Final Tribute To Italy

From top:
Olive trees... Ragazze play in front of a store in Argegno... The San Pellegrino bottle dressed in a Missoni design... A classic and irresistible Fiat Cinquecento in Bellaggio... A little girl in a waiting room - Sei una principessa?, I asked her (Are you a princess?); she nodded gravely... A statue outside the church in Tremezzo.

Italian Treasures

Years ago, my friend Chloé introduced me to Santa Maria Novella, which has been making perfumes, skin care products and more in Florence since... 1612! I treated myself to their Acqua di Sicilia cologne, a citrus-based enchantment.

I love writing little notes and cards to friends, so I can never resist beautiful stationery. Aren't these delightful?

Italian is my favorite language. I can never get enough of its literature, so while in Italy I raided some book stores. Of course, I highly recommend Lampedusa's Il Gattopardo, one of my favorite novels ever, with its baroque, expressive writing and its poignant insights into a nostalgic heart; if you haven't seen Visconti's adaptation, The Leopard, watch it ASAP, no excuses. And I can't wait to read Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini, by Giorgio Bassano - I remember watching the Vittorio Da Sica's somptuous adaptation years ago. Right now I'm still reading Italo Calvino's super quirky Barone Rampante (The Baron In The Trees).

In Como

Sorry girls, I have no George Clooney sighting to report in Como - the star famously owns a villa in this beautiful and posh little town. I did however see things of great beauty, such as the Duomo, with its extraordinary, ornate facade.
In the tiny little streets, every single building seems to have remarkable ancient features (such as that carved woman's face, below, spotted in a private courtyard) and sheer elegant lines - isn't that wood door fantastic? I also shopped and treated myself to something very, very nice. Visit Aurea again this week to check it out!

Delicious Italy

From top:
A pastry shop and coffee shop in Argegno...
In Como, I have an expresso macchiato while I read the critically-acclaimed best-seller Non Ti Muovere, one of the books I most loathed in my life. The boring, self-centered, boo-hoo-poor-me confession of a man who remembers a sordid sexual affair while his daughter lies in a coma... The New York Times Book Review called it "Beautiful. . . . The splintered, humanizing observations that constantly animate this novel . . . are exhilarating." Beats me.
And at a tiny ristorante in Tremezzo, where only the locals go, some antipasti (pickled onions, baby artichokes and white flagioli) and a tiramisu. I blush to admit this, but growing up I was convinced that the tiramisu was a Japanese dessert - doesn't the name sound Japanese?

Villa Carlotta

One of the things I find fascinating about plants is their Latin names - Citrus Paradisi, isn't that exquisite and tempting? The Villa Carlotta is indeed famous for its botanical gardens. Fragrant with gardenias, dotted with hundreds of camellias, it includes some very exotic specimens and spectacular landscaping.
The Citrus Tunnel for instance, which is literally a tunnel made of orange, lemon and grapefruit trees of all kinds, seemed like something out of Alice In Wonderland.
Inside, the villa, we discovered some moving sculptures. I adore how the hard, cold marble can convey the limpness of a Madonna's hand, the delicate curves of a body. Really, how can marble dance?

Around Tremezzo

The Villa where we're staying, seen from the park and its sumptuous lobby.

In Tremezzo, by the Lago di Como... The village seen from the coast, the stairs leading to the preschool and steps that take you to the water.

On The Road To Italy

We drove through Burgundy...

Through Switzerland...

Italy at last!