Presenting....

Fantastico Nicky and Eleonora

Better known in our household as Nick and Nora.

And here we have Nick (right), Nora (left) and some balding guy with glassy eyes in the middle.

For registration purposes the dogs had to have names that began with F or E - don't ask just put it down to Italian bureaucracy - so that's how the breeders registered them. And because at the moment I have my hands full I'll just post a few pictures and leave it at that for the day.

Nick decided that the cow squeaky toy - courtesy of Linda and Nazareno - was his ... for the moment.

Nora was satisfied with the squeaky pig until she saw Nick with the cow ... as predicted she is going to be a handful.

At the moment everybody has a toy and peace reigns in the house.

What with a car ride, slippery marble floors, new smells and new people it can wear puppies out - time for a nap.

24 aprile - Santa Fedele da Sigmaringen

Homecomings

This appears to be a week of homecomings around here. After 10 very busy days in Montreal Laurent arrived home last Sunday. I came home from a brief hospital stay earlier today and today is also homecoming day for Nick and Nora, the latest additions to our household.

We've been using Raising Spot, a great little site, to refresh our memories on how to handle a new puppy - or as in this case two new puppies. Its been a long time since we've heard the patter of tiny paws on the carpets - correction they've all been lifted, make that the marble, which Aileen has been told not to wax. From the looks of it we may be in for a few sleepless nights until things settle down. I've made one promise to Laurent - no food from the table and I mean to keep it.

Hopefully I'll have a few pictures to post later today so everyone can get to know Nick and Nora.

24 aprile - San Fedele da Sigmaringen

Parlo del Piu e del Meno

A few random things and a handful more Barcelona photos - I've got 427 of them. I do get fixated on the oddest things at times, this time it was street lamps.
The broad pedestrian mall leading up to the Arc di Triomfe - another hold over from the 1888 World Exposition - is lined with fanciful lamp posts. They appear to be an attempt, perhaps not with total success, to wed Beaux Arts with the emerging Art Nouveau style.

• Its been a hard winter here in Roma and spring has been a long time coming. It seems that it started raining sometime back in October and not a day went by without rain of some sort until this past week. Perhaps it was just a shower but often as not there were wild, almost tropical, thunder storms with pelting rain, high winds and wonderful displays of electric lightening. And thought the temperature rarely dips below zero the buildings hold that damp cold that marble and terra cotta seem to attract. At one point we witnessed the Tiber rising 50 feet overnight and almost breaching its banks here in the city. But we are not the only ones who got the stuffing knocked out of us - Venice had the worst Aqua Alta in 30 years, Palermo in Sicily had snow and not just a light dusting - it stayed, Calabria was battered by storms that cause mud slides, cargo boats were ripped from moors in Genova and the north had record snow falls that were great for skiing but hell for driving.
  
  And as I mentioned spring has not been in any hurry to show up - after having stored the winter blankets away two weeks ago I found myself hustling them out Easter weekend. And this past week we have been using a space heater to warm the bedroom area as heat is turned off in most buildings come April 15. One sad effect of the deluges and late spring is that the wisteria that climbs so many buildings is not as lush as it was last year. But today it seems like spring is finally here - please god I'm not tempting fate by saying it.

In the old historical centre of Barcelona you can almost tell the district you're in by the street lamps. Often striking examples of the iron monger's art they are just another feature in a city rich in architectural detail.

• Strange item in today's il Giornale with the leader: Stop the anarchy of take-away! It appears that the governing Legge Nord Party in Lombardy is closing down kabob and donair restaurants in the region. Before anyone could jump to conclusions they issued a statement saying: It isn't racism, its a matter of public health. Racism - the Legge, my goodness who would ever make that assumption. And just to make sure they say they're going to do the same to take-out pizza places and gelato stands. Meanwhile editorials and letters to the editor are mocking the move, comedians are having a field day and a several eat-ins have been planned with the cry: Kabobs for Free! Kabobs for All! You would think that with a country in crisis there would be more important things for politicians to busy themselves with than Kabobs but apparently not.
  

As well as the glorious buildings of Gaudi, smart shops and trendy restaurants Passeig de Gracia is lined with these fanciful lamp posts. Again perhaps not with total success the Industrial Age meets Art Nouveau.

• It was a little unsettling last year when Mr Berlusconi said that the army would replace the Caribinari standing guard over Embassies and Ambassadors' residences. His expressed reasoning was that the Cabribinari could then go about their real business of catching bad guys and Mafia chiefs. The army boys - and anyone under 21 I consider a boy - are dressed in camouflage and carry machine guns. As our friend Robert said when this first came about: getting the public use to seeing the army in the streets is a tactic not unknown in Italy in the last century. Most of the young lads at the Residence near us will nod in greeting as they get to know that you live in the neighborhood, in fact I was surprised that one actually cracked a joke with me last Saturday night. I was coming home around 9 pm with a bouquet of tulips for Laurent's arrival and a big, burly, young private gave me a big smile and said: For me, you shouldn't have! We all had a good laugh.
  
  But one thing I've noticed when it rains - even just a sprinkle - the boys run for cover in the jeep parked nearby. Do their uniforms run if they get wet? Would that matter with camis? Has the government not issued them rain wear? And who's protecting the Ambassador while they're snug and warm?
  

23 aprile - Santa Renata di Lorena

Mercoledi Musicale

The past 18 months in Roma have given me the opportunity to hear and see artists that I knew from broadcasts and CDs but had never experienced live: Antonio Pappano, Danielle Dessi, the Labreque girls, Andreas Scholl, Georges Prêtre, Lorin Maazel, Cecilia Bartoli and the list goes on. Coming up in the next little while will be Marianne Faithful (yes that Marianne Faithful), Lang Lang (with Ceci,)more Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, Philippe Jaroussky, Fabio Biondi, Juan Deigo Florez, Kate Alderich and again the list goes on. It has been a rich musical time here.

One singer that I would love to hear is Thomas Quasthoff but his current schedule shows him more active in North America than here in Europe. My dear friend OC had the chance to see him in Milan in February doing Schubert's Winterreisse with Barenboim at the piano and as always made me envious because she was there and I wasn't.

Quasthoff is known not just for his glorious voice but for his gift of communication with his audience. Whither he is doing lieder, opera or crossover (he is an accomplished jazz singer) he seems to get to the heart of the material and bring out depths previously unheard. Here he is doing an old standard but making it sound as new as it must have sounded to the audience that first heard it back on November 15, 1927 at the National Theater in Washington, D.C.



Given the immaculate diction its had to believe that his mother tongue is German.

22 aprile - San Virginio

Sharing

Its been over a month since I posted links to favorite blog items I've read. And its not because I haven't seen great stuff, just mostly because I've been lazy. So here's a few items that I found were worth the read - amongst so many - as well as a series of pictures from one of our stops in Barcelona.

Poble Espanyol is unmistakably aimed at tourists - and being tourists we took the bait one afternoon. Aside from the worst - and it wasn't really that bad, it just couldn't compare with the others - and most expensive meal of the trip it really is a delightful place to visit. Built for the 1929 Exhibition it features the architecture of each region of Spain - Castilian leads to Andalucian which lead to Aragonian etc. Its sort of architectural Spain in the nutshell.

The Bajada de Cervantes is a passage of wide steps lined with buildings in the Basque style on one side, Navarrese on the other. But what fascinated me were the bronze tethering posts that worked their way down the street. Obviously of recent design, they reflect the arts and crafts on display in the village.

• Its not unusual to be asked for a "word verification" these days when posting comments to blogs - it can help weed out the spammers fairly effectively. But you would think that if its called "word verification" than they would be actually words but often they are just random conglomerates of letters. Frequently if taken out of context they can sound faintly obscene. Buddy Sling was feeling in a Lewis Carroll mood recently and composed this for our enjoyment.

The BookbinderThe Glass BlowerLaurent says this isn't a courtesan but ... hey I still think its an art.

• As well as taking us on a Sunday drive - the first I'd been on with him in a month or more, Jeff decided to render a public service by posting this timely video on Facebook Relationships.

The BlacksmithThe PotterThe Woodworker

• I've always considered her my Blog Mama, Big Ass Belle has a way with words that can tickle your funny bone one minute and tear at your heart the next. She's been involved in a writing seminar and has been sharing some of her work with us. I won't single out any one piece but just suggest that you click over to Big Ass Belle and scroll through. I guarantee it will be worth it.

The SpinsterThe MusicianThe Rope Maker

• And speaking of Lewis Carroll, Lotusgreen has a delightful take on one of my favorite passages from Through The Looking Glass - I've always loved the Walrus and the Carpenter and tea is one of my favorite beverages.

The Basket WeaverThe Sculptor

• Tennessee William's The Glass Menagerie is one of my favorite plays - back when I was a teenager I saw it three Saturday matinees in a row with the under-rated Canadian actress Barbara Hamilton as a funny, frightening and touching Amanda. I was reminded of it when I saw Lotusgreen's lovely mixture of William's words and the glass makers' art.

21 aprile - Sant'Anselmo d'Aosta

Happy 2762 Birthday

According to the first-century BC historian Marcus Terentius Varro 2762 years ago today ( April 21, 753 BC) Romulus gave up She-Wolf milk and set up shop on the Palatine Hill. And it would appear that recent archaeological evidence backs up this story - or at least the part about the earliest settlement in what was to become Roma.

The City of Roma has arranged a full calender of events for the celebration - concerts of all kinds, walks, talks, open air theatre and just general celebration. And because this week is also La Settimana della Cultura(The Week of Culture) most museums - not just in Roma but throughout Italy - are free. All and all not a bad week to be here in Roma.

Happy Birthday Roma, for 2762 you still got a lot of life in you.

21 aprile - il Natale di Roma

Lunedi Lunacy

Wilson, Keppel & Betty were a popular act in British Music Halls between the two great wars and often featured in Wartime Cabaret. Their best known number was "The Sand Dance." Minus Betty the boys had a lark guying the Egyptomania brought on by the discovery of Tut's tomb.




20 aprile - Santa Sara di Antiochia

For My Orthodox Friends

Wishing my friends in Serbia and Greece and all my Orthodox friends a Happy Easter.

Христос Bоскресе - Χριστός ανέστη

19 aprile - Pascha

I Rant! I Rave!

I don't normally rant on here - I save that sort of thing for the home front. However, and you knew with an opening sentence like that there was a however coming, comments on a news story on the CBC website yesterday had me incensed to the point of ranting and almost raving. And I figured I should get it out of my system before Laurent gets home.

A look at the IRIS website shows that there have been numerous earthquakes around the world in the past two weeks. Many have been minor or in regions where damage has been minimal but several have caused loss of human life and habitation. Here in Italy there have been tremors the past 14 days in the L'Aquila region just north of us - the last one on Monday evening a full week after the first. As most of you have seen that the devastation has been incredible.

The CBC was reporting on a series of quakes (5.5 and 5.1) in a rural area of Afghanistan about 80 kilometers east of Kabul. Though the figures were nowhere close to those in Italy two villages where badly hit with 22 dead and about 200 homes (mostly made of dried mud) destroyed. And because the area is isolated and mountainous aid workers were having some difficulty in getting to the region.

What absolutely stunned me were the numerous vile comments made by readers. A number of people - Canadians mostly - were making statements that showed a level of ignorance and lack of compassion that astounded me. People in my country - my country that I have always been proud of for its caring and understanding of the world - were saying things that make me ashamed of being a Canadian.

It's God's punishment for their treatment of women," countered by "They don't believe in God, they believe in Allah." or ""Hehehehe!!!! Good ole earth quakes eh!!! The country and the people are straight out of the stone age." or "Canada send no aid it is allah's will." and "Hope there are more earthquakes to come but its a good start. Mother nature has its way of dealing with the weak." And one bright soul remarked on the stupidity of constructing houses of dried mud in an earthquake zone.

I am wondering how many people left this sort of comment when the earthquakes hit us here Italy? Not many from what I recall, most of the comments were of support and concern. But surely if an earthquake is God's punishment on one people it is his punish to all people. Or because we are a Catholic Christian country was it not a punishment but a terrible misfortune?

Yes, much about the treatment of women is not right in Afghanistan but I find it strange that the God these commentors invoke takes his anger out on two small villages in the mountains. Surely that vengeful anger (very Old Testement almost stone age) should be directed somewhat higher up the chain? And to the person who wrote "They don't believe in God only in Allah," Allah is the word for God in Arabic, as in Italian they use Dio, in French Dieu or in Russian Бог . In fact if you did a bit of research you would find that an Arab-speaking Christian and Jew would use Allah when referring to God. And in Malta God is referred to, in a Christian context, as Alla. Oh and by the way the Allah that is prayed to derives from the same God that Christians and Jews worship.

As for the use of dried mud to build houses - if you want to get picky bricks are nothing but dried mud. And as surprising as it may seem there are places in the world where they don't have a ready supply of wood or reinforced concrete to use in building. And even those materials, as witness the modern buildings lying in heaps of rubble in the Abruzzo, don't guarantee that a structure can withstand the force of an earthquake. And as for not building in an earthquake zone, tell that to people living in California or Ottawa for that matter.

And having just experienced an earthquake and 8 after shocks I can only say to those who wish it on others, I sincerely hope you never find yourself wakened from your sleep to find the world around you heaving and rolling. It is a very frightening experience. Or even worse, as the people of L'Aquila and Afghanistan have done, I pray to God/Allah/Бог that you never have to watch as a relative or loved one's smashed body is removed from a collapsed building which was once your home.

And I am left wondering what punishment God/Alla/Dio has for those who lack compassion or understanding?

19 aprile - Sant'Ermogene

A Different Time - A Different View

Though it had been a major port throughout history there was a time when Barcelona turned its back on its waterfront. The best addresses where up in the hills away from ships, shipping and the riff-raff smelling of fish and salt. The Olympics changed much of that and the area is now very upscale. The Marina is bustling with parks, malls, multi-plex cinemas, restaurants and a not-bad Aquarium. Its a pleasant (if crowded) place to spend a Sunday.

At one other point in its history Barcelona celebrated its maritime heritage. For the World Exposition of 1888 the glories of sea going if not the sea itself were trumpeted. To commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus in Barcelona, the year after he discovered the New World, a monument was built on the the waterfront. It stands in the middle of Plaça de la Porta de Paul at the end of Las Ramblas and is topped by a 7m tall figure of the explorer. He points out to sea but rather oddly to his hometown of Genova, the opposite direction to the "new" world he had "discovered" for their Catholic Majesties.

The monument, created by Catalan artist Gaietà Buigas i Monravà, reflects the sensibilities of its time. In the 1880s, and indeed up until recently, Columbus was viewed as a heroic discoverer and the men with him - clerical and military - had done great things in conquering this savage land.

Captain Pedro Bertran i de Margarit, next to a kneeling awe-struck aboriginal.

Father Bernat de Boïl, preaching to a kneeling Native who kisses his stole in gratitude.

A new look at history over the past two decades have revealed a less romantic view of his conquests, the efforts of those with him and the monarchs who sponsored him. Nowadays the figures on the monument engender a certain cynical irony rather than admiration. A different time - a different view.

16 aprile - Santa Bernadetta Soubirous

Does Anyone Still Wear a Hat?

"And are the ladies looking for hats for any special occasion," simpered the very eager and very British young salesclerk. Sales on the High Street are very slow and the sight of Peg, Anna and Gillian with Jim and I in tow had her hopes up for big sales.

"Well actually its for a funeral" I replied trying not to burst into laughter as Gillian modeled a flippy feathery number.

Poor girl - she was totally nonplussed but then she didn't know Deb. She couldn't imagine the half-smile and those eyes crinkling that we all could see as hats were tried on and comments made. She couldn't understand that what we were doing reached back to salacious lunch hour conversations, raucous restaurant banter, deep late night talks about everything that touched our lives or quiet chats on a London bound train where prognosis were revealed and talked about. But hopefully she could see the incredible love and heartbreak that was in our laughter. Deb wanted the ladies to wear hats at her funeral and damn it our ladies were going to wear hats. And if those hats were a bit flippy, a bit feathery, so much the better.
Peg thought something in a broad brim with a slightly My Fair Lady Ascot flair would work but finally settled on a smart little feathered pill box reminiscent of a 50s night club cigarette girl.
Gillian modeled several smart numbers gallantly proffered by Jim and I wanted her to get the feathery one that made her look like she was appearing in Swan Lake at the Theatre Royal. But she decided an old faithful that she had brought with her from Montreal would be just fine.
Anna tried on something broad brimmed and then a puffy gray pill box - for some reason puffy little hats on headbands are all the rage in England these days. She left the store sporting a straw saucer with a whiff of black feathers.
Slightly saucy, maybe even a bit silly our Deb would have loved them. And knowing she had taken us shopping one more time would have pleased her no end.

15 aprile - San Telmo

Mercoledi Musicale

Anne Bancroft - Chantootsie (as Walter Winchell use to say) Who would have thunk? And little known fact: she was offered the lead in Funny Girl on Broadway before it fell to some relative newcomer.

15 aprile - San Telmo

"Quote ... Unquote"

While in Windsor last week my friend Peg and I stopped by at Waterstone's on the High Street. Most of the stores were having sales and they were not exception: a fine selection of books: "3 for 2 - Offer applies to stickered items only." Peg was able to find two books of a series she had been reading that were unavailable in Canada and generously offered me the third. I wandered through the stacks and finally settled on a slim 120 page novella by Alan Bennett.

I've adored Bennett since I first saw him in Beyond the Fringe as the "My Brother Esau is an hairy man" vicar. And as a playwright and author he is - IMHO - one of the living greats. His Talking Heads series of monologues, The Madness of George III*, History Boys, 40 Years On et al have delighted with a wry sense of humour, the pure joy of language and the penetrating insight of a society gloriously (and often ingloriously) in decline.

"The Uncommon Reader" tells the apocryphal tale of Her Majesty's sudden passion for reading; a passion that turns both her world and the world around her upside down. As much as it is a wonderfully entertaining comic read, it is also Bennett's manifesto on the power of reading to change lives.

The appeal of reading, she thought, lay in its indifference: there was something lofty about literature. Books did not care who was reading them or whether one read them or not. All readers were equal, herself included. Literature, she thought, is a commonwealth; letters a republic. Actually,she had heard this phrase, the republic of letters, used before, at graduation ceremonies, honorary degrees and the like, though without knowing quite what it meant. At that time talk of a republic of any sort she had thought mildly insulting and in her actual presence tactless to say the least. It was only now she understood what it meant. Books did not defer. All readers were equal, and this took her back to the beginning of her life. As a girl, one of her greatest thrills had been on VE night, when she and her sister had slipped out of the gates and mingled unrecognized with the crowds. There was something of that, she felt, to reading. It was anonymous; it was shared; it was common. And she, who had led a life apart, now found that she craved it. Here in these pages and between these covers she could go unrecognized.

The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett
Profile Books - Faber and Faber

Its Bennett at his finest - funny and wise - and being Bennett the very last sentence is a glorious punch line.

*I am reminded that a Hollywood bigwig insisted that the title of the movie version remove the "III" as he felt people might not come to see it if they hadn't seen George I or George II.

14 aprile - Santa Liduina

Lunedi Lunacy

Jay Ward and Bill Scott were bloody geniuses! Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dudley Doright, George of the Jungle, Mr Peabody and of course: Super Chicken!



"You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred!"

13 aprile - San Martino Papa

Buona Pasqua

When we gather at Simonetta and Renato's this afternoon for Easter pranzo the table decorations will include a traditional marzipan lamb from Sicilia - much like the one in the header above. Laurent won't be with us to celebrate - he's in Montreal helping with family things this week - but the Easter Bunny did find him a bit earlier this week and left this:Yes - somewhere in amongst all that orange wrapping and ribbon is a large chocolate Easter egg.

All part of Easter traditions here - and another tradition that will be observed is to raise our glasses to friends and loved ones absent. Here's to you!

Buona Pasqua! Joyeuses Pâques! Happy Easter!

12 aprile - La Risurrezione

A National Day of Mourning

This has been a difficult day here in Italy; the images of the physical destruction that has hit the Abruzzo this past week - and continues to - were replaced by images of the human lose. As the country observed a National Day of Mourning a funeral mass was held in L'Aquila for 200 of the victims. Traditionally today would be the one day of the Catholic Christian year when mass is not celebrated but a special dispensation was given by the Vatican. As well as a Cardinal celebrating the mass, an Imam paid tribute to the Muslim victims of the earthquake. In the rest of Italy flags flew at half-mast, many shops and stores were closed and events - sporting and cultural - were canceled.

A right click on the above photo will take you to a photo essay from Speigel Online.

And in the shadow of the events and after shocks - another last evening that we felt here in Roma - the festivities of Easter have taken on a sombre tone. Though families and friends will still gather for the traditional Easter lunches a good deal of joy has been taken out of the celebration.

In an note my dear friend Walter wrote: Fortunately, I was in Rome; so, I only had a taste. Of a dish I didn't order. That nobody had ordered.

Should you wish to donate to a relief fund here are a few links that may prove useful:

In Canada: the Canadian Red Cross

In the US: National Italian American Foundation

In Italy: Croce Rossa Italiana

10 aprile - Venerdi Santo

At the Cross ......

One of the most beautiful of all the texts of Holy Week is the 13th century sequence Stabat Mater, a meditation on the passion as seen through the eyes of Mary. Written by an unknown monk it has been set to music as diverse as Ambrosian chant to Black Metal.

To my mind the most moving of the baroque settings is by Giovanni Pergolesi. This performance of the first of the 20 verses that make up the poem is led by Claudio Abbaddo. It may not be one of the most idiomatic but the blending of soprano Katia Ricciarelli and contralto Lucia Valentini Terrani is almost ideal.

Stabat Mater dolorosa iuxta crucem lacrimosa, dum pendebat Filius.

The grieving Mother stood beside the cross weeping where her Son was hanging.

10 aprile - Venerdi Santo

For Deb

By the time this has been posted I will, hopefully, be on my way to London. I say hopefully because I am flying standby as a retired Airline employee which could mean sitting at Fulmincino all day waiting to get on a flight. But this is a trip I have to make.

I wish I could say it was like my last trip over - that I was going to see my darling Deb, take her for lunch to the Ritz and then to see a play. That I was going to have lunch with her and James at some fun place and then shopping for an extravagant dinner of Fortnum and Mason take-out. But sadly my reason for going to London is to say goodbye. Deb fought against cancer for 11 years and never have I seen such a fight. Finally tired of the battle and knowing she had given it her best she died at the end of March with James beside her.

Tomorrow we will gathering to say goodbye and being our Deb we have specific instructions: no one is to wear black, dress as if for a garden party ( for ladies that means hats) and play music - not just church music but music that will remind us of her.

As luck would have it - god I believe in serendipity - my friend Kev posted this video on Facebook. Deb and I use to joke about The Sound of Music and how twee Julie Andrews was but not so long ago she went to a sing-along showing and I remember her enjoying it.

Here is the ultimate Sound of Music Sing-Along from Antwerp Central Railway Station:


Thanks Kev, Deb would have loved this. I wish with all my heart she could sing-along.

07 aprile - San Jean-Baptiste de La Salle

Mille Grazie

Many thanks to all our friends and family who have sent concerned messages and e-mails asking about our welfare. I'm happy to say that though we felt the earthquake and a few of the after-shocks we are well and nothing has been damaged that we are aware of. I only wish we could say the same about the area 95 km north of us. The devastation there has been immense. Again I ask for your prayers and thoughts for the people in that area and thank you all a million times for your concern and love. Baci e abbracci Will and Laurent

Disturbed Sleep.

The building was making that groaning noise a building makes when its under stress. The bed was shaking, a cupboard door swung open and the inside light came on. The pipes were knocking together and the crystals on the chandelier in the living room making that tinkling sound that at 3:30 in the morning looses all sweetness and becomes just ominous. It was an earthquake. It went on for over a minute but seem longer; the repeat 45 minutes later was less intense and shorter. Maybe an hour later there was one more prolonged shudder.

We've experienced earthquakes before so we knew what was happening. In Mexico City they were, on a small scale, an almost daily occurrence; in Ottawa (yes Ottawa sits on a fault line, who would have thought?) there are maybe one or two a year; and a few Christmases past in Hong Kong we had three resounding tremors inside of a half hour.

This morning was upsetting and it was hard to get back to sleep but for us that is really all that was disturbed: our sleep. For many others in the region around L'Aquila this morning more than their sleep has been disturbed - their homes have been destroyed or worse their loved ones lay in morgues or beneath rubble. We had never made it up to L'Aquila - it was one of those charming medieval hillside towns that dot Umbria. It had a cathedral that Michelin assured us was "worth the detour" and several restaurants that friends recommended. It was on the list of places to visit in the next few years. For us a weekend destination has been devastated but for the people of the region it is their lives that have suffered devastation. Fortunately aid is coming in from around the world and Italians are proving once again that they come through in a crisis.

Should you, at some point today, be saying a few words to who ever you pray to, or just be remembering people in your thoughts I ask that you include the people of L'Aquila and those who are moving in to help them in those prayers and thoughts.

06 aprile - Beata Michele Rua

Lunedi Lunacy

Apparantly Ikea is considering a bid to take over General Motors:
Its in Aisle 6R - shelf 22.

And all you need is this:


Thanks to Robert for an early morning laugh.

06 aprile - Santa Prudence

Pope Pourri

I've never made it a secret that I'm not the biggest fan of the current sporter of the Shoes of the Fisherman. His recent statements on condoms and AIDS and the current legislation on living wills being pushed through the Italian Parliament with his backing have done nothing to change my mind. Sorry I just don't trust those beady little eyes.

I found this little toy for the young un's on my friend YellowDog Granny's blog yesterday morning.
Damn even a paper doll of Big Ben gives me the creeps.

05 aprile - Domenica delle Palme

Hey Fadder Willym ...

Like many of my friends on Facebook I've become a bit addicted to some of the quizzes. You know the sort of thing, you agree to it and give a programme "access to your Profile information, photos, your friends' info and other content that it requires to work." Hmmmm ... Then you answer five or six badly worded and incredibly badly-spelled questions and it tells you which Mass Murderer you most closely resemble.

So far I've been matched up with Maria Callas, Thomas Locke, Marilyn Monroe, Pocahontas and Margaret Thatcher - now there's a dinner party I wouldn't want to host. Oh and with Viola from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. There definitely does seem to be a sort of cross-dressing/drag theme going on there. I've also been given a stripper name of Misty GlitterSpank - which only goes to prove that who ever made up that particular quiz had never been in show business or probably seen a stripper. For heaven's sake they're like drag queens, the name has to be short and snappy; it should have simply been Misty Glitter!

This morning as I was waiting for my Saturday coffee to do its thing, i.e. appear before me magically as a voice says: here's your coffee dear, I tried another one: Which Roman Catholic Religious Order are you called to (men's version)? with the following result:

MAYBE YOU SHOULD CONSIDER SECULAR (DIOCESAN) PRIESTHOOD.
You would be best suited to life as a Diocesan Priest. Obedience in your case will mean to the Bishop and you will likely spend most of your life working in a "one priest shop". No need to worry about a vow of poverty, but there is a good chance you will live a life of poverty. As one of the Church's "general practitioners" you will need to sharpen your entire pastoral skill set for the good of the people of God.

Damn I wanted to be at least a Bishop, a member of the Curia or even better a Jesuit but a Diocesan priest!!!!!! And at this stage of life I'd be more Barry Fitzgerald than Bing Crosby.

Stupid quizzes!

But there was that one that said:

Willym took the How good are you in bed? quiz and the result is Incredible Lover.
You are in the top 5% of all lovers, you are not likely to bet let leave without your lover wanting another run.

Except for that really confusing last sentence that quiz was pretty accurate!

04 aprile - Sant'Isidoro di Siviglia

A Taste for la Pasqua

La Pasqua (Easter) is next week and as well as the observations across the river - I'm told Big Ben and boys have a real bang up series of events planned - Italian families will be celebrating the holiday gathering for traditional meals. Every region has its particular foods or dishes associated with Easter though most include lamb as a main course. Last year, at my friends Simonetta and Renato's we began with broad beans, pecorino cheese and sausage. I don't recall if this was a Roman tradition or just a household one, but I do know it was a traditional start to the Easter meal.

Renato is cutting the sausage to accompany the pecorino and broad beans. Simon, Simonetta, Alberto Testa (a renowned Italian dancer, choreographer and critic) and Renato enjoy the beginning of the meal.

Natale con i tuoi, la Pasqua con chi vuoi -- "Christmas at home and Easter with whomever you wish" is an old Italian saying but most people still try to spend Easter weekend with families. However given distances and time it is not always possible. Take for example my friend Marco - you may recall he's the Napoletano who was teaching us to swear a while back. His family is not able to be together this Easter so he's heading down to Napoli this weekend. And even though he may not be getting to enjoy a traditional Napoletano Easter meal, he is going to be keeping up at least one local tradition: La Pastiera. Though many families leave the making of this Easter pastry to their local pasticceria, he tells me that his mother has always made her own and for many years its been a tradition for him to work along side her.

When I asked about her recipe he shrugged and said: About the recipe, I think every Napoletano has his own. A check on the Internet revealed the truth in his statement. The variations in preparation time and measurements are many but the basics remain the same: wheat kernels, candied citron, candied orange peel, orange flower water, and fresh ricotta.

There are several versions of how the recipe began. First there is the old legend of the mermaid Partenope and her use of the gifts given to her by the people of the Gulf. There is another story that says, like many things Napoletano, the sweet was born out of a time of want and hunger. The city had been gripped in a long famine and just before Easter a grain ship arrived. People were so hungry that rather than grind the wheat for bread they threw it directly into boiling water. Still another story suggests a nun in one of the many convents in Napoli was making a dolci for Easter and wanted to capture the scent of the orange blossoms in the cloister - thus orange flower water became a main ingredient.

Whichever story you choose to believe I have been told that it is possible to taste spring in every bite. And my friend Jolka tells me you can only get authentic Napoletano Pasteria one place in Roma. However Marco scoffs at that thought - he assures me that it isn't Pasteria if it isn't made in the shadow of Vesuvius and then is really only authentic if it comes from his mother's kitchen!

Maybe I should just ask him to save a piece and bring it back for me? I just wonder what the chances are of there being any left at the end of Sunday's dinner.

Here are a few sites that have recipes for "Authentic" Napoletano Pasteria:

http://www.eat-online.net/english/habits/easter/pastiera_napoletana.htm

http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/128/Recipe.cfm

http://www.bakingobsession.com/2008/03/21/neapolitan-ricotta-and-wheat-berry-easter-pie-pastiera-napoletana/

And back in 1990 the New York Sunday Times published a Neapolitan Easter Menu that included a recipe for the traditional desert.

03 aprile - San Luigi Scrosoppi

Aprile's Plate

Since last June I have included a ceramic plate commemorating the month on the sidebar. I found these rather endearing creatures in the breakfast room of Maso Wallenburg the B&B we stayed at on the outskirts of Trento last May. My dear friend Walter was, as always, observant and commented that I didn't have a plate for the month of Aprile posted. He figured that the little man with the short pants who had gone up the ladder in Marzo would come down it this month.

Unfortunately I don't know if he ever did or not. For some reason when I was taking pictures of this series of happy (?) peasants at work and play, I neglected April. It must have been all the mountain air, good food and great wine.So until I continue the series in May I thought I'd make do with this rather fun ceramic plate from a shop in Spoletto. The various combinations of Venus, satyrs, chubby cherubs, flamingos (?) and Leda with that damned Swan certainly suggest spring-like festivities if not activities. Not that I am suggesting that April is the month for a Bacchanal - an amphora of nectar or a goatskin of wine anyone?

02 aprile - San Francesco di Paola

Pesce d’Aprile

Okay the penguin documentary - it was an April Fool's joke perpetrated by that mother of all April foolers - the BEB. Yes once again the stolid old, solid old BBC has pulled our leg - much as they did several years back with the Spaghetti Harvest. Fool us once shame on you, etc etc etc.

But its now after noon here in Italy and over at Italian Notebook, our friend GB has a more serious note on some restoration being attempted at one of the iconic sites in Roma. Its a shame for Holy Week but the sight of scaffolding and tarping has become quite common here - the Vittorio Emanuale monument has been under wraps since we arrived almost two years ago. Hopefully this newest project will bring a sparkle to the skyline.

01 aprile - Sant'Ugo di Grenoble

Mercoledi Musicale

Don't have a musical video this week because I was completely bowled over by this BBC documentary. It really is a revelation.



01 aprile - Pesce d'aprile

Il Ciclo di Mesi - Aprile

The hard work of breaking the still frozen earth and seeding begins - the labours of the peasants continuing throughout the Cycle. Meanwhile the ladies of the court play at gardening while some of their friends stroll in the countryside.

01 aprile - Sant'Ugo di Grenoble