through the mountains filled with long tunnels and arching bridges toward the seacoast we give a “family five” as we cross the provincial boarder from Basilicata into Calabria. Along the coast we make several stops in the towns of Scalena and Paola but none peak our interest for an overnight. We arrive in Villa San Giovanni and the birthplace of Susan’s maternal grandmother and discover that it is a fairly large port town and ferry launch to Sicily so we drive the small coastal road back north about 5 miles to the little fishing village of Scilla to spend the night.
After a night in the Hotel Ubias, we decide to spend a week or two in this unique village. The town of Scilla is a small inlet with about a mile of beach and a fortress on a hilltop at one end. Being winter with temperature in the fifties, the town is fairly deserted with the exception of a few hotels and several restaurants. We are told that this little swordfish fishing village has ties to Greek mythology and the Homeric myth of “Scilla and Cariddi”. Legend has it that Ulysses built the oldest part of the castle as a temple to honor Minerva.
The first couple of nights we stay at Hotel Ubias whose owner has lived in Brooklyn, NY and is very helpful to the Americans in a beach town in winter. We look at a few apartments in hopes of finding something with heat for a week or so with no luck the first few days. We make several days trips to explore the region. To Reggio and the “auto club” for some local maps and then the archeological museum and the bronze statues (name) which Susan won’t believe they fashioned after my physique, to Villa San Giovanni and the nearest shopping center for a wireless internet card, to Piale and the town’s water fountain donated by (name) Crea which is Susan’s maternal grandmother maiden name.
We connect with Massimo and Marianna who are our Italian language teachers’ cousins from Reggio who join us for dinner one evening in Scilla then invite us to a dinner in their home after a tour of the “5th Avenue of Reggio” during Carnival. We are grateful for this local connection but feel embarrassed that we cannot eat the vast quantity of food they prepared. Jus the first course of lasagna would have been sufficient.
After a couple of days of hotel living (and feeling like Paris Hilton or something) the hotel staff help us find a heated small apartment located in the hilltop section of Scilla. Interesting how we use our “google translation” computer program to write out instructions and dialogue with the apartment owner to clarify details of the rental. To the local market and a home cooked steak dinner that Evan has been requesting. It feels good to have a place we can call home with a kitchen, an itty bitty washing machine and plenty of free parking on a cobblestone street about as wide as my driveway. Just making sure ya fold in the side mirrors at night.
A note for my golfing buddies…….. the other day with the temperature reaching the mid fifties………. the family planned a day trip to the 1 of 3 nine hole golf courses located within the province of Calabria. After about 45 miles (or a 1 hour drive according to GPS Jane), we arrived at the Feudo Montalto Golf Club. The other two courses are 3- 5 hour drives. There were 3 cars in the parking lot, a Mercedes, a BMW, and the local pickup truck. Two guys were teeing off on number 1 and when I say that your local cow pasture makes Feudo Mantalto look like Augusta my imagination is not far off. But trust me, once we are able to translate the golf information provided and insure that we can rent a set of golf clubs, Evan and I have already set the agenda for a day of golfing so not only can he log it in as gym class hours and being the good parent will make the sacrifice to join him.
Spend a bunch of days simply getting to know the neighborhood. Cobblestone alleys leading to small shops tended by elderly Italian woman who smile and nod in approval as they try to help me pronounce the word for olive oil or gently count out the proper amount from my open hand of small change. One evening at our favorite local pizzeria, another some home cooked pasta and even one at the little elegant place tucked by the water’s edge in the Chianalea’s section of town. As we prepare to order at the customary 8pm dinner time, a local fisherman is bringing his boat to dock jus off the back door patio.
Last night we meet Joe's (our Italian teacher) cousin Marianna who works with someone who knows someone who knows one of Susan's cousins. We meet Marianna outside the Shopping Center in Villa San Giovanni, we all drive to this church and meet an fairly older woman who was married to a Calandruccio (Susan grandfather) and she takes us to the foundation of a post 1907 earthquake building and tells us (translation via Marianna) that this was the first building in Piale that Susan's great grandfather Giuseppe built when he moved from Sicily.
She then takes us to some distant relative of Susan whose grandfather and Susan's grandfather might have been brothers and there are at least another dozen "relatives" sitting around the kitchen table discussing (in Italian so we can't understand) the family crest from Sicily. It was surreal. They make arrangements to meet at the local church the next day to look through church documents where Susan was met by a relative from the Crea family and a relative from the Calandruccio family. Looking at hand written records dating back to 1810 they found the marriage record for Susan’s great grandfather (Guiseppe Calundruccio) to her great grandmother (Angela Leonardis) in 1871. They also found the baptismal record for Susan’s grandfather Vincenzo Calanddruccio dated 12 March 1883. Wow !!!
We connect with Massimo and Marianna who are our Italian language teachers’ cousins from Reggio who join us for dinner one evening in Scilla then invite us to a dinner in their home after a tour of the “5th Avenue of Reggio” during Carnival. We are grateful for this local connection but feel embarrassed that we cannot eat the vast quantity of food they prepared. Jus the first course of lasagna would have been sufficient.
After a couple of days of hotel living (and feeling like Paris Hilton or something) the hotel staff help us find a heated small apartment located in the hilltop section of Scilla. Interesting how we use our “google translation” computer program to write out instructions and dialogue with the apartment owner to clarify details of the rental. To the local market and a home cooked steak dinner that Evan has been requesting. It feels good to have a place we can call home with a kitchen, an itty bitty washing machine and plenty of free parking on a cobblestone street about as wide as my driveway. Just making sure ya fold in the side mirrors at night.
A note for my golfing buddies…….. the other day with the temperature reaching the mid fifties………. the family planned a day trip to the 1 of 3 nine hole golf courses located within the province of Calabria. After about 45 miles (or a 1 hour drive according to GPS Jane), we arrived at the Feudo Montalto Golf Club. The other two courses are 3- 5 hour drives. There were 3 cars in the parking lot, a Mercedes, a BMW, and the local pickup truck. Two guys were teeing off on number 1 and when I say that your local cow pasture makes Feudo Mantalto look like Augusta my imagination is not far off. But trust me, once we are able to translate the golf information provided and insure that we can rent a set of golf clubs, Evan and I have already set the agenda for a day of golfing so not only can he log it in as gym class hours and being the good parent will make the sacrifice to join him.
Spend a bunch of days simply getting to know the neighborhood. Cobblestone alleys leading to small shops tended by elderly Italian woman who smile and nod in approval as they try to help me pronounce the word for olive oil or gently count out the proper amount from my open hand of small change. One evening at our favorite local pizzeria, another some home cooked pasta and even one at the little elegant place tucked by the water’s edge in the Chianalea’s section of town. As we prepare to order at the customary 8pm dinner time, a local fisherman is bringing his boat to dock jus off the back door patio.
Last night we meet Joe's (our Italian teacher) cousin Marianna who works with someone who knows someone who knows one of Susan's cousins. We meet Marianna outside the Shopping Center in Villa San Giovanni, we all drive to this church and meet an fairly older woman who was married to a Calandruccio (Susan grandfather) and she takes us to the foundation of a post 1907 earthquake building and tells us (translation via Marianna) that this was the first building in Piale that Susan's great grandfather Giuseppe built when he moved from Sicily.
She then takes us to some distant relative of Susan whose grandfather and Susan's grandfather might have been brothers and there are at least another dozen "relatives" sitting around the kitchen table discussing (in Italian so we can't understand) the family crest from Sicily. It was surreal. They make arrangements to meet at the local church the next day to look through church documents where Susan was met by a relative from the Crea family and a relative from the Calandruccio family. Looking at hand written records dating back to 1810 they found the marriage record for Susan’s great grandfather (Guiseppe Calundruccio) to her great grandmother (Angela Leonardis) in 1871. They also found the baptismal record for Susan’s grandfather Vincenzo Calanddruccio dated 12 March 1883. Wow !!!
The evening ended with Joe’s other cousin (Marianna's brother Massimo) meeting us at a local pizzeria with his two 15 year old nephew and niece for dinner. They wanted a "special treat" for Evan and Aaron to share some conversation with some other kids. We plan to stay in Scilla thru the end of the month then go to Sicily were Susan has uncovered a maternal grandfather connection in the town of Caltagirone.
On our last day in Scilla the temperature hit 72 and we spent the entire day on the beach. Not a cloud in the sky and many people were drawn to the sea. With shoes and sock off but the water a bit to chilly to wade, it was a month long wait to finally lay in the sun and warmth of southern Italy. Boys did a little internet school work at the local coffee/gelato shop and Susan did her customary hunt for sea glass. A very late afternoon lunch of leftover spaghetti, some packing preparation for the next day then an evening walk to our favorite pizzeria (Calipso) . The owner Salvatore and his two sons present us souvenir b-ball hats. A good evening in a special little town.
We plan a few weeks in Sicily then 10 days or so in Rome. April and May are booked with art projects in Deruta and Certaldo.
MARCH 2009. TO SICILY AND BEYOND.
So cool you guys are able to do this. Thanks for the postings, and for the picasa photos too.
ReplyDeleteOOOOHHHH..you are sooooo Lucky...what a beautiful journal...I wanna keep reading so keep posting. Love you guys! Miss U!
ReplyDeleteJen Larosa and the boys.