A Month in Medieval Volpaia, Tuscany: Diary of a "Temporary Citizen"

By Robert P Crosby, Patricia N Crosby and Gayle Goldman

This diary of a philosophically-inclined "temporary citizen" weaves together companionship, food, wine, and song to tell about the annual journey he makes with his wife to this lovely ancient village.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vivo Publishing Co., Inc.
• Release date: Feb 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9780977690046

Book preview

SUNDAY, DOMENICA, SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

I write for myself. It is important to me that my audience is me…not others. The thing is in the writing – this moment! That is, I want to focus on my experience rather than on how this will appear if read by others. This is how I began this diary. Soon, however, I became quite conscious of potential readers and of my desire to have you, the reader, join us in your imagination.

Our journey from Seattle included a day in Paris where we enjoyed a lunch at a café with an Italian couple (from near Venice) seated near us. She started singing O Sole Mio and then Nessun Dorma (a signature song of Pavarotti). I joined her. The couple understood my broken Italian! I realized that my year at La Scuola Italiana in Seattle had prepared me to better speak and hear this enchanting language.

Upon our arrival last night in Volpaia, Paola, Gina, and Carla greeted us as if we were family - like when our children and grandchildren were young and would open their arms and raise their voices and run to us.

Patricia described it in her dream chronicle where she makes occasional notations about daily happenings; "Arriving in Volpaia! The look on Paola’s face as she shouted, ‘Professore!’. She and Roberto greet each other like long-lost siblings. Hugs! Kisses – and then Carla runs across the piazza to embrace me and then Roberto – everyone at the top of their voices including Mamma