A Little Marble Flooring Please

Cortona

An obsession with Cortona has well and truly unfolded. Being there for two weeks had a profound impact on me. I ran out of linen, leaving only four canvases for Siena. So I almost died when I saw Lucca. At least I had painted Bolognese, Veronese, and Venetian urban scenes, so I wouldn’t feel I was missing out as we headed to those locations next.

Oh well, we’ll just have to go back.

The best time to enjoy Italy is before 10am. That’s when I can work without the crowds and see the buildings and streets uninterrupted. This is also a time to feel a little local and witness the waking up and preparation of the day; rubbish trucks navigating the teeny streets, delivery trucks dropping goods, friends and family dropping store owners and employees off to work, and the best part, the locals having their morning espressos, walking their dogs, or picking up their pastries speaking that divine language across pathways. Onlookers, while I work, are appreciative – I’m going about my work and day as the locals are, as far as they are concerned.

It was from Cortona that we organised a few scoots (as you do in Italy) to Lucca, Siena, and Pienza. We spent 2 nights in Lucca and 1 night in Siena. You think it won’t be enough time, but the towns are quite small – you get a rich experience. We had a breathtaking day trip to Pienza, specifically heading to a lunch spot with a serene scene to soothe and mark the one-year anniversary of our loved ones’ passing.

Bologna

A return visit to Bologna caught us by surprise. I think the return visits are about hitting familiar ground (the marble type in the case of Bologna!), so you can enjoy the things you know are there. There’s no searching or aimless wandering and no funds spent on experiences that might not be worth it (unlikely to get bad food in Italy, though!).

We went back to Bologna to walk through the endless marbled porticos, experience that exceptional food and hospitality, and walk among that boldness.

To our delight, we discovered the Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio and Teatro Anatomico, which we somehow missed last year. You can easily miss the entry – it’s another magnificent portico and ceiling, but this is far more than that. Just look at the images!

Imagine the knowledge in those billions of pages! In addition to that scholarly presence, it was the egg tempera frescoes that got to me here. The limited colour palette, the beautiful warm yellow ochre, the metres of corridors of it, and the feeling under your feet as you use the stairs and walk around – neck back, eyes up, and mouth wide open!

Verona

You all know I love Venice, but I think it’s Verona that’s in my heart. It’s the size of it – it’s just right. Verona has a little bit of everything, and I imagine living here, in a town that hosts magnificent operas every year that have the guests donned to their nines night after night. I’d promenade in the early evenings, and wait for the wave of ticket holders to finish their early dinners, and head for the Arena, before sitting down to my own quieter dinner to the sound of the Arena seating calls.

The air is full of magic. It’s also very normal to be walking around with a seating cushion – I felt so normal!

Venezia

Yes, again! There’s something about the freshness of the water around you in this magical city that still makes me feel I’ve landed on some kind of stage set.

Action!

It’s just not real, but it is. And San Giorgio dei Greci and Santa Maria della Salute are worth revisiting for a lifetime.

We were so fortunate to be in town while Painted Gold. El Greco and Art between Crete and Venice was on at the Doge’s Palace, Palazzo Ducale. That explained a few things to both Theo and me, given his Greek heritage and my Cypriot heritage, and made our revisit to San Giorgio dei Greci all the more wonderful. What a bond between the Greek and Venetian iconographers and painters. One I appreciate so much.

I come away wondering why I just don’t work in egg tempera and gold leaf for the rest of my life?