Issue #5 "Italy Fever E-Notes" by Darlene Marwitz 03.30.01

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ITALYFEVER.COM: The Italy Lover's Pre- and Post-Travel Online Companion
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IN THIS ISSUE:

- - - LIVING LA DOLCE VITA
- - - FOOD AND DRINK
- - - HOME AND GARDEN
- - - BOOKS AND MOVIES
- - - MUSIC AND OPERA
- - - TRAVEL AND TIDBITS

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LIVING LA DOLCE VITA: "Hanna's Version of la Dolce Vita"

Our Hanna girl survived two weeks of "puppy boot camp" last month and is a different dog. A chef at a neighborhood restaurant has accused us of putting her on Prozac! At the age of five and a half months, Hanna now heels, sits, and lies down on command, staying in position for a spell-at least until something "better" comes along. Birds, butterflies, and children still prompt her to leap into action, but oh what a difference!

In her own way Hanna is the one teaching us new tricks. Her canine penchant for simple living-a dog's life-smacks of la dolce vita. A few weeks ago, my husband and I loaded up the three of us to escape to our weekend retreat in Fredericksburg and right away Hanna started acting like she was "on vacation." How did she know? She was running and jumping and wagging her tail as if a basketful of troubles had been lifted from her shoulders.

Or perhaps she was reacting to our own tail wagging. Like Hanna, we were transformed by a trip to the country--campagna dotted with first-of-season wildflowers, knobby-kneed baby calves, sprouting hilly vineyards, and bed-and-breakfast inns. I'm still not sure which of us was the chicken and which was the egg, but surely one of us was following the other in our glee.

The whole weekend, however, was not fun and games for puppy and me. My attempt to start a grape arbor, a "piece" of Italy for the back yard, was foiled in a flash. Behind my back and within seconds of when I tapped soil around the roots of two tiny vines, Hanna snapped her jaws like a bear trap, gobbling the fragile sprouts of my new Concord grapes. "HANNA VICENZA MARWITZ," I shouted. "What've you done? How dare you to act like a dog!"

Later that evening we made up, Hanna and I. Deciding to be friends again, we headed out with David to partake of a favorite family ritual, nighttime passeggiata in downtown Fredericksburg. The three of us sauntered down streets and sidewalks, absorbing the simple pleasures of window shopping and people watching. Happily repeating one of the stops from our morning stroll, we paused on a bench outside a bakery (David and I) to let Hanna lie down and take in the passing children and tourists, while David and I reminisced our own private strolls in Vicenza (Hanna's namesake) four years ago on a twentieth-wedding-anniversary trip to Italy.

Back home again, last Friday night, Hanna's fondness for a casual lifestyle further pronounced itself when I came downstairs at midnight to catch my husband AND Hanna asleep on the sofa. "What's Hanna doing on the furniture?" I demanded, knowing full well the situation. "I don't know," David replied in a nanosecond, without scrambling for an excuse: "I don't KNOW how she got there or how LONG she's been there, and that's my story and I'm sticking to it!"

Ciao,
Darlene

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FOOD AND DRINK:

Cookbook: Hooked on pizza these days, I'm spoiled by the close proximity of a neighborhood rosticceria and cafe called Cipollina that turns out the best wood-fired Margherita in Austin, Texas. Thin, oh so thin, it's a perfect recreation of Italy's famous red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella cheese), and green (basil) tribute to Queen Margherita di Savoy. But making pizza at home is also fun for me for I grew up in a kitchen where bread making was commonplace. This month's cookbook selection is Pizza Napoletana! (1999) by Pamela Sheldon Johns.

HOME AND GARDEN:

Many of you have responded with kind comments about my interest in gardening, and one subscriber friend, Celia, has recommended an interesting British Web site (http://www.seedsofitaly.com) that sells products from one of Italy's largest seed companies. Franchi seeds have been in business since 1783 according to the site's information, and sixteen seed offerings showed up on this site when I clicked on "tomatoes."

Tip: Plant a geranium! Pelargoniums are the ubiquitous container plant of Italy, perfect for balconies and front stoops (see BOOKS AND MOVIES for information on a new-to-me gardening book that is totally Mediterranean).

Tip: A tiny herb garden on a kitchen (or other) windowsill will change your life, remind you of Italy on a daily basis. Unfortunately, my own kitchen's window ledge is not very bright, so I do the next best thing: I cut sprigs from my outdoor herb garden and fill miniature glass vases to line up in a row. I like the look of multiple mini-displays and the scale fits a skinny sill. Likewise, I place wee vases in my bathrooms to keep them herbal fresh too!

BOOKS AND MOVIES:

Non-Fiction: Create a Mediterranean Garden (1999) by Pattie Barron is the book of my gardening dreams. It's loaded with beautiful photographs and information on plant material, but also crammed with creative suggestions for garden decoration-including do-it-yourself projects that will take you to Italy in a heartbeat.

Anthology: This past month I've read numerous short essays in a new anthology titled Central Italy, Tuscany & Umbria (2000), from a series called The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology & Travel Source. Some of these travel pieces were old ones I'd read in previous publications while others were totally fresh to me. I liked this compilation by Barrie Kerper, and so will you.

Movie: Movies are a weaker interest for me, compared to books-so often I'm uninformed when it comes to so-called "popular" movies. Recently, and surprisingly to me, I read that the movie, Hannibal, was filmed on location in Florence. Can this be true? After a little research I've confirmed the basic details, but still, I don't know. Is this a movie I can force myself to see? Is there enough of Italy in this movie for me? Help! Will someone please send a message to give me the scoop?

MUSIC AND OPERA:

A few years ago on a watercolor expedition (see http://www.laromita.org for available art classes), I visited the Umbrian town of Spoleto and first learned about the Spoleto Arts Symposia, and of a sister Spoleto Festival (all kinds of music and more) in Charleston, South Carolina (http://www.spoletousa.org). Every summer, people swarm to Spoleto, Italy to attend the Festival dei Due Mondi, a special festa that celebrates citywide dance, music, theater, and art exhibitions. The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana (http://www.piacere.com) also includes a welcome spread on Spoleto in its current April issue, written by Micol Negrin.

TRAVEL AND TIDBITS:

Come sail with me this fall aboard a Windstar cruise, and then stay for a "week at a Villa" in the Veneto-near Verona!

Last year during my book tour, I had the good fortune to come across the path of a lovely pilgrim soul and Italy-aficionado, Harold Partain, when I traveled to Dallas to show slides and sign copies of Italy Fever, at Voyagers, The Travel Store. Now, after months of flushing out hundreds of special details, Harold has coordinated incredible adventures for a small group of travelers who might be interested in going to Italy this fall, selected stays during the month of October through early November.

Week one, October 20-27, I start off as a lecturer aboard a Windstar cruise-Rome around to Venice-discussing Palladian villas and providing watercolor demonstrations to interested parties among the 312 or so travelers that will board Windstar Cruise's "Wind Star" sailing vessel. As soon as I saw a photograph of the schooner's ornamental sails, I knew this was the ship for me--a ship with the feel of a fine yacht, a cruise experience of a lifetime.

Then, upon landing in Venice, I'll join Harold for "a week at a villa" program (October 27-November 3)-the lovely Villa Sorga, south of Verona-where participants will savor a slice of northern Italy via fine wine, cuisine, art and architecture (Palladian villas to be toured!).

For more information on either of these special adventures, or for other package options, please contact Harold Partain at Voyagers in Dallas, 1-800-335-2339.

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Italy Via Paris: Since some of you land in Paris on your way to Italy, I thought you might enjoy this resource. A subscriber of mine from California recently put me in touch with a terrific e-newsletter called "Paris In Sites Newsletter," edited by Linda Thalman (http://www.parisinsites.com). I couldn't help but check it out myself and was totally impressed with the wealth of information.

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Studio Musings: Not long ago, I set up studio space to start painting again, but when I dug out my old watercolors, it was time for a shopping spree, new watercolor paints and a nice assortment of fresh papers. My selections will not surprise you: Fabriano paper and Maimeri paints from Italy. Yes, I intend to paint Italian landscapes and Italian architecture on Italian paper using Italian pigments. I even splurged and bought a small assortment of Maimeri oil paints, a medium I haven't touched in twenty years! For more information on these products from Italy try browsing The Italian Art Store in Morristown, NJ, their on-line catalog (http://www.italianartstore.com).

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Parting Words: Following one's passion IS possible, even at home, one tiny "Italianized" step every day.

Buon Viaggio,
Darlene Marwitz

P. S. If you're experiencing difficulty with the links I've included in the newsletter, please check to see if your browser is set to receive HTML. It seems that about half of you are receiving activated links (in blue) and half of you are not-sorry about that! If you have other suggestions, I'd love to hear from you!
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Questions, comments, suggestions, or corrections?
Please send e-mail to darlene@italyfever.com. I welcome ideas for making this a better newsletter for Italy lovers seeking la dolce vita all year long!
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ITALY FEVER E-NOTES
Copyright 2000-2001, Darlene Marwitz. All rights reserved worldwide.
http://www.italyfever.com
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