It was a misty fine rain changing direction and force along the way–a Saturday afternoon in rural North Carolina; a stop along Route 95, heading south. The fog lasted all day and settled down like a shroud, touching the ground in all directions and just laying there. Visibility was poor, and the auto wipers were unsure what to do.
These rickety, ghostly plants seemed to be at home in this setting. It was as if they might have a story to tell.
The sculpture pays homage to the wild boar which is the favorite prey of hunters in Tuscany. They go out on hunts with their dogs.
In some parts of Italy, the wild boar go tearing through the vineyards causing damage.
After the hunt the town’s families get together to drink the local wine such as Chianti or Brunello. The boar meat is slow cooked for stew or for pasta with boar sauce containing morsels of tender meat.
When we first moved here in 1998, we became acquainted with the live nativity event. I recall standing out in the cold waiting for the children and animals to appear. There was a procession, and this star bearer came by. She seemed like she had appeared out of the mists of the past. For a moment I felt I had experienced time travel.
Preserving the past is usually expressed in this town by the architecture. But other things occur which add life to the history, like you see in the photo. It’s important to continue those “live” traditions whenever possible. The live nativity is now indoors, but it seemed more authentic when we were breathing vapor out our nostrils while waiting in the cold for the two-humped camel, the wise men, the sheep and some shepherds to arrive.
SOUNDTRACK: As a teenage musician I often took part in Christmas celebrations and concerts. We went caroling in the cold, and people tossed dollar bills out the windows of the garden apartments where we lived.
In school, Christmas music was a big deal, and I always have associated this holiday with beautiful music , both classical and popular. But this photograph seems to require something especially heart-felt and different from the usual carols, so here, although it is not actually a Christmas selection, it does seem to go with the photo. It’s Puccini.—Paul Goldfinger
San Gimignano is a medieval hill town near Siena. It was founded in the fifth century BC as an Etruscan village. To protect the town, stone walls and tall towers were constructed and still exist–a tribute to Italian erectile engineering skills.
Stop by our rear garden at 113 Mt. Hermon Way to see the metal sculpture called “The Etruscan Horse” by America sculptor Jo Ubogy. Here is a link regarding that Ocean Grove work of outdoor art.
LUIS ENRIQUEZ BACALOV. “Il Postino—Theme (instrumental)” This 1994 film from Italy won an Academy Award in 1995 for “best music.” The recording below is by John Williams conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with Itzhak Perlman on violin. The album is called “Cinema Serenade.”
SARA BAREILLES “She Used to be Mine” from the Broadway show Waitress. Composer Sara Bareilles.
“She is messy, but she’s kind
She is lonely most of the time
She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie
She is gone, but she used to be mine.”
Little Italy has been fading away for years. Yet you can still take a food tour there and visit family businesses that exist after more than one hundred years.
On Columbus Day, today, the Italian-American community is celebrated —-Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.
SALISBURY CATHEDRAL BOYS AND GIRLS CHOIR “The Lord is my Shepherd”
