Off again. Once again escaping, once again don't quite want to escape. Nick picked up Corinne and came back for me pretty late, I was left with a bit of time to tie up loose ends, write the relatives in Sicily, send Maria her pictures, put order in to Rio Grande for the investment and stuff. Got home finished packing up quickly. Rechecked email, and finally got a response from the people in England about the artists conference in Luxembourg, would really like to do that, what would bit less than a week of school be in comparison to being able to claim I was exhibited internationally and spending the time hobnobbing with European artist types. That's the main appeal, I don't know any artists, well any professional ones. Would be nice to see they actually exist.
    Ten hours and counting in transit waiting for transfer in Madrid airport Got though about 140 pages of Melmoth the Wanderer on the plane 140 pages of evil monks, boy that dude hated the Catholic church, but I suppose if it didn't dwell lovingly on the evils of Catholicism it wouldn't be a 19th century gothic novel, now would it.
    At 15 hours and counting, now in the train for Formia, it's a red letter day we actually got a seat, I double checked, the car door says second class, asked someone we're on the right train, something bad is going to happen though, it would be the first time I've sat for the train ride to Formia. They've done a lot of renovation in the train station since last year, not that any of it makes it at all easier to navigate you just want to ignore the signs and head for the front of the station as usual but they've improved the distracting illusion that there's something else off to the side. At 200 pages and counting of Melmoth the Wanderer, still about monks, continually rising to new levels of evil, one of the most relentlessly grim books I have ever read. Sits up there with Arthur Manchen's Hill of Dreams, which at least had the virtue that it was railing against the torments of childhood and the petty mindless brutality of normal people to the unlike, things which I, and presumably Manchen experienced. I am significantly less sympathetic to a lecture on monasticism from some WASP minister who'd probably never seen a monk in his life. I find his habit of citing references for all the incidents he's plagiarized in footnotes irritating as well.
    Total door to door time 17 hours, Teaneck to Itri. Got bus tickets in Formia but would have to 1.5 hr for bus so took cab. Got there ok, noticed the fig tree near the house had died, Sat around dozed slightly, didn't sleep at all so have been up for 30 odd hours. Walked into town said high to Zia Cicina. They did a lot of construction on the new road behind them. Went by the new supermarket, sort of weird setup for produce you weigh it yourself on this machine on which you press the corresponding number for the produce and it prints out a bar code label with the price.
    So in the morning went over to the mercato, wandered a bit, saw the sights such as they were, usual odd collection of little old ladies and frighteningly thin women with little clothing. Noted that some beauty institute in a nearby town has plastered the entire town with giant advertising posters featuring a full length completely naked woman staring at you with just the relevant text box across her middle. Also noticed that there is now a guardrail around the top of the castle wall though there isn't much else noticeable progress. Did a bit of sketching, worked on a couple so so floral watercolors. In the afternoon went with Gigino to the Santuario, to say hello to zio amaleda, sat and talked a bit, he was talking about when he first went to Brazil as a missionary he didn't eat for two days and slept in a barn. Also talking about odd happening, there was an American staying at campo di miele on vacation who came to morning mass every day, the 5 miles or whatever it is on foot. Along with his 14 children, who would file in perfect silent order and sit in the first two rows after filling the first, starting on the next in perfect file. They repeated all the prayers in English as they were said in Italian, and filed up for communion again in perfect order, then as soon as out of church become the bunch of lunatics you'd expect of 14 children. The last day they were there he said thanks for all this company that we cant talk to. An American soldier from Gaeta offered to translate, so they talked a bit and he introduced all his kids, the oldest 'patience' the second some word meaning spirit of God, each as he said with a stranger name than the next. There was one that didn't get introduced and he asked if she was a daughter and was told no that's my wife. Looked younger than some of the children. He was asking her how she dealt with 14 children and she said he didn't understand these things being a monk, that it was easier to deal with a lot of children than just a few. He found the whole thing quite extraordinary which I suppose it is. So headed back stopped by zia Cicina's and then headed home 6/8/01
    Morning spent in trying to do some more watercolors with little positive result. Antonio e Nina stopped by. We went out to do shopping and stopped by zia Lecia who according to grandma was unusually talkative. She was insisting that a picture of her, Cinzia and zio Amaleda was her mother and them. Went through a couple pictures saying that, and grandma was arguing with her, I think she was kidding she said it couldn't be her, she wasn't that old, with an odd smile, she is 90, but Grandma thinks she's just loony. headed home. 6/9/01
    Feast of the most blessed trinity, or something to that effect, had a big orange tent sort of deal with a triangle emblazoned on it over the figure of Jesus in church. Did a bit of painting, an oleander of which I rather screwed up the flowers, wound up way too dark. Then started on preraphaelitesque -is that a word? mass of blackberry foliage which I have gotten completely lost in, without being able to impose some kind of logical framework over the picture, I literally cant see what I'm painting, its sort of strange, I guess if you lay out the major forms, or everything, first you have a bit more to go on, Still think they must have had better eye's and more patience than I do, Don't think I could have mustered the concentration to do even what I did, covering about 3 square inches in an afternoon anyplace but on vacation in Italy. Roseanna visited in the afternoon, left an octopus pie, as much as I hate seafood and avoid meat in general it's actually pretty good. So lazed etc, mom and dad called, they'd discovered the the amps in the back of nick's car and wanted an explanation. Was decided we'll go off for Rome tomorrow and spend 3 days or so. Rita is driving us to the station first thing in the morning. Tried to call hotel mom and dad recommended but recording insists that "il numero non e esistente". Called Beatrice, Nick got flustered trying to talk to her dad and put me on, she was out and called back, wanted all four of us to stay with them but between the whole not imposing thing and extra complication just said no. So we're seeing her, or her whole family not sure, tomorrow night. Also called Ricardo, nicks lab partner who's in Rome (the one who before we left had sent nick an email saying 'ciao bello, ti aspetto' ) He seemed enthusiastic as nick put it, also wanted to attempt to put us all up for the night, again said no but he may do something with us tomorrow, calling him as soon as we get the hotel stuff settled. And still haven't called Cinzia, Oh the social obligations. 6/10/01
    Rome, no place like it to see beautiful women, frighteningly thin with frighteningly tight pants, just plain frightening bums or for getting a lungfull of diesel exhaust. I however have tried to confine myself to admiring noses, no place like Rome for noses either, and at least with noses you can preserve some small pretense of admiring them on purely formal grounds. Have been doing more of all the above than touristing because of the chaos of friends and family that doing anything in Italy seems to involve. Rita picked us up, she actually was deciding whether to play hooky herself and go to Rome with us instead of school, there apparently isn't much to do during the end of the year. She didn't seem to actually make her final decision till in front of the train station, but she decided to come along in the end. She met a former student on the platform and another in the train. We talked a bit, Rita tried a bit of her English out on Corrine to the amusement of the African couple sitting next to us. As they left in Termini the guy asked me in English if we played music, the interesting conclusion he reached from three guys with long hair and beards speaking bad Italian, was that we were in a band. Got hotel, standard tourist dive ~$75 per night for four, private bath though missing toilet seat. Rita bought us a coffee and coronetto our plans to go to the Vatican got changed to wandering aimlessly along via nazionale. Trying to call Ricardo on Rita's cell. Finally got through arranged to meet near the fountain at the head of via nazionale. Stood around, he showed up eventually in a car, was decided we'd all pile in and drive to villa borghese. So we wandered the park a little, was on the verge of raining constantly. We knew Ricardo's girlfriend was from Itri, as it turns out Rita knew her father pretty well and Cicina went to school with her grandfather, cue chorus of it's a small world. I'm still waiting to meet someone I know. So we walked around the garden a bit the villa itself I think was closed, Saw an interesting little bird looked kind of like a sparrow but where a sparrow would be light brown was a sort of lemony yellow, closest thing in the Italian wildlife book is a melodious warbler, whatever that is. Ricardo and Rita spent most of the time talking to each other, Ricardo had to go and move the car and wanted to exchange numbers with Rita, they tried to call each other to store eachothers numbers which was made difficult by the fact that neither could remember their own number. Walked down Spanish steps, saw piazza d'spagna, walked along the shopping street, Trevi fountain wandered, Ricardo met up with us again at trevi fountain, We ate at a McDonalds in front of the Pantheon, I just had fries and a shake, must have been at least year and a half since Ive eaten in one. Seems from the menu you could specify vegetarian fries I wonder if that's related to McD's recent trouble about the contents of their fries or the high level of mad cow paranoia in Europe. Again Rita + Ricardo spent alot of time talking, about pay rates in Italy, work etc, wandered some more, went past Vitorio Emannuele monument, Ricardo saying that a while back a guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier went crazy and shot himself. He had a bridge design he'd done in an exhibit there but it was closed, they had a big Magariet exhibit in the same building but we didn't go in, walked the outskirts of forum. Italians do like to make controversy, just to have something to complain about Rita +Ricardo were expounding on what a shame the houses in the forum were "sono case private non e come sono uficci" An American would just wish they could afford one. Rita commented that people say the forum is just 'due pietre ma non e vera', that its the blood and the pain of the slaves that built it, the work that just a few enjoyed the fruits of, always history is like this, a few enjoy the products of many's suffering. She proceeded to expound on this theme to Ricardo for literally 15 min. People wonder why I'm grim, clearly it's in the genes. Walked around the colliseum, they have a couple guys dressed as centurions lounging about, conduct themselves in a quite plausible manner as well, stand there talking to eachother and twirling their knives in circles, not terribly high quality equipment. Rita stopped us for 20 odd min while she admired the map of the Roman empire as it expanded, I notice the people who put it up's historical interest didn't extend to showing it in its contracting phase. Said with a half laugh "eravamo imperatore del mondo" adding as an afterthought "almeno il mondo conosciuto". Saying she took a picture of Gulia in front of it. Sort of amazing how long they stood there contemplating their lost empire as American tourists, noted one particularly with long hair wearing a weezer t shirt, the current applicants for post of rulers of the world, walked by. Parted ways, Rita back to Itri, Ricardo home, we to hotel. Crashed at hotel brow-beat nick into calling Beatrice +Ricardo back, out to eat pizza 9 of us in total Beatrice her brother+his girlfriend Ricardo and his girlfriend, Had to wait an hour bc were late for reservation and one person over it. It sounds sort of like the start of a joke, you get 5 Romans together on a street corner debating the best place to get pizza. was a nice evening, good pizza, everyone got along well, Ricardo and Beatrice swapping reminiscences of their stays in NY, if you got two groups of American strangers together I doubt they'd get along as well, maybe Italians are just friendlier.
    Tuesday, Termi di Diocleziano which had some interesting stuff, got in touch with Cinzia after a bit of fiddling with phones, nick called Ricardo , so they were going to meet us after we went to the Vatican. We overshot on the bus a little, sort of skipped lunch, (well I had a soda, Dennis had one of the dubious food trucks pizzas). Been so many years since I've been to the Vatican at least 8 odd might as well been the fist time. The Egyptian was unfortunately closed, the hordes in the Sistine chapel, its sort of interesting to see how the chorus of voices slowly rises then breaks as the guard shouts silence please, I don't remember what they looked like pre-cleaning so I cant really compare. Particularly liked the wing with all the little curious, ivory carvings and whatonot, Got me thinking about odd little art projects-borg cube. Impressed by pic of st George in the pianotecca, one of few nice ones I've seen, Making me think about doing one myself. Modern dress army uniform St George dehorsed from his motorcycle fighting with sidearm, the princess handcuffed nearby reaching for his fallen rifle with one hand. Correct the two most common problems with St George pictures, a St George that never looks like he's getting a run for his money and a gaumless princess. Also thinking of a ceramic head something with a hole in the chest for a chip slot. like a st's reliquary. Outside found Cinzia, waited alot for Ricardo, then Nick called him, and discovered because it was drizzling a little he decided to not come and was waiting for us to call, so we didn't actually manage to meet back up with him that day. Went to St peters, saw the dead pope, didn't quite realize what I was getting on line for, but indeed as you file past there's a dead pope in the altar, hordes of people pass by and take a picture of him, usually flash. Quite strange, even for me, I felt no desire to take picture. It seems more likely a triumph of the embalmers art than a miraculous event to me. Cant remember if Cinzia said it was the one before this one, don't know why they dug him up-was he the one the conspiracy theorists say was murdered by the Vatican bank?. Went to Castel san Angelo did a bit of a circle around it Nick didn't find the armor the first time then went back to look again found it, also saw a tool he liked the look of, he was the second to last person out before they closed the door. Discussed American films and subtitles, Cinzia saying that when she sees American films without dubbing it ruins them because everyone sounds so funny you have to laugh and cant take it seriously. So we had dinner at their place which was very good, Silvia was relatively friendly for Silvia, perhaps because I was backing her up in her desire to come to NY. Franco drove us home Cinzia accompanied us, all squished in the back of the car.
    Next day we first wasted a bit of time trying to find a museum which we later realized must be the Baths we were in the day before, saw an interesting planetarium with some roman sculpture in it on the way, free no less, Hit the church that's built into the ruins of the bath, the palazzo Massimo which Id been to before with Cinzia two years ago, unfortunately we missed the main sculpture floor, which I would have liked to see we had to rush up for our scheduled guided tour of the frescos and the rush out to meet Alessandro for lunch at 1:00, had lunch in some joint near termini, Its interesting how the waiters push the luxury thing when they see an Italian with foreign guests, wanting to know if we wanted limonchello, this and that. Decent tourist fixed meal, Dennis passed on the Psion to him, he seemed very pleased with it, he was planning to buy onei. After that hit the Palazzo Barberini, paintings, period room which we didn't wait for the tour of, also hit special exhibit there Eroi e Regine on pre-roman warriors and queens, had some nice bronze weapons and some replicas which think nick took bunch of pictures of. Called Cinzia first telephone claimed it was connected but couldn't hear anything the next wouldn't take the card, third I got through but could hardly hear her, got we should hurry there to head to Tivoli. We did, crammed together in the car again, took about 45 min with traffic to get to Tivoli, rushed to villa, forgot the name but it was the one that belonged to the cardinal. Interesting Franco seemed to have called in some favor, we breezed in he said at the desk "Sono Franco Figliozi in ritardo", he was introduced to a guide and someone else who shook hands with him and introduced themselves. The guide did the tour variously in English followed in Italian in Italian and in English, I was really one of the most beautiful houses I've seen, genuinely nice frescoes in alot of the rooms, garden and symbolic scenes, most of which glorified the cardinal in various ways, the golden apples of the hespridies were a recurrent theme in the decoration, apparently relating to some fanciful imagined descent from Hercules on the part of the cardinal. No wonder he never made pope, how can you be pope if your under the impression you're descended from a Greek demigod. In general the place makes good inspiration for my mural. The Gardens beautiful, multileveled, fountains of every description, supposedly the whole thing is purely gravity powered, which is quite impressive. Along the way another person introduced themselves to Franco, Got a ice cream, liquorice and coconut, Dennis got Poff, blue and kind of minty-fruity good but strange, means Smurf-which explains its day glow blue color. Headed back and went to a Chinese restaurant which was quite a strange experience, an Italian Chinese restaurant, was never quite sure if we were sharing stuff or what. Cinzia asked at least three times for chop sticks, us eating with them produced some amusement, amusing also how the Chinese waitress sized us up as foreign devils and ceased talking to us, switching to quickly addressing Franco as if we didn't exit. Eating fried calamri with chopsticks in Rome is an experienced. Everything was good though the strangeness was the primary impression. Fabio showed up having already eaten, he's working doing both client and server side web scripting, wasn't sure if they were still together, but they are, have been together 5 years, made the mistake of mentioning how much my stipend was between the high dollar and lower Italian wages its almost as much as he makes. Was explaining what I'm working on a little difficult because he's not really into graphics. Had fried ice-cream then bit of fruit after they paid the bill the waitress brought out yet more fruit. When coming back after having snuck off to pay the bill Franco brought for everyone various toys, one of those high temp lighters little radio, calculator shaped like a cell phone, as Dennis said it was like the whole of Chinatown compressed into one restaurant. So Franco drove the three of us back, left again urging them to visit NY, Franco again saying it would be hard to manage.
    Last day in Rome. Up relatively early, decided to go to palazzo Venezia, saw the Caravaggio show and the normal exhibits. Liked the normal exhibits better, some nice medieval stuff. Idea to do a low relief roundel of an angel in profile in terracotta, or maybe an better yet an angel with a griffin :) Headed back to Itri When we got back, the kitchen was full of smoke, they'd actually lit up the cast iron stove because they thought it was cold.
    Uneventful Friday, I was working on pic of some hollyhocks again without tremendous success, into town, hung out at zia Cicina's a bit , playing with poor Arturo who looks so pathetic chained up amid the concrete rubble of what's left of the back porch. he isn't well in any case has an ear infection of some sort. Went up to visit Rita, and take a picture from the terrace. Corrine was duly impressed by the terazza, said it put all other houses she's been in to shame, it is a beautiful space, there's a reason that penthouse apartments have a reputation as nice places.
    Saturday, Nick and Corrine got up early and went for a walk, I didn't have the enthusiasm to get up at 7:30, and didn't go. Cut some grass instead. Again painting without producing anything unusually exciting. Noted on the telegiornale an article about square watermelons that sell for I forgot how much a piece in Japan, as if fruit wasn't already expensive enough in Japan. Rita invited us over for dinner, we headed over there. Dennis and I went out with her to do the shopping Which as usual took forever between fruit store supermarket and butchers shop. Elia and Giulia were there and Frederica came over as well. Cooked some stuff made with various vegetables, eggplant peppers potatoes, tomatoes and chicken. Also the penne with the tomato sauce. As we ate our proscuitta melone and penne started to cook the meat. Burned the sausage as usual, though not as much as the last time, the hamburgers came out better and the little frankfruters. So we ate, Giulia, Elia and Frederika ran for it pretty quickly after eating, Rita letting them go with a bit of reluctance. Ate too much, prossciuto e melone, penne piece of sausage, two hamburgers, a roll with sausage on it, some of the vegetable stuff, another roll with two frankfruters, also 3 mozarelle. I'm not sure my grasp on vegetarianism can even be dignified with the term teneous. We spent a while talking about the virtues and problems of living in a small town vs a city Italy/ vs the US, rita saying that she liked Itri and never had problems because she's a serious person but if you make a misstep, a small town never forgives. Also talking about teenage angst. Rita worries about Giulia, that she says she's fat and doesn't go out. Of course she isn't fat, she's wider hipped than the fashion dictates but certainly not fat. Citing the example of some friends daughter that wasn't asked to dance at some party because she's again not that ideal shape that ragazzi are stupid because they are only interested in girls that look like that, Corrine gave a cheer at the statement that ragazzi are stupid. Trying to explain that guy's at least in the US often have as many problems, though of different kinds, (well at least I did) but not sure I was believed. Again it's important to see the other side, that the show of often frighteningly uniform thin bodies is not natural, like all things, its produced at a human cost, often high. Spent the evening talking, couple shot's of limoncello, a coffee and headed home around 11:30 because we hadn't thought to get the key from grandma, I really do enjoy the philosophical discussions with Rita, she's one of the few people I've known that's not afraid to look like an intellectual, proud of it in fact.
    Sunday Corpus Christi as it happens as well as fathers day. I never realized that the infiorata which I'd heard of but never seen was in celebration of corpus Christi, which I suppose was a pretty big medieval holiday which the big feast days in Itri seem to be. I recall that out of all the saints days besides the Madonna Della Civiata the largest feast I've seen in Itri was St Rocco, patron saint of plague victims. Church, where for once I understood the priest's homily, it was a younger guy who was ordained with Mariano, he sort of enunciated while the older priest tends to run his words together. He was saying that you can't have Christians without the practice of communion. Back ate, futzed about. Went to dare i saluti to Antonio Nina e Angela, admired their new wall in back of the house, nice native stone wall all of which Antonio brought from near the station in his car bit by bit. Went over to zia Cicina's then Zia Lecia, out to see the procession Saw the flowers on the road up to the old part of town and the other main street, also quickly ducked into a group art show near the school, some interesting stuff. It was sort of impressive, this pretty large stretch of street all covered with designs made with flowers, coffee grounds, seeds, etc. There was a pretty strong and unpleasant rotting vegetation smell coming from some of it, a result of how long some had been saved up perhaps. Then back to where grandma +co were to see the actual procession. Heard people honking their horns from time to time as they heard Rome had won as expected the big soccer game. So the procession was pretty typical, band, lot of little kids in suits and white dresses four guys with a canopy over priest carrying a rather modern styled monstrance stopped near the steps on an altar to say a prayer and carried on, to stop finally I presume at the altar at the head of the other section. Manuele was one of the altar boys following along. Met up with Antonio and Maria Virginia while walking back, grandpa convinced that they're irritated with him about something when he was getting meat there the other day, suspect Antonio has bigger things to worry about. said bye to Zia Lecia. Watching TV, the show about a priest un prete fra noi one of the 3 plots in this weeks episode being his sister in law who's going to have an abortion, couldn't imagine a show about a priest doing priestish stuff at home at all (inso far as being super-socialworker/private detective is priestish stuff) but particularly cant imagine one dwelling on abortion at great length in negative terms, it's one of those things that serial show's can't touch for fear of alienating someoneorother. Of course she decides on her own at the last minute after long scenes of hospital corridors and surgical instruments not to do it. Also can't imagine it being presented as plausible that a priest with their collar on could walk in the front door of a clinic, ask about someone's appointment and get any result but having security called on them. One amusing commercial among the music video like feasts of writhing topless women. One of those cutesy American songs I cant recall the name of playing over this enumeration of the good points of this supermarket chain illustrated by contrast with exploits of this somewhat forlorn looking dude who throws trash on the ground cuts off a pregnant woman for a bus seat, knocks into an old guy getting off and throws a button into a street musicians case to just get cut off by the market closing after the pregnant woman and her kid go in. Finished Melmoth the wanderer, the Poe review quoted in the back makes alot more sense, wasn't bad but wasn't great 400 small type pages of angst, but not much else. Final total comes in at about 250 pages devoted to the evils of Catholicism, 25 to make short work of Hindus and Muslims and ~50 nailing Calvinists and non-conformists (whatever they actually are, the family tree of Protestant sects not being my specialty) It actually wasn't as bad as that makes it sound but it was a book that managed to be slow and turgid at the same time, something of a feat. 5:06 PM 6/17/01
    Uneventful Monday hanging around, now that its almost too late all the bugs come out, two nice big beetles, a staghorn and something else which I didn't recognize, Still don't have a hotel, We're going to arrive there at 9:00 without a hotel and wander like lost souls. Now on the train heading for Rome, didn't manage to find Lena to say goodbye, Rita showed up we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa they were in a rush for us to leave as usual, worrying we'd miss the train if we didn't show up a half hour early, Davide showed up and we said goodbye to him at the last minute before we pulled out. Rita took the scenic route, we still got there early Rita bought us a coffee and we sat and talked a little before making our final departure. Sad as always to leave Itri, when we were at Rita's and talking about the virtues of living in various places I'd said we probably have more of a connection with Itri than with Teaneck where we grew up, its true, paesano isn't something that has meaning in the the US, the idea you'd have any feeling for someone from your hometown, for your hometown itself, doesn't mean much, consequence of nuclear families and high mobility maybe. In past years I always worry that this may be the last time I come to Itri, that I'll never see anyone again. This year I'm leaving with a certainty born perhaps from being a bit older and in control of my own actions and a bit closer to some of the younger relatives that whatever happens, I will be back, but still there's the fear of how drastically things may be different, who'll be gone, under what circumstances I'll be back. Mortality has certainly been something of a theme this trip I wonder how my life has been affected by the big part played by a series of elderly relatives that die one by one. A bit of a morbid thought perhaps but its not entirely bad, part of life, something to be understood rather than feared, better to start the difficult process earlier than later. Better to have those connections and have to try and make sense of their breaking than never have had them. 2:24 PM 6/18/01
    Hotel without problems, hotel place in train station was open though hotel was a little out of the way, saw an episode of the original Bill Cosby show in Italian, forgot to call grandpa to tell them we'd got hotel till 11:30 so didn't, up taxi and discovered Iberia is on strike, but things have gone relatively smoothly waiting for boarding an al Italia flight that's about hour .5 later, then from Barcelona to JFK on Delta, we shall see. The Flight from Barcelona was overbooked and we were on standby which is why, though they didn't say this in Rome, they couldn't give us boarding passes, so waited on several lines, then had to wait at the desk in hopes they'd have room as everyone else boarded, insane, it was dammed close they ran through everyone they had on their list but people had disappeared so they started taking people at random Dennis happened to be standing right next to the woman. So we should get in only about two hours late. which isn't bad.