Today after class I went to Boboli Gardens behind Pitti Palace. It's a magical place, and I was excited to revisit 'my' statue: Segreto del Cielo, by the Japanese sculptor Kan Yasuda (www.kan-yasuda.co.jp). It's the anti-David, a great, smooth lozenge of beautiful white marble with nary a bump. It's everything I love about life, nothing defined, total possibility. I am happy to see it hasn't been defaced in any way, still unmarked, smooth, cool to the touch.
I went for the first time to the gardens' Grotta del Buontalenti and was amazed. It's not a pretty place, the walls all covered with some sort of stalagtited goop, hardened now, in some spots faces peering through. There are 3 grottos within the gardens and I am curious about what they were for. My first idea is a cool spot and someplace to go to break the monotony of dukedom, perhaps a little privacy for trysts. . .
The blue sky in the lamppost photo is not photoshopped. It really was that clear, deep blue.
After Boboli, I went to Caffé de Artiginale in the tiny Piazza della Passera, a favorite spot from my first year here. It has a really good vibe, and it was here I had my glass of rosso. I've decided to drink one glass per day, in a different place each time. Italians don't seem to be big drinkers; I've usually been the only person drinking at the bar with all the others having coffees, espressos to be exact. Still, all caffés have wine, so someone must be having it, sometime, besides io.
Tonight: homework. That seems strange, sort of wonderful too. The two hours of my lesson fly, and the pieces may be starting to fit together. I generally know what to say in Italian, and how to say it, but I just can't blurt it out when I need to.
I'm re-reading The Day of the Barbarians by Alessandro Barbero. It's a book from the shelf here in the apartment. I read it last year and am enjoying it again. It's the story of, and leading up to, the Battle of Adrianople between Romans and Goths in 378AD, which was in some ways a turning point, amongst many, in the decisive, definitive decline of the Roman Empire. Really good stuff, and I am, unfortunately, seeing some parallels between that time for Rome and for the US now. Fortunately it's a long process, so the ship can always turn. One thing to be on the lookout for: a continual decline in personal freedoms. It signals the state's recognition that it's sensing it's own fragility. Well, I could go on, but I won't. This is a happy place, my blog.
Finally, thanks to my hip and helpful daughter, Ginger for reminding me how to make accents over my e's, as in é. Small steps to perfection. . .