Digging Deeper...Roots, Part 2

After an amazing day of discoveries yesterday, we decided to spend an extra night in Nomaglio, the village where my Grandmother was born. 

Well, we aren't actually staying in the village, because there really isn't anywhere to stay. We are staying in the valley below.

We can see the village from our hotel down below, which is very cool...

Tucked into the mountain side, there is Nomaglio.

 

We spent the morning wandering the small streets of the town we are staying in, which I hope will be another blogpost...then after a bite to eat we drove back up to Nomaglio. We had enjoyed our time with cousin Walter, but we didn't really get a chance to walk around the whole village, like we wanted to. A second visit was needed, for sure.

Sadly, not the clearest day, but you can get an idea of high up we were.

I just wanted to take the time to walk each and every street, which is what we did. We did not see Walter this time. 

It's such a lovely place. Very Alpine...

I had a funny feeling about the house I posted about in my last blog as being where my Grandmother was born...it just didn't fit the stories I remembered from when my folks visited. I also remembered seeing a photo of that house, and it was nothing like the one I posted yesterday...

This house just didn't seem like the right one...

I remembered it being a real ruin, almost...very much in bad shape. We got pretty excited when we stumbled onto this place, which seemed closer to the photos I'd seen before...

Could this be the house??

It had an awesome wooden feed trough for the animals that 
lived there at one time...

Then we came upon this one, below, and it totally clicked. I know there is a shot of my Mom standing right here, in front of this house. I had misunderstood Walter yesterday...he had said that the family house was "sopra", or 'above' the one from yesterday, which is just where this house is! I heard him, but just didn't get it until today.

It was hidden above and behind the house I had posted yesterday. We just didn't get that far up the street, because Walter was having a tough time walking so far.

So...THIS is the house where my Grandma was born. 
It's in bad shape, for sure. I remembered the arches in Mom's photos.

The front door....

Evidently, a young couple bought the property a few years ago, and they've renovated the back side of it, but are leaving the rest alone. I think you can't change some of the really old places much...

Needless to say, I was thrilled to find the true "old homestead". I just knew there was something wrong with that image from yesterday!

Having cleared that up, we just had fun walking around and seeing all the details...

I wanted this so bad. An old metal sign telling you not to pick the wildflowers...

Of course there were a few of my old pals....

My favorite takeaway, besides EVERYTHING, was the amazing stonework here...

I love the slate roof tiles!

The work is so intricate, and the color combination is gorgeous. 

I know that one of our relatives...maybe my great Grandfather...was brought over as a stone mason to help build the city hall in the square in Sonoma, California. It makes sense. When Grandma came to the USA as a little girl, she came with her mother and siblings to join her father, who was already working in the states. They were in Napa, I'm pretty sure.

It's a good story, and I need to confirm it.

Back to the amazing stone work in Nomaglio...

Love this one without any mortar...

They are works of art...

We finished up just walking to the other end of town to see the cemetery again...and take more shots of beauty...

The war memorial, with a few relatives counted...

We are done with Nomaglio for now, but I know we will return again. I also need to visit the towns where my other relatives lived and still live.

I can't wait too long!

Ciao, Nomaglio...

Digging Into My Roots...

Wow.

Today we finally made the trip north to visit the village where my maternal Grandmother was born. It's been a long time coming, and I wish we'd done this years ago.

My parents have been here before, and they always encouraged us to make the trip. It was a 9 hour drive, totally out of our comfort zone, and completely worth it!

The little mountain village in the Piedmonte region is so charming, I was instantly in love....So different from our Umbrian surroundings! We are almost in Switzerland. I didn't know what to expect, so every moment has been a gift.

Entering the village, way up the mountain!

I wasn't sure if I would find my distant cousin still alive and well, but we did! Walter is now 85, living alone but seemingly happy. We spent about 2 hours with him. We walked all over town, and I was so tickled to meet him and be able to talk about our lives.

He was an avid mountain climber in his day, loves to garden and worked for 30 years in the Olivetti typewriter factory in nearby Ivrea...

Walter has my Grandma's blue eyes...
My niece Anna also sports the blue eyes!

The town sits on the edge of a mountain with views that go across the valley to Torino. This little gem is spotlessly clean and tidy. I was taken in by it's beauty...

My Grandmother's maiden name was Allamanno, and we got a kick out of seeing the name everywhere, including in the main piazza...

Yeah, that's it.

Many of the streets are still cobbled stone...The fountain is a favorite attraction here.

I felt like I was walking back in time...

This interesting stairway was on the backside of the church.

Walter pointed out the house where my Great Grandparents once lived...wow!

We planned on just coming up here to collect some documents, but we've decided to stay an extra night. This area is gorgeous, and we want to explore.

Thanks, Grandma Dottie. I never would have discovered this place if not for you!

I've never felt so in touch with my roots in Italy as I did today.

What a gift to be here.

 

Florence DayTrip: Olafur Eliasson

 

We made a day trip (again) up to Florence this week. There was an exhibition we really wanted to see, and Johnny needed to get more canvas for the studio.

Weather looked great, so we hopped the train early and took off!

Staying warm in the early morning sunshine...
Waitin' for the train.

When we head to Florence, it's often for Johnny to buy supplies for the studio here. On this trip, he needed to get another roll of canvas...It's pretty cool that the folks at this store have gotten to know us over the years.

Of course there are the usual sights to see...

...but we came for canvas and this wonderful show that just opened at Palazzo Strozzi. I signed up for their emails, so we always have some idea as to what's going on. There is almost always an interesting show here, and this was no exception!

This is a show of installation pieces. No paint, no canvas, no frames...just really cool light and reflection pieces, playing with the structures that are already in place at this wonderful old building.

I loved the whole concept and execution...it was right in my wheel house!

Walking into the first room, you see this on one huge wall. What is it?
It's a reflection made by strobe type lights set up in the outside courtyard, filtering through
these old windows, below!

I was giddy!

My shadow self in another lovely room of light and reflection!

This is what you see upon entering this room...

This is how the reflections are created.
Such a great idea to play with.

Johnny in the middle pane...

Johnny again...
Love that his glasses are making their own little show!

I almost lost my balance going into the next room, which featured a mirrored ceiling. It was really disorientating, but at the same time...fun.

A Mirror Shot like no other!
Helloooooo!

Another trippy Mirror Shot opportunity.

The next piece was amazing. It reflected windows in the room behind the wall, but in multiples and also in little bubbles...hard to explain, but just look...

I love how the old structure and details of the building were a big feature in this work.

Moving on, we entered a very dark room that had this super fine mist floating continuously down.

You could walk right through it, if you wanted. I didn't, but I got really close...

This video gives you a better idea. It was a magical piece.

So, the show just kept getting more interesting, with color and texture and movement...

Us being reflected...

???

There I am...just look!

Me getting all jiggy with it!

Seriously fun!

And then this...

After the Magical Colorful Tour, we entered a room that had lighting that made us sort of monotone.

It was kind of creepy, but also pretty cool...

Life in yellow!

Next, we moved into Virtual Reality World. A first for both of us. So fun, and also so weird!!

Seriously fun!

All in all, a wonder-filled show. Highly recommend this one, if you find yourself in Florence.

A very happy Johnny!