{quotable thursdays-postcards from Genoa}

{view from the flat I'm staying in!}

Ciao da Genova!!! I got here last night from Milan and am staying in a fabulous charming flat. In a beautiful palazzo, with antique furniture with large windows looking onto a typical Genoese square. Fab!!
Today's quote comes from Henry James, summing up the place perfectly:
Genoa, [...] is the crookedest and most incoherent of
cities; tossed about on the sides and crests of a dozen hills, it
is seamed with gullies and ravines that bristle with those
innumerable palaces for which we have heard from our earliest
years that the place is celebrated. These great structures, with
their mottled and faded complexions, lift their big ornamental
cornices to a tremendous height in the air, where, in a certain
indescribably forlorn and desolate fashion, overtopping each
other, they seem to reflect the twinkle and glitter of the warm
Mediterranean. Down about the basements, in the close crepuscular
alleys, the people are for ever moving to and fro or standing in
their cavernous doorways and their dusky, crowded shops, calling,
chattering, laughing, lamenting, living their lives in the
conversational Italian fashion. 
-Henry James, 'Italy Revisted, 1877, in Portraits of Places, 1883

I have to say, not much has changed since the 19th century. The palazzi still stand tall and proud, many striped black and white, with architectural details that in some ways point to Venetian architecture. Indeed, this city of merchants, also a seapower like Venice, has a resemblance to the Serenissima. But instead of canals, one is jostled hither and thither by tiny winding streets--the vicoli--where shops spill out onto the pavement and above ornate Baroque icons tower down on the observer.

{my flat is above this lovely shop--those windows to the left, with the big green shutters is where I'm staying!}

{the archives!}

As someone who grew up sailing the world on tall ships, I suppose it's no wonder I feel slightly at home here, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. I'm here on research--spent the day in the beautiful archives (Archivio di Stato di Genova), but am hoping to explore the city a bit more this weekend. I have caught a flu, but hoping that I can quickly overcome it.
Baci!
L

{postcards from italy~virgins on street corners}

I take the title of this blog entry from Edward Muir's seminal article on the subject,  "The Virgin on the Street Corner: The Place of the Sacred in Italian Cities." I hardly will do justice here to Muir's rich interpretation of these images in urban life. I merely nod to his work through my title, and hope to provide a visual record of the ubiquitous presence of these ladies, even in today's urban fabric.
Interpretations of the functions of these icons are varied--primarily because they serve- and served- multiple functions. Sometimes these images were erected in places where authorities hoped to encourage more pious modes of behaviour (i.e. to prevent men from peeing in certain dark, covered areas, or worse, protecting against street crimes such as rape etc...) while at other times, they marked a miracle or important event that took place in the space.
Whatever their purpose, it is undeniable that they provide a beautiful embellishment to the urban fabric of any city, and for me, they always force me to pause & take a moment to look at the image.
I think you'll see why once you take a look:

{this one was done in some sort of chalk or white wash}

{tiled version of St. Anne &Virgin, as is typical of wall decoration in Capri}

{Not a V&Child, maybe a St. Dominic or St. Francis? in Capri}

{and, as in the case of many, this painting in Florence became a very large cult site, resulting in a building being built in its honour}

{Here we have one right outside a restaurant}

{and this Annunciation scene, above a shop}

In Italy, you can take in a lot of amazing artworks by just walking down the street--particularly the well-known glazed terracotta sculptures by the della Robbia family, often on building façades in Florence. Much of these works of art were meant to be seen in public space-experienced as part of daily life-and not in a museum space, taken out of context. Michelangelo's David is only one example, but there are many, many more. So next time you're in Italy, remember to look up & take a look around you--there are plenty to see (just remember to look down occasionally, as there is plenty of deposits left by unruly doggies on the pavement which proves unpleasant on one's new gucci shoes.)
ciao!
L

{falling leaves}

While I love the word autumn, the North American term--"fall"--seems to conjure up the idea of falling leaves...
I began teaching last week and have just finished a busy second week of teaching...Fall/autumn always reminds me of getting ready to go back to school as a child...All the preparations that went into "Back to School": buying school supplies, hopefully getting new clothes, or getting hand-me-downs from my older sisters... and the fresh, crisp smell in the air. The leaves begin to change their colours, at night and in the morning there' s a chill in the air, but the sun still shines & the days are still fairly warm.

Around Allegany county the leaves are already starting to change colour. I hear that fall here is absolutely beautiful; the trees riotous with colour. It always reminds me of Canada...falling leaves, and especially the Maple Leaf. I remember when I was 12 and we were sailing down the Baja during fall. We couldn't have been further away from falling leaves and colder temps as we motored in windless weather and looked upon dry, cacti-laden landscape. My favourite album at the time was Bare Naked Ladies' Maybe You Should Drive, and I took comfort in the lyrics from You Will be Waiting:

"As we walk together through the autumn, nearing winter
Through the dying leaves and trees we call our home and native land..."

Somehow it reminded me of home and eased the homesickness.


This past weekend I visited Angelica with a colleague--a town not too far from Alfred that has plenty of antiques. The day was sunny, the central square (actually a circle) was filled with local farmers selling their fresh produce, and  a local winery even had a stall open for wine-tasting. Another reason why I love this time of year: wine harvest!

{Antique Shops in Angelica}

The antique shops had numerous incredible finds and I had to be very disciplined not to buy everything in sight. Around the theme of fall/back to school, I found numerous vintage lunch boxes. In particular, two Strawberry Shortcake lunch boxes that looked like the one my sister, Esther, used to have and that I used to eye-eagerly hoping to inherit one day. Our 5 year-old niece, Paulina, would have especially appreciated these, since Strawberry Shortcake is back in fashion.

{Strawberry Shortcake lunchboxes like this one were on sale at the Antique Shops in Angelica. This one available from primetoystore}

Speaking of fashion, there were a couple of shops with amazing vintage clothing...lovely light gloves suitable for autumn, a variety of hats and head decorations, and scarves...and some great coats.

{Who cares about rain or chilly weather when you've got a dainty hat to wear? These hats look very similar to the vintage hats I saw at the antique shops in Angelica. From BBC's Homes&Antiques}

The comfort of warm cardies and boots always get me excited for fall too...the colours are more subdued--more browns, and greys...and somehow more comforting.

{I love this combo of brown boots, a dainty hat & a lovely purse from Lola & Emily in Montreal}

and the theme of leaves always makes me want to adapt nature to fashion. I love these gold earrings shaped as leaves that I got from Forever XXI...and they have loads more different styles. I love true bling, but I have a tendency to lose earrings, so these cheaper ones are sometimes a better (& safer) bet for me.

{gold 'leaf' earrings from Forever XXI (a few seasons ago). This was taken on Bowen Island on a trip I took with my parents (their boat Passat in background}

{These are also from Forever XXI
 in 2009--I love them!}

{Also from Forever xxi}

{and this lovely leaf necklace from FreshyFig}

...and leaves always make me think of Daphne being turned into a laurel tree, pursued by Apollo, executed by Bernini between 1622 and 1625...I love the way her hair and her hands softly turn into the branches & then leaves of a tree...

{Bernini, Apollo and Daphne, 1622-25, Carrara marble, height 243 cm Galleria Borghese, Rome}

and speaking about trees, I couldn't leave out Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree...always a favourite for young & old.

...and why not decorate the house with some fally-feely tree-inspired decorations?

{How about this cool tree-branch inspired chandelier? by Jessica Johnson}

{or this lovely one from Neiman Marcus?}

{FALL candles available on  Etsy}

{or what child wouldn't want to sleep in this tree-fort inspired child's bed from MacKenzie Child's ?}

And finally, to end--one of my favourite poems about autumn:

'All things have something more than barren use;

There is a scent upon the briar,

A tremulous splendour in the autumn dews,

Cold morn are fringed with fire.'

--Alexander Smith