At My Table
This is the place I share thoughts, travel moments, art and books that inspire me about Italy and Life that I have captured along the way. You can follow the link or subscribe…
The Artist’s Life
In 1952 Robert Rauschenberg photographed his friend and fellow artist Cy Twombly standing with a thin notebook next to Constantine’s colossal hand while on holiday in Rome. Juxtaposed and framed, a pivotal moment in time. Not they that knew that then. They were both art students developing their practise and searching for art, traveling together on a grant from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Rauschenberg agreed to accompany Twombly. They traveled to Sicily, to the mainland and into Rome; later to Morocco and Tangiers. Five years later Cy Twombly moved from America to live in Rome, Italy.
The Secret Weapon
I was in Bologna and wandered into the book and paper shop Feltrinelli. I looked at the wall of diaries, bindings, notebooks, medieval printed covers and even though my bag was too heavy I bought four journals, one for each daughter and one for me. I walked out to the sidewalk, meandered down the street and stopped at a bar/cafe. I put the journal on the table, ordered a spritz and sat there and wrote for an hour. Simple and glorious moments that travel brings
The House Protects the Dreamer
On through the hills and medieval villages of Gubbio, Vigneto, Assisi, Spello and beyond to finally arrive in Rieti. Jac walked the pilgrimage path enjoying the solitude and the wild, open space. It was wandering through the many towns when she noticed the real estate was surprising low in cost and potentially affordable compared to neighbouring Tuscany. Not only was Jac spellbound by the stunning scenery and the location she also started to wonder if by chance there might be an opportunity for an Australian couple to buy their first home together in Italy….
One Thing Leads to Another
I wanted to visit Shakespeare and Company, yet on that warm spring morning in Paris there was an eight metre queue. Such is life. A historic bookstore will have its mythic reputation. They don’t let you take photos inside, which is good, in the Notre Dame nearby it is a free for all.
You must only look at the books. It’s not a complete tourist show in other words. It is civilised and packed with tourists milling about, so I didn't go in this time. It is a shame for an inspired reader and photographer, for someone who looks deliberately at everything.
Two Castles in Italy
Tuscany was one of her many subjects. Ross was a great observer of Italy, wrote much about the peninsula and the daily life of her peasant farmers and her experiences living close to Florence. Her cookbook Leaves from our Tuscan Kitchen exclaimed the virtues of her beloved cook Guiseppe Volpi and celebrated the garden produce and recipes from the Tuscan kitchen. It was this cookbook that led Sarah Benjamin to the library archives in Florence to research the life of Janet Ross. A cookbook can do that.