Pedrocchi Cafè Carnival

Mardi Gras just hit Caffè Pedrocchi and the elegant lions have shed their gentlemanly faces today. After an afternoon of non-stop kids doing up carnival, the leoni are suffering from what looks like "cake face".

Entertainers have kept Padua's children occupied with festivities including balloons, music and dancing. They have assaulted the area with their enthusiasm. This comes in the form of a blanket of confetti, spray, dirty costumes and much much more.

Being early evening, I find it amusing to see all the kids dressed up, yet wearing coats that cover up almost all of their costumes. What's left is sprouting bright fabric in the form of skirts. Or face make up. The occasional tiara.

It's winter. It's Carnival. And unfortunately it's over tonight. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.

Life Through the Walls

Living in a condo, you can hear many distinct portions of your neighbors's lives. You start to weave stories about them.

It starts in the morning when you faintly hear the alarm go off upstairs, followed by the roll of the drawers as you imagine clothes are being found and put on.

There's the pounding of kids' feet as they run down the stairs to go to school. Sometimes they yell a bit, too. At 7:45 a.m.

There are the old neighbors who don't talk but rather shout at each other since they are hard-of-hearing. "Mario".....

The soft sound of someone else's light music playing in the bathroom. Are they taking a bath?

Occasionally there are workers banging or owners who are pounding on the walls. Maybe they are renovating or just hanging a picture.

The toddler crying his way to sleep or squeeking with glee.

Children trample up the stairs and devour lunch. Plates are clanking on tables in someone else's house.

Two children roll marbles after lunch and a nap. It can go on for hours.

A father scolds his son.

"Nutella," says a young boy who is probably making his snack request.

Tonight there's a young woman's voice coming from the kitchen upstairs. Does Sig. F has a special visitor?

There's a bird chirping from a cage in the apartment across the way upon the arrival of his favorite owner.

The owners who are calling the cat to come upstairs, "Fulmine, Fulmine." (I know not to take my dog out for a walk just now.)

Everyone is private here but I am learning about their lives whether they like it or not.

Carnival's Here

Padua is showing the signs of carnival. First it was the fritelle in the pasticceria. Then crostoni at the supermarket. Now some of the windows are decorated in the theme of carnevale. I already have seen confetti being sold at the tabaccaio and decorating the city center's pavement. Do you have your costume ready?

Crystalized Cobweb

Good morning Padua

We woke to a crystalized wonderland

All the fog had turned to ice and rained down on every millimeter of life

Mystery Thieves or Just Pranksters?

It's the season of the Nativity and Via Coi in Cencenighe has had numerous families set up their wares and creative designs dedicated to the little Jesus in a manger, including a fishing version of the scene made by some vacationing Venetians, a distinctly water culture. See last year's post for background and photos of the nativities.

This year even more displays have dotted the historic street. But then the thieves (or rather pranksters?) struck. Two days ago, one family discovered they were missing a sheep. Another house found a random donkey on their stoop that no one knows who is the rightful owner. Yesterday a nativity was reversed and all the figurines disappeared. The nativity with the missing sheep, which then had a sign asking for some collaboration in the return on the sheep, saw a cow go missing, too. Kids are roaming the street looking for their missing ceramic and straw animals. Families are now putting their nativities somewhere safe inside the four walls of their houses.

It's sad to see what started as a spontaneous event of fun participation become threatened what is probably a few teenagers that are being stupid and trying to just peeve a few families. But now I believe that this street will not display so many manger scenes in future years. They will be afraid of possible theives. I hope I will be proved wrong.

Surprise Attention

Even though I have been doing little posting lately, I am discovering more and more about my silent following of readers. They are starting to communicate with me. Some are people that I know and see but never really tell me that they read my blog, until now. Others, who perhaps followed for years, finally sent me a comment to a post that is quite old. Still others are contacting me with compliments and scholarly publishing opportunities.

It's ironic. All this after 3 years of virtually nothing.

I read other bloggers with long strings of comments after almost every post: 13, 25, 38. I am lucky if I get 1. (Thank you, my actual historic commenters!)

I know I haven't been doing the blogger-type to the best of my abilities by commenting on lots of other blogs to get new interest on my site or being listed in a million other blogs with links. settled for just a dozen. Honestly, I don't have time because I work full time in a different field other than Italian culture and tourism, perhaps a natural link to this blog's theme.

I also seem to have a different mission and tone to my blog posts. I am not always hailing the glory of the bel paese. I am not using this blog to prove to future publishers that I can write. I am not advertising another profit business, such as a B&B, or promoting a book I just published about Italy.

My blog must age to be appreciated, like wine and my favorite cheese, I guess.

I must admit that I do like getting more intelligent solicitations like the recent ones.

By the way,
Buon 2012!
Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

This time, the greetings for a Merry Christmas are coming from the US. I am here for this holiday for the first time in eight years. The lights are fantastic to see, outlining the houses and decorating trees and bushes in the suburban wonderland. I've even had the thrill of witnesses the terrific and alternatively kitsch and creative Christmas light display called Miracle at 34th Street in Baltimore, a famous local event.

My project this visit has also been to dismantle my entire studio and former bedroom for good. No more clothing remnants. No more art supplies or paintings to leave tucked in a drawer or piled on a table. This is full and total closure. It's time I do it but its finality is strong.

I am opening a new chapter of my life in Italy with a new project of remodelling being finished in the mountain house that is part of my husband's family. There is also new work scheduled for our condominium soon.

I am closing one door as another is evolving, if not opening.

The night before the Epiphany, January 5th, in some areas of Italy, you burn all the excess and symbolically the negative aspects from the previous year to get ready for the new one. The objects burn in a big bonfire. See this post as reference. In Baltimore now and several days earlier and not necessarily on a negative note, I am not burning but throwing away massive amounts of my past. Twenty year of it to be precise. May this be a good omen.

Auguri a tutti!
Merry Christmas to everyone!