60 days in Italy: Ladies that Lunch

Shay left today but otherwise it was the best time I've had since arriving in Italy almost ten weeks ago.

Frances, Barbara and I went to Lecce and spent some money. We bought purses and espresso coffee makers, glassware and Christmas gifts for family members back home. We bought things in jewellery shops and underwear in outdoor markets. We bargained -- well at least I did, and everybody I asked reduced their prices by a few Euros.

Laden with bags, we ladies lunched at a lovely place near Santa Croce called Volo. We were the only patrons there and got the proprietor’s and waiter's fullest attention. Lovely pumpkin risotto for Frances, penne with asparagus and potato mousse for Barbara while I had menu #1: orechiette in tomato sauce followed by an eggplant mousse. We didn't even have room for coffee.

Back in Martignano, Barbara and Frances got busy putting up their respective photos and paintings for tonight's exhibit at Piazza Palmieri, while I sat at my computer and tried to write. Those two put together a stupendous repeating slide show of their work and Shay's, which projected on the palazzo’s gigantic and beautiful exterior wall. It was fantastic to see the work writ so large.

The original work was exhibit inside the palazzo’s exhibition hall.

Everyone who came to the show, about 50 people, including my young friends Francesco Aprile and Roberta Gaetani, and our MIRA hostess Paola introduced us. I read my 100-word New Page submission in English and in Italian. Elio Coriano, a poet who lives in Martignano read from his work in progress, and then his wife, Stella Grande and her band, got up on stage and did three pizzicata numbers, folk music from the region. Some of the older folks got up and let loose. The dance, pizzica, is a courtship ritual. (The attached video gives a taste of the music's high energy.)

Then a bunch of us went to Alle Calende Greche for pizza. Nothing like starting dinner at 11 pm. What fun.