Tidy Tidbits: Reading & Viewing

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RECENT READING

Mayes & husband (Walter.com)

Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes

With the publication in 1996 of Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes shone a spotlight on one of the lovely Italian hill towns in Tuscany.  Since then, “her” town of Cortona has become a tourist attraction, and she has milked the area and her life there for several other nonfiction books.   I read Under the Tuscan Sun when it first came out and then, several other books by Mayes.  

Fast forward, and around 2003, I hosted Mayes at Lehigh University for a Friends of the Libraries event.  Last month, the Chief Penguin and I spent several very pleasant days in Cortona sitting in the main square, dining around, and soaking up the architecture and the history.  For all these reasons, I was keen to read Women in Sunlight, Mayes’ new novel.

At heart, I’d say Mayes is much more of an essayist/memoirist and poet than she is a novelist.  This book features a writer, Kit, in her 40’s who lives in Tuscany, and three senior women, who rent an old villa and become her neighbors.  The women are new friends from North Carolina who met while visiting a retirement community in Chapel Hill.  One is an artist, another has a green thumb, and the third is a seasoned traveler and organizer.  Camille, Susan, and Julia are all single, and each is recovering from loss of a spouse through death or desertion.  Over the course of a year, they bond with one another and with Kit, become acquainted with the townspeople, and have their horizons expanded through more travel.

Much of the novel reads like a travelogue.  Mayes deftly paints word pictures of the beautiful surroundings and mouthwatering descriptions of meals and food in general.  Except for Kit, I found the other women somewhat diffuse and not well distinguished one from another.  Also, Kit’s focus or wandering attention to writing her memoir of her friend Margaret was a distraction and didn’t enrich the plot.  

Overall, this was a mixed reading experience.  I liked aspects of the book and was curious enough about how the women evolved to read to the end with a bit of skimming here and there.  (~JWFarrington)

VIEWING

Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)

Mad & her mother (Entertainment Weekly)

I loved Bonnie Garmus’ novel, Lessons in Chemistry, as did everyone in my book group.  I wondered if it could be translated into a successful series, and I’m pleased to say it has been.

Garmus was involved in this production, and the series is exceedingly well cast.  Brie Larson as chemist and later TV star Elizabeth Zott is spot on, and Lewis Pullman as scientist Calvin Evans has the right combination of indifference, fierce dedication, and hidden charm.  Child actress Alice Halsey plays the delightfully idiosyncratic Madeline, Zott’s daughter.  

Set in 1950 and into the early 1960’s, the series showcases women’s second class status (some might say third) outside the home with pathos and humor.  Elizabeth is smart and determined, but subject to blatant sexism and belittlement.  Nonetheless, she is a force to be reckoned with, and despite many obstacles, she perseveres. 

There are 8 episodes in total with new episodes being released weekly through November 24.  The first two episodes are free.  

All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix)

Marie & her father (Netflix)

The Chief Penguin and I have watched the first two episodes of this four-part mini-series.  Based on Anthony Doerr’s novel with the same title, it’s intense and powerful.  I must admit that it’s been too long since I read the novel to be able to assess how closely the series hews to the book. Whether or not you’re familiar with the book, this story of young blind French broadcaster Marie, and Werner, a misfit Nazi radio operator in occupied coastal France (Saint-Malo, to be precise) is compelling and will quickly draw you in.  It also demonstrates the staying power of a voice on the radio.

As a side note, last year the CP and I visited St. Malo, walked this once walled city, and and climbed up to its ramparts overlooking the mouth of the Rance River.  Recommended!

The Sommerdahl Murders, Season 4 (Acorn)

Dan & the principals including Josefine (Rotten Tomatoes)

The Chief Penguin and I have enjoyed the earlier seasons of this Danish crime series, and this latest one held our interest also.  The triangle of crime solvers and best friends Dan Sommerdahl, Flemming Torp, and Marianne Sommerdahl (Dan’s ex-wife) is complicated by Dan’s new love interest, Josefine Sundby.  The crimes are intriguing, and always lingering in the background is puzzlement about what fishmonger Oscar is hiding.  There are eight episodes, each an hour long, and most crimes are dealt with in 2 parts. Recommended!

Note: Header photo is in town square, Cortona, Italy, ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Home in Florida: Book Notes

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HOME FROM ITALY

View in Perugia

Our trip to Italy (Rome, Tuscany, and Umbria), was a wonderful break from our real world.  Lots of historic art and architecture, charming hill towns, more pasta, pizza, and bruschette than one should consume, dense crowds in Rome and Florence, great traveling companions, and a wealth of new places to discover.  After a week and finally over jet lag, we have time to reflect on and process all that we saw and did.  Travel is an expansive experience.  I always find myself challenged, and my horizons broadened, as I engage with a new locale, a different culture, and new people.  

RECENT READING

While I was away, I did find time to read two books, one highly touted novel and one political memoir. 

RACE AND CRIME IN 1970’S BOSTON

Author Lehane (Variety)

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

This is the first novel by Lehane I’ve read; although I did see and appreciate his craft in the movie, Mystic River.  Small Mercies is a devastating story set in Boston in 1974, just after Judge Garrick ordered forced busing between South Boston and a Black neighborhood. It’s a story about racism played out as hate with strong emotions on both sides.  Rallies are planned by the Southies and tension is high.

When a young Black man dies on the train tracks and four white teenagers appear to be involved, more violence is almost inevitable.  The key characters are Mary Pat, mother of 17-year-old Jules, and Detective Michael Coyne, known as Bobby.  Mary Pat has been raised to hate Blacks and lost two sons to drugs. Early on, she seems to question some of her basic assumptions about these others.  

Bobby is a voice of reason and, when appropriate, empathetic to Mary Pat.  Underneath and underpinning life in poor South Boston is a very active network of bad guys who rule with an iron grip and don’t hesitate to kill.

I found the novel slow to rev up, but when it did, I was caught up in how crime played out.  Bobby Coyne is the most positive character, and I wanted Mary Pat to be better than she was.  I understood, but didn’t approve of, her motives. Losing one’s children in senseless violence is a pain most of us can’t begin to imagine.  An excellent book, but not for the faint hearted! (~JWFarrington)

LIFE IN THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE

(AP News)

Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson

Cass Hutchinson’s live testimony before the January 6th Select Committee, which many of us watched, was a profile in courage, but not an experience she arrived at lightly, quickly, or without qualms.  She was poised and articulate and revealed many details about life in the Trump White House and the behavior of both the president and her immediate boss, Mark Meadows, his chief of staff, that had not been made public before.

Now, in Enough, she has written her story about her upbringing in a working-class family with an abusive, controlling father, and being the first in her family to go to college.  From a young age, she was drawn to the idea of public service, was moved by her first visit to the Capitol in D.C. and was ambitious and determined enough to apply for and land internships with the Office of Legal Affairs during college summers.  After graduation, she returned to work with the House of Representatives staff and congressmen including Kevin McCarthy, Meadows, and others.

When Meadows became Trump’s chief of staff, he quickly hired Cassidy to be “his person.”  In the beginning, she reminded him that she worked for him in his role as serving the president, not personally.  But she was attracted to Trump and his views and liked Meadows.  

I think she let herself be subtly manipulated.  At the same time, Meadows gave her lots of responsibility, sent her in his place to some meetings, and had her travel with him on Air Force One and the like.

From the outside, it appeared to be a heady life with lots of access to senior staff and the president, coupled with hard work and exceedingly long hours.  She accepted a lot of what was going on in the White House as just part of the normal work environment and as part of being loyal to Mark.  For a long time, she felt she was still being true to her oath to serve the constitution.

While others in Trump World continued to circle the wagons, so to speak, she wrestled with her conscience, sought a pro bono lawyer without success, and then agreed to work with a Trump-sponsored lawyer.  She did her first committee interviews with this lawyer’s direction and instructions.  Finally, and ultimately, she chose to tell the complete truth to the committee.

I found this a compelling memoir. It was mesmerizing.  Of course, I knew the ending, but all the political machinations and how that administration worked behind the scenes, I found fascinating.  Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down! (~JWFarrington)

Note: Header image of cypresses in Val d’Orcia and Perugia photo ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Italy: Artisans in Florence

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Narrow Florentine street

On Monday, we had a fascinating tour of several of the remaining artisan workshops on the Oltrano, or other side of the Arno River.  Here are fewer tourists, quiet streets, the Pitti Palace, and the Boboli Gardens.  At one time, there were more than 6,000 artisans working in Florence.  Today, the number is a small fraction of that as the next generations take up film or other pursuits.  

Our excellent guide, Kate, was originally from London. In a familiar story, she came to Florence about 30 years ago to study art history and never left! Besides being a guide, she has an antique business and regularly spends time in Arezzo at the monthly antiques fair. 

Our mission on this day was to visit the workshops of some of the artisans she knows, several of whom were her teachers.  The Chief Penguin and I, to be honest, had had some reservations about this tour, wondering if it was just a shopping expedition in disguise to induce us to spend money. Not so.  While one could certainly follow up later with these artisans, there was no pressure.

BOOKBINDING & MARBLE PAPER

Leather book with fresh initials

Our first stop, and my favorite, was to Riccardo Luci’s workshop for marbled paper and bookbinding.  I have a distinctive memory of visiting a small paper shop in Florence decades ago and buying some lovely little marble paper notebooks.  Here, we got to see the whole process—adding drops of several colors to a slightly thick solution made from algae, creating patterns with various combs, and then laying a sheet of paper on top to transfer the colorful pattern. 

Creating the marble design

 Once lifted off, the sheet will take several hours to dry. Such fun to watch the swirls and feathers come alive on the paper!

Luci sells sheets of paper, and objects from pens to notebooks of several sizes all covered in unique marble designs.  His workshop also creates leather wallets that can be personalized with initials or leather covered books with quotes on the front. In each case, he has letters that get heated and then pressed against a piece of gold leaf on the piece.

RESTORATION & WOODWORKING

Next we visited a woman who restores broken decorative pieces—such as a wooden figure missing an arm and part of its torso or filling in the broken parts of a picture frame.  The work is delicate and requires a number of steps beginning with putting on gesso (white paint mixture) progressing to sanding, adding paint or varnish of the correct color, and perhaps lastly, using a tool to “age” the surface by roughing it up.  She was one of Kate’s teachers, but alas, I didn’t get her photo.

Woodcarver Luigi with one of his works

Eighty-seven year old Luigi Mecocci is a master wood carver and furniture restorer. He restores old wooden pieces and hand carves what might be needed on an existing sculpture or to make table whole again. Like most of these workshops, his space is small and crammed with projects in various stages of completion. 

Interior of workshop with tools

The tools of his trade, and there are many, are arrayed on a back wall.  Next year he will give up this shop but continue to do some work out of his home outside the city.

MARQUETRY

Artisan Renato Olivastri

Renato Olivastri, an artisan in his 60’s, has worked with wood since his teens.  He specializes in marquetry or inlaid wood pieces and is also expert at restoring furniture pieces in the Boulle style, those made with inlays of brass, tortoise, or silver.  In addition to his restoration work, he creates lovely pieces of marquetry from start to finish—beautiful table tops, game boards, and cutouts made with inlaid wood pieces.  

Elaborate Boullle style box restored
Marquetry tabletop

Our final stop, where no photos were allowed, was Autentiqua. Trained by their father, Marino Cappellini, the Cappellini siblings, a brother and sister, continue to practice ancient techniques combined with a modern sensibility.   They create art pieces that look ancient, do commissioned works such as tables or large wall pieces, and offer some contemporary photography, photos of the paints and tools of their trade, which are an interesting counterpoint to the ancient-looking pieces.

LUNCH

For lunch, we went to Borgo Antico in lively, but not crowded, Piazzo di Santo Spirito. We enjoyed ravioli with butter and sage (Chief Penguin) and spaghetti a la vongole (me), preceded by a simple plate of sliced tomatoes, anchovies, and black olives. Just perfect with a glass of white wine!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Italy: Medicis in Florence

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MICHELANGELO’S DAVID

First off, a detour from the Medicis to Michelangelo. The Chief Penguin got us tickets to the Accademia for Saturday to see David. Saturday morning was lovely, but it poured in the afternoon, which resulted in a long soggy walk there.  Our tickets were for 4:45 pm, but at 4:30, we weren’t sure we wanted more time standing in the rain, so we departed.   On Sunday, thanks to our guide Sasha, the CP got more tickets and then actually got in. He reminded me that the real David is very impressive in this well-lighted setting!

Michelangelo’s David (GCF)

MEDICI FAMILY

Yesterday morning was devoted to the Medici family and its generations of dukes and grand dukes, a powerful merchant family with strong ties to the church.  Two members of this family became popes, Leo X and Clement VII. 

Most people think of the Medici men like Cosimo and Lorenzo Medici, but in the 17th century, one woman ensured that the Medici art collection, with only a few exceptions, would remain in Florence forever. That woman was Anna Maria Luisa de Medici. She was the last lineal descendant of the main branch of Medicis. She had no children and was a patron of the arts. She’s represented in an impressive seated sculpture with a book on her lap in the lower level of the Medici Chapel.

Anna Maria Luisa de Medici

Our guide Sasha, a native of Denmark, but a resident of Italy for more than 30 years, was excellent with a lively manner and a sense of humor.  We put a lot of miles on our feet over several hours to visit the Medici Chapels, the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, and the San Marco Church. 

MEDICI CHAPELS

The Medici Chapels were our first stop, and there are two of them dating from the 16th and 17th centuries.  They are extensions to the Medici family’s official church, the Church of San Lorenzo.  Many might say that the décor of the huge church-like Chapel of the Princes is over the top.  Its colors are dark and somewhat somber, but the marble and and inlaid precious stone work is elaborate and very detailed. 

Altar in the Medici Chapel

 This chapel celebrates the grand dukes of the Medici family each with its own sarcophagus.  The men are actually buried elsewhere. Only two of the sarcophaguses have statues in the alcove above, that of Ferdinand who killed his younger brother and wife, and his son’s alcove.  The other alcoves remain empty and incomplete.

Statue of Ferdinand above his sarcophagus

This chapel was created in the 1600’s, but the intricate mosaic floor work wasn’t begun until 1874 and only completed in the 1960’s. The yellow marble is particularly striking. 

Rich colors of marble floor, Chapel of the Princes

The second chapel or mausoleum, called the New Sacristy, was designed by Michelangelo as a cube with a dome at the top. He oversaw its construction from 1520 to 1534. It is a complete contrast to the Chapel of Princes, in only black and white with sculptures of white marble.

Interior, New Sacristy

On opposite walls are two groups of marble statues.  In one, the Duke of Nemours , brother of Pope Leo X, is shown above his sarcophagus in military garb, while below are two reclining nudes, one a male representing day or awakening, and the other a female representing night.  These are powerful sculptures and dominate the space.

Figure of Night

On side wall is a Madonna grouping; Michelangelo sculpted the Virgin and child, but not the other two figures.

Michelangelo’s mother & infant

PALAZZO MEDICI RICCARDI

From here, we walked on to Palazzo Medici Riccardi.  This 15th century palace was the home of the Medicis and later bought by the Riccardi family, hence the name. 

Palazzo exterior with Medici coat of arms

It was designed by Michelozzo di Bartholomeo.  We stopped here to see the Magi Chapel with frescos by Benozzo Gozzoli and art by Flippo Lippi.  The colors on the frescos are vibrant even today.

Detail, Procession of the Magi (Gozzzoli)
Man in blue hat is Gozzoli
Adoration in the Forest (Lippi)

SAN MARCO CHURCH

Our last stop was San Marco Church. Originally founded in 1267 as a Benedictine monastery, it became home to Dominican monks of Fiesole some 150 years later due to Cosimo of Vecchio’s intervention.  Here we came to see the fresco, The Last Supper, by Domenico Ghirlandaio, painted in the late 15th century. Jesus is in the center with all but one apostle seated along his side; Judas is on the other side of the table facing Jesus. Despite what is to come, the scene is serene. (The photo below shows most, but not all of the fresco.)

We enjoyed our art-filled morning and came away with a greater appreciation for the Medicis’ power and influence and for the rich paintings and frescos they inspired.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Header photo is the garden at Palazzo Medici Riccardi.