Nouvi amici =]

To say the least I have recently been blessed and inspired by new friends. I have spent two wonderful Sunday afternoon's at Mary Jane Cryan's beautiful home in Vetralla, a city near Viterbo. My afternoons with her and Fulvio have inspired me in so many different aspects of my life here in Italy. Mary Jane is a very well established writer and has spent a lot of her life living in Lazio and writing about her travels here. I am in a travel writing class that connected me with her, now I am currently working on a piece about her to be published in a local magazine. I am focusing on the aspect of her guestbook that has really stuck out to me and has presented a new meaning for me. Very interesting and rick in life.

... writing in the guestbook at Mary Jane's.

Where the guestbook finds its home at Mary Janes. She has filled one volume and has moved onto the next...'An encyclopedia of faces and people' as Mary Jane stated.

Look at her library!!! I love it so much! There is a little red couch smother in the corner that i got to sit and read in, best thing ever. Can't wait to establish a library like this one day.

Macie, Fulvio, Me and Joshua at lunch my first visit to Mary Jane's.

My new beautiful friend Silvia! She has welcomed me into her home and life to say the least. She is the one in the middle, with her friend Elizabeta on the right. This is us on our visit to the cute artsy town of Calcata before we headed to her home town of Gallese for dinner with all her friends. What a great evening!

Tocsana, la vita bella

Stopped in Pisa on the way home.

Toscana

Giuseppe's Vineyard where we stayed, this wine was my favorite from the wine tasting.

My new friend Lucy, who took me on some wonderful strolls through Tuscany.

Wine tasting with Giuseppe, owner of Fattoria Fibbiano, farm where we stayed.

Home sweet home.

The boys playing with the farm dog Pedro, right outside our apartment door where he would patiently wait for us .

Capri & Mt.Vesuvius

Pompei

Venezia

insegnamento della lingua inglese

[ teaching english ]

e panchine del parco, si sedette da me.

[…of all the benches in the park, she sat by me.]

My heart felt for her, and I almost in tears as I held the aged black and whites in my hand. Her voice became timid and slowed down as she continued to explain to me the young man that was shown in the photos; through her sunglasses I could still see her eyes heavy with sadness. Handing her back the wallet worn photos, she explained to me how her husband used to do ballet, and now he has passed. Talking about him, her love for him was so evident; as if the had just gotten engaged that very minute. Joyful, even in loss.

Ironic of the timing that Genoveffa decided to come sit next to me on that bench in the park. The morning was very cold and this particular bench happened to be one of the few in the sun [frigid sunny morning]. Just sat down to journal, in mid sentence of writing how frustrated I am that don’t know this wonderful language better. Perfectly interrupted by Genoveffa saying ‘scusi’, asking permission to share the bench with me. Despite obvious signs that I don’t know the language well she continued to patiently try and communicate with me. Time flew and it had been 20 minutes before I realized the missed calls on my cell phone. I didn’t want to leave that park bench. Our conversation was simple but meaningful. Meeting her that morning was so assuring , maybe I get C’s on my Italian Language exams, but building relationships like this make all the frustration worth it.

She ‘scritto’, wrote, down her address inside the wall of Viterbo, and I wrote down Tamra on useless scrap of paper she found in her purse. She kept pointing to herself and repeated using the word casa, assuming that she wants me to come visit her sometime.

Really hoping to see her soon. Thank you Genoveffa for your encouragement. Parting her I was smothered, to say the least, with Italian kisses and kind words explaining ‘molto piacere’.