Living with the Doors Open
This morning the final leg of the journey to Capitignano began. I woke up at 7:00 am and enjoyed a long, hot bubble bath in the Four Seasons’ extra large porcelain and granite bathtub…thinking to myself…a lover of long, leisurely, fragrant, and very hot baths…that this might be my last bath for awhile. A day must begin with a nourishing and tasteful breakfast so after getting ready I sauntered downstairs and out to the restaurant patio where I indulged in homemade bread with fresh butter and peach jam, an omelet with fresh mozzarella cheese and grilled vegetables and two cups of delicious coffee. I again felt my soul being nourished by the lush green gardens that had surrounded me the previous evening for dinner. The gardens are adorned with curved and fluid sculpture and beautiful flowers. I could smell honeysuckle and petunia’s so fragrant one thought it surely must be perfume. The chorus of birds was there again. Birds of so many melodies that the whole sky seemed to sing. Swallows dipped and soared all above the tree canopy expressing their love of this beautiful garden. I closed my eyes and inhaled the air’s sweet perfume and listened to the harmony in the sky…and said…let it be well with my soul. Thankful for the opportunity that lay in front of me, around me, and thanking God for his blessings.
A driver took me to the airport. His name was Alessandro. I met the group at the airport and also Mark, the program director and one of the professors, who was there to pick us up. We drove a beautiful, no….breath-taking, scenic drive to Borgo San Lorenzo. The drive was lined with rolling hills, olive trees, vineyards, wildflowers, Tuscan villas with their earthy clay tile roofs, and farms. We even saw a deer! The foliage was so green and lush. Quaint farms….a mostly agrarian society north of Florence in the hills. And, everywhere, beautiful flowers…on porches, in windows boxes…everywhere. We stopped at a grocery store, the Coop, and I bought a hair dryer, a fan, an iron, some crackers, and some flawless and perfect blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and apricots…which I feasted on later in the afternoon. The produce here is so fresh and grown locally and looks almost too perfect to be real. We stopped at a little yogurt shop in Borgo which Mark’s friend owns and I bought a bottled strawberry juice… I really wasn’t sure completely what is was. But…it was literally strawberry juice! It was as if someone had mashed some strawberries, sieved the juice, and bottled it! Divine! (I think the brand name was Yogo.)
We then went to the train station and picked up Sophie. She is a delightful 20-ish year old girl from China. She is a student at BU and has been in Italy for awhile visiting a friend and traveling around. Her father is an art teacher in China. Her personality is infectiously loving and happy! Also with us are Ashley from Maine, Alex from Massachusetts, and Victoria from Texas (St. Edwards University, Austin). A couple more arrive tonight. The girls are all precious, all in their early 20’s, and I can tell I am already everyone’s “mother hen.” But, they are graciously looking out for me-helping me carry a few things as my knee has had a bit of an overload lately.
The drive into Capitignano reminded me of the movie Gladiator when Russell Crowe remembers his house (villa) and farm. The driveway was lined with tall evergreen trees, Cyprus trees I think, and a vineyard. It felt like driving into the Garden of Eden. Where I sit now and write on the patio overlooking the Mugello Valley and Borgo San Lorenzo way down deep in the valley definitely feels like Eden. Birds are singing to me from everywhere and the breeze gently blows. I am surrounded by the prettiest shades of green that can possibly exist.
I walked Capitignano earlier, taking it’s beauty, and taking pictures. There is no way that photos can capture the serenity and beauty here. It’s as if you are living in a painting. They will serve as a reminder, but to fully grasp the beauty one must use all the senses-hear the breeze and the birds, smell the flowers, taste the fresh apricots and pasta, touch the 600 year old walls in the house, and see, really see, the depth of this place. What a PERFECT place for an artist to paint.
Lunch was served al fresco (on the patio) and was a delicious fresh pasta in fresh tomato and pecorino cheese sauce, a mozzarella and tomato salad, and a green salad, fresh apricots, and coffee for dessert.
My walking journey around Capitignano included a visit to the rabbit house (yes we will be eating them), photographing a small army of fowl-ducks, chickens, and turkeys (yes, we will be eating them, too), walking through the olive orchard, and admiring the ages old architecture. We also walked around with Mark who showed us the classroom and the painting studio. After that I settled into my tiny little room-home for the next seven weeks and then found myself wandering out to the patio where I now sit writing. I find myself thinking…how can this be…how is it that I am here…those questions have long, complicated answers…but I hear a voice….the voice says, “Let it be.” So here I shall be…for many weeks…a place that leaves the doors purposefully open on all the houses and buildings…as if to say…come in…you are welcome. Francis Mayes said in Under the Tuscan Sun, “ Five tender apricots in a blue bowl, a brief and exact promise of things to come.” I did that today too. I found a blue and white bowl in our 600 year old farmhouse that is home for the next few weeks, I took it outside, and photographed it with fresh apricots (which are everywhere) sitting in it. And…I said to myself…I’m not sure what this journey will look like exactly…but let it be. I know I will be a different person, artist, and teacher when it is finished. I know my own art making will grow in ways I can’t even begin to foresee and I know my students will benefit from this experience in exponential ways. Let it be…..and let it be in a place where the doors are wide open.
