Artists in Italy: July 5, 2013 Wayne in Abruzzo

Gagliano by day


by night

Ahhhh Italy, that laid back land where people spend all their time eating, drinking, having animated discussions, taking naps and trying to work in at least one painting a day. It is hard to find time to write when one is working so hard. Yesterday is a good example. It was market, pizza and chicken day. We forgot the chicken so we had to go back for that. Roasted chickens are not cheap. They are tiny and cost 7E. We make three meals of them if Jim makes soup. We also got strawberries, cherries and peaches. We have to eat all the time to finish all this produce before it goes bad. There is no time for chocolate.

Thursday night we had dinner at the Gagliano Danes. The food was excellent. They had company so we have added to our cadre of Danes. Their terrace has the most beautiful view in the world. I resisted taking 20 new photographs of all the things I took photographs of last year, but am including two old ones in case you forgot. We have an incredible view, but they are higher up so they can see further up and down the valley. We look at them and they look at us.

It is nice to not be a newbie any longer. It is nice to know people, feel sure they are your friends and be relaxed.

Market is much like the farmer’s market in Montpelier. It is a place to socialize as much as to buy food. As well as shopping we were trying to score a ride to Gagliano, again, for the Friday night “Wayne in Abruzzo” welcoming ceremony. Students come from Wayne University in Detroit and L’Aquila University in L’Aquila. We saw everyone we could ask at the market and worked it out with Noel, the Irish guy who took my class last year.

I will probably not attend this event again even with the free food, which was excellent. Or if I go, I will go two hours late and be the first in line for dinner. I know it is important and that people have important things to say and that it is a big celebration for them and not just about the free food, but they talked for so long and mostly said all the same things. At one point the MC said they had talked a long time. I totally agreed with his evaluation, but then they talked at least another hour. Just when we thought it had to be over because everyone at the front table had spoken, they started calling people up from the audience to speak. I was pretty sure I was next. Their were presentations of presents and more words of thanks and the importance of this present, etc, etc, etc. Worst of all they are educators and you know how they are. No one talks more than professors. I wonder what kids paid to participate in this experience. I talked to a few of them from Detroit and they were very happy and excited to be there. Who wouldn’t be? Detroit or Gagliano, Italy?