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- Balancing Act
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- Grazia’s Art
Alla Cioccolateria
17 Tuesday Apr 2018
Desert Storm
17 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in Education
The sand in Spoleto falls plainly from the sky,
But where it is coming from remains a mystery.
Bumping into Umberto with his bag of groceries,
We’ve a chance to pepper him with our queries.
Scorso settimana. La sabbia? Da dove vieni?
(In terms of a mastery of syntax, not exactly
What you would call a perfect score. Still it
Got the job done.) The answer, it turns out:
Sandstorm in Spoleto falls from desert plains
Of Africa; yet another sign of global warming?
Rainy Days and Mondays, Again
16 Monday Apr 2018
Last week was a treasure for the eye;
And this week, a whirlwind for the ear.
Less demanding than Tra il grano e il cielo (the film portrait of Van Gogh), Maria by Callas tells the diva’s story in her own words, enough of them English to keep us well entertained.
Translation and subtitles also play a role, as the international jet-set moves effortlessly between French, Italian, and whatever the language that carries her voice into unknown territory.
And familiarity breeds comprehension, with cameos by enough celebrities to keep the pages of People filled to the brim. They break fast out of the Box Office gate, just like the thunderous downpour that struck us as we left Pegasus.
Reverse Engineering
16 Monday Apr 2018
Last night at del Trivio
Then today on the Corso
First Mirella, then Umberto
Went on about la sabbia.
There was also talk
About la macchina.
Enjoined in rhyme
But still no reason.
Unheard Of In the States
14 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in Travel
House wines, served by fractions of a liter
(A quarter at lunch and a half at dinner),
Are almost all anyone needs to consider.
But when you splurge for a 750 ml. bottle,
Like the ones we’re used to in the States,
The restaurant sells it to you at retail rates.
Of Course, Play
14 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in Travel
After the usual interlude of caffè e cornetti to start the day,
The drama of this morning’s walk down Il Corso Garibaldi
Is played out in i negozi di vestiti. Rebecca’s passionate
Regard for fashion goes to show: all the world’s a stage.
Of Course, Work
14 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in Education
So much is suspended on the hook of a comma?
In the course of most days, the fruit of our labor:
Per her instructor online, Rebecca is testing out
A theory of Value‘s directions to the viewer’s eye.
While I, moving to the beat of a different drum,
Weigh appeal of plot against the purchase of pun.
The Dust Bin of History
12 Thursday Apr 2018
Posted in Food
If a picture tells a story,
We seem to have broken
La macchina per il caffè
At Grazia’s La Cioccolateria.
The Italian Professor
12 Thursday Apr 2018
Posted in Education
Leaving the story’s title and my own for translation anon,
I’m struggling with the opening line: its missing subject,
Along with prepositions that always require concentration.
Succedere: to happen, befall; succeed, follow, come after.
It happens in Spoleto, in the city of ‘culture’.
The professor has my attention. So begin my Italian lessons.
Well Behind S. Gregorio, For Years a Crane
12 Thursday Apr 2018
Posted in Travel
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- Within a few steps of a gelato