Apr 07 2006
Travels With Dad: Tuscany, April 1984
April 20, 1984
Went to the little mountain village of Monterchi to see a fresco by the famous 15th century painter Piero della Francesca. Monterchi was charming, although we did find a charming church & a nice memorial to some Anglo-Indian soldiers killed during WWII, we simply could not find the fresco. Finally, we found it [I seem to have failed to mention that the quest in question was to find Madonna Del Parto], in a little chapel next to the Monterchi cemetery – & it was worth every effort. [My original ticket cost 250 lire, or 15 cents!] It is so very beautiful, & the Madonna’s face glows from the painting, her expression a little perplexed, yet serious & serene, wondering, yet certain.
[I believe it was the only Renaissance painting to show the Madonna actually pregnant. Certainly it’s one of the only ones.]
April 22, 1984
Visited the island of Elba, where Napoleon was imprisoned for a year or so. We drove to Piombino, & then took the ferry to Elba. The ferry was ship-sized, and had a very odd system of boarding: cars & people all went on from below, at once, and then you climbed a ladder and onto the deck. It was a very nice ride, and took about an hour & a quarter – quite cold on deck, although it was a hot, radiantly sunny day.
Elba is mountainous, a wild, sparsely populated subtropical island in the Mediterranean. There are cacti, and big, beautiful flowers that smell wonderful – the air is perfumed. Dad and I climbed to the top of the Medici fortress – turned into a PLAYGROUND on one level – while Megan played with a German dog called Astra and Mom rested. It was a lovely view, the sea an incredible blue, little white boats, tile-roofed white houses, the wild mountains. Actually, the harbors look much like Marseille.
Napoleon’s “house” closed 10 minutes before we got there; but we saw the outside, which was very grand, with a line of “N’s” which went right across the facade, & big “N’s” in the wrought-iron gates, too! Some prison! One wonders if they were preparing for his arrival in advance. Yet it must have been a very lonely place for an emperor, in spite of his brave claim that “Napoleon is happy everywhere.”
One Response to “Travels With Dad: Tuscany, April 1984”
I love reading these accounts of your travels. Are they taken right from a diary? Your descriptive narrative is detailed but it relaxes me. Such as – I am taking a mini-vacation by reading it.
More, please?!