Sundays are often a welcome change of pace, as they quite often have no agenda or expectations. Sometimes they are a day of rest, but more often are fun for making up things as we go.........and such is today!
We woke up to another nice day.......this is getting to be a serious consideration. We are now on day 14 of our trip.......and have had sun every day. There have been rain 'interventions' in the late afternoon once or twice, but overall the weather has been extraordinary!
We had a nice breakfast around 8:45......as we slept in a bit. No time for showers! Everyone seems to be adjusting accordingly. While we are supposed to be finished with breakfast around 9:00, it is not a huge deal, as we all basically serve breakfast ourselves from the pantry and refrigerators. Today, the big deal was that the coffee maker was broken! Manualita (Manny) was embarrassed, but soon we had a fix. Coffee rules here, so there is no way to move forward without a solution. She found a machine in the back of the kitchen and soon things were working fine!
After breakfast we walked the grounds a bit........and then retreated to the room for some weekend laundry. As the machines are outside of our room, we commandeered them for the morning! Actually, we only had one load. I hate to admit this, but Andrea soon showed me that I had left a variety of napkins and tissues in my pants which created a bit of 'confetti' in the washing machine, which continued to emerge in the drying cycle. Oh well......
Then up to the roof terrace for a quick look at the weather. Looking good!
Then a late morning break for a coffee on the south terrace.
Lunch was also on the dining terrace. We have a few folks who are tired of pasta, but the plate of Pomodoro sauce and cheese was perfect for us......
As the afternoon and 'reposo' or 'siesta' time approached, we decided to take a trip out to the Cimetero di Staglieno. No doubt about this.......it is a cemetery in Genova.......one of the largest in Italy. We have heard stories for years from people who have made the trip here, coming back with eloquent visions of how moving the place is. The cemetery includes a massive arcade of crypts with quite extraordinary sculptures commissioned by families in the late 19th century. We will follow here with our impressions. The cemetery was about 25 minutes by car from the villa.......but the traffic was light on a Sunday.
First (upon entry at the parking lot), the flower market was quite extraordinary......some of the brightest colors of flowers we had ever seen. There was a good reason for this, as the flowers were ALL artificial. Apparently, as we learned from our colleague Maria, Italian families do not visit cemeteries often, hence the need for flowers to last a long time! The more we looked at the flowers, the more amazing this appeared.
I am not sure how comfortable we are with describing the main structures of the cemetery. It is widely recognized as a 'tour de force' of burial sculpture. Our primary impression was somewhat defined by a sense of awe.......and a less impressive character of age and neglect. The sculptures of the crypts from the mid-late 19th century Genovese elite were magnificent, although neglected for more than a century. As in the states, the maintenance of the crypts is the responsibility of the families. There was a cast of dirt, grime and neglect that one could understand......enveloping most of the magnificent sculptures which 'fronted' the crypts.
To understand the 'focus' of this trip, we were following the recommendation of several others who had been to this place.......who returned rather enamored by one particular sculpture of a woman, known as the monument to Caterina Campodonico, known in more familiar terms as the "la venditrice di noccioline".....or the seller of hazelnuts. We have to admit being a bit overwhelmed by the beauty of this sculptural piece. In the overall context of the arcaded crypts, however, it was somewhat of a singular beauty, having been singled out and restored (for an unknown reason) by the American Society for Italians.
In any case, you will see our photos, selective of the range of crypts........ending with some images of Caterina.
We will note here that we probably were not disappointed to complete our visit and head back for the seashore. For a Sunday excursion, on the way back, we ended up finding a very nice stopping point at a café on the Passeggiata in Nervi for some wonderful gelato. We agreed that the cemetery was not worth all the 'hype' about being a destination of elegiac ceremony and communality with the afterlife!
Sorry, a bit 'fuzzy' below.....
OUR FAVORITE - CATERINA COMPODONICO
Translation
Selling necklaces of hazelnuts and donuts to the sanctuaries of Acquasanta, del Garbo, San Cipriano.
With wind and sun with pouring water, to ensure a bread in my old age among the little money, I put away.
The ones to hand down to me over time while I'm alive, and I'm a true Portoriana: (from Portoria, Genoa district) Caterina Campodonico (the village woman).
From this memory of mine, if you like it, you who pass by, pray for peace.
REA
Fun watching people train for kayak excursions!
and back to the Villa for dinner........such a peaceful evening, as we ate outdoors on the dining terrace.
