From the time I was old enough to speak, I was a reluctant crusader against the relentless ignorance over the gender-bending name my parents assigned me at birth.  

As I reached adulthood, the naming world evolved and it appeared the heat was finally off women with “men’s names”.  Thanks to Oprah’s Book Club, Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison became a household name and songbird Toni Braxton was a sexy girl-named-Toni babe. Things were looking up in the given name department…until I moved to Italy. 

“Mi Chiamo Toni.”  Oh, hell, here we go again.

by Toni DeBella

For me happiness is like an AutoGrill on the Italian Autostrada: A pit stop on the road of life.  You can pull in, park, take a coffee and hang out for a while but you aren’t permitted to set up camp.  At some point you must get back into your vehicle and continue down the highway.  Do you grumble as you get into your car, waiting and hoping to come across another AutoGrill soon?

When will we get it?  Life is speeding past us like the scenery out our windshields.  We have to run across the parking lot, jump back into our cars, roll down the windows, crank up the radio and sing at the top of our lungs to bad pop songs.

Life is short.  Be the dumpster.

by Toni DeBella

I am very lucky to be included in your circle of friends.  Because of the distance between us we don’t see each other as often as I’d like, but when we meet it’s as if no time passes – we just pick up right where we left off.  I know what a rare and special gift this is.

I lit a candle for you today. It burns brightly for happy memories, solidarity, friendship, peace and, most of all, love. 

by Toni DeBella

Just a few kilometers outside the center of Orvieto there’s an area known as Localita’ Ponte del Sole.  Drive slowly on the winding road and be careful not to blink or you might miss it: A small hand painted sign with the words “Risto-Pizzeria da Zia Graziella” nailed to a tree.  The arrow points you down a white road that leads to a clearing…you’ve arrived at Zia Graziella’s place.

At first it might seem a bit unorthodox to find a pizzeria operating out of a private farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.  However, when you consider that Italy is a country where food is one of its greatest sources of pride and cuisine part of its national identity, a speakeasy-style establishment thriving on a word-of-mouth reputation makes perfect sense.

Chef Zia Graziella has been creating pasta dough for over thirty-five years – first as the proprietor of a fresh, homemade pasta shop in the historical center and now as a highly regarded, wood-fired pizza cook.  What makes her famous dough so extraordinary is that each batch is produced from an eighty-year old “mother” starter that she rolls out to a paper-thin consistency.  Her recipe uses no oil and toppings are made with only the freshest ingredients picked from her garden or gathered from local area farms.

The price for a pizza dinner is fixed but the menu is fluid and dictated by the growing season.  The meal includes antipasti, three or four different kinds of pizzas, dessert, wine, and coffee. Tonight, for example, we dined on Pizza Margherita (fresh tomato and mozzarella), Pizza with Fennel, Potato and Spicy Salami, and finally, Eggplant, Mozzarella and Tomato pizza.

The pizza flows like the nearby Tiber and can be stopped by leaving at least one slice on the platter – a signal to the kitchen that you’ve finished with the main course and are ready for dessert: a Pizza Nutella.  I think it was somewhere between the coffee service and the pouring of Limoncello that I slipped into a Graziella-induced coma.

Honestly, I’d love to tell you that this amazing, one-of-a-kind restaurant is the best-kept secret in Umbria, but I’d be lying.  Everyone knows the charming and talented Graziella: Martin Scorsese claims her gnocchi is the best he’s ever eaten and Richard Gere has her on speed dial. Not a VIP?  Don’t worry – when you eat at Risto-Pizzeria da Zia Graziella, you’re more than just a celebrity, you’re family.

Risto-Pizzeria da Zia Graziella, Localita’ Ponte Del Sole, 38, Orvieto, Italy 05018, +39 389 792 5102

by Toni DeBella

After a brief introduction, author Estelle Jobson sat down on a cushion in the courtyard of The Beehive Hotel, opened her book, Finding Rome on the Map of Love, and began to read.  As I listened to her recount the stories, I noticed the corners of my mouth began to spontaneously turn upward.  Her elegant and proper South African accent was in sharp contrast to the wry, sardonic, and sassy repartee.  Hey, this girl gets it!  When she finished I was a bit sad, but fortunately I’d purchased my very own autographed copy of the book and immediately cracked it open on the train back to Orvieto.

During the first couple of chapters, I was gulping down Estelle’s pages the way a typical American might eat their dinner – swallowing without taking time to taste.  Perhaps I’ve been in Italy long enough that a voice in my head warned, “Don’t be in a hurry – savor each flavor and texture”.  This book was just like a good Italian meal – I never wanted the literary feast to end, but when it did I felt warm and utterly satisfied.

Estelle Jobson is a talented writer who has a true gift for observation; describing things as an expatriate I’d experienced but was never able to fully articulate.   I think what I appreciated the most about Estelle’s storytelling is that she doesn’t laugh at Italians, she laughs with them.  Her book is filled with intelligent humor, compassion, and edgy insight.  She is sarcastic without being mean; clever without being pretentious; and emotional without being too sentimental.  Estelle sees Italians the way they really are and reconfirms, at least for me, why I love living among them.

I’ll stay with the food analogy for just a little bit longer to say that I really enjoyed chewing slowly on every single delicious “bite” of Finding Rome on the Map of Love – her words were proprio buonissime! 

Enjoying my copy…

…in front of the…

…Duomo di Orvieto.

by Toni DeBella

You can contact the author at findingrome@gmail.com

Find her and her book on Facebook

ebook on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Rome-Map-Love-ebook/dp/B009HBLYYO/ 

Online extract here: http://italianintrigues.blogspot.ch/2012/10/the-socialization-of-italian-man.html

Watch YouTube Video Below!

Yes, I know you’ve seen this post before….but it’s Umbria Jazz Winter #20, so I’m updating the line-up and reminding everyone that there’s a 5-day party going on in Orvieto!

Like scrappy, bebopping Pied Pipers, Perugia’s popular street band Funk Off gets this party started with a nightly parade that snakes through Orvieto’s narrow and ancient cobblestone alleyways. Music lovers, young and old, scamper and skip behind these energetic hipsters as their infectious beat draws more and more followers along the route. The bluesy procession ends with an impromptu jam session in the Piazza della Repubblica, where you’ll find you can’t help but tap your feet, move your body and smile: It’s Umbria Jazz Winter #20 and “baby, it’s cold outside”.

The international flavor and welcoming spirit amidst the holiday lights and chilly, frigid temperatures creates a unique atmosphere that makes this festival something special. For five nights, starting from December 28 to January 1, Jazz fans flock from all over Italy and beyond to partake in the music and brotherhood for which this festival has become world renowned.  Performing on stage this year: Gregory Porter Septet, Dee Alexander & Evolution Ensemble, Tomeka Reid, Nicole Mitchell, Gary Brown & Feelings, Giovanni  Tommaso Reunion Quintet, John Batiste, and many more.

2012 goes out with a bang! Capodanno is celebrated in the Piazza del Popolo at midnight, ringing in the New Year with a fireworks display and free outdoor concert.  On New Year’s Day arrive at the famous Duomo early to secure your spot for the first Mass of 2013.  Inside this majestic Cathedral you’ll witness something you don’t see every day; hymns sung at a Roman Catholic “Mass for Peace and Gospel” by Dr. Bobby Jones and the Nashville Gospel Superchoir.  Hold onto your seats because this joint will be jumpin’!

For more information about the festival go to: http://www.umbriajazz.com/Home.aspx

SEE YOUTUBE VIDEO OF FUNK OFF HERE:

by Toni DeBella

I’m happy to report that because the end of the world didn’t come this week, my tour of the Christmas lights in Rome was able to go forward as planned.  In fact, my personal “guide” for the evening had a new prophecy for me:

“I predict you are going to come to Rome very, very soon…and be astonished from the lights all over, thinking it was the effect of that good wine you just had.” 

Maybe it was the wine, or it might have been those sparkling blue and white jellyfish that floated above my head, or the draping of light bulbs that covered an entire boulevard from end-to-end, or the gigantic trees in every piazza…

Whatever the reason, I was totally astonished and also extremely grateful to be here in Italy for this glittery Roman holiday tradition.

Last night Rome was so bright, I should have worn shades.

by Toni DeBella

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”  - Joseph Campbell

Did you know that you can talk to the universe and sometimes the universe listens?  It’s been listening to me lately.  I don’t always believe in things I can’t see or touch, but I sure as hell believe in that…and “what goes around comes around”, and right and wrong, and trusting your gut, and true friendship, and love…

…and “mind over matter”. 

Maybe I’m becoming a true believer.

Photograph of the Duomo d’Oriveto by Toni DeBella

by Toni DeBella

Soooo….how is everything?

Lots of rain here.

My roof is leaking.

Just got in from my second trip to JFK in a week.

I spent a week in Bangkok last month.

Tell me all about your new life.

xo. D

6 December, 2012

Dear D,

We had a flood here four weeks ago. Bad.

I sit in my office a lot in front of my computer.

I drink too many cappuccinos.

I ran into my ex the other day. Awkward.

Haven’t eaten any pasta yet.

Only ate one gelato.

Eva is a great Italian teacher.

Had to substitute her for the Italian news online.

I changed my cellular provider without help.

It took two attempts.

It rained yesterday.

Supermarket is closed on Wednesdays.

I ate cereal for dinner.

The Mayor says I belong in a category called “Orvietini”

I like it.

xo. T

by Toni DeBella

How often do I get to say this sentence?  

“Last night I went to a party in a castle.”

The event was hosted by the amazing talent and Caravaggio lookalike, ceramic artist Marino Moretti. Inside his studio, located in a partially restored 9^th century castle in the town of Viceno, people gathered for a pre-holiday brindisi (toast).  I tagged along with my friend textile conservator and dealer Igor (Ilkka Juhani) Honkanen.  I was pleasantly surprised to see other friends who were in attendance.  I’m the new girl in town – well not really.

Two guys were hunched over in an intense conversation in front of the fire, and Igor split off to talk to some other people, so I wandered around the hall in awe of all the colorful pottery surrounding us. Marino’s lovely wife was such a gracious hostess and the couple’s handsome teenage son acted as the bartender.  I was trying to play it cool and take it all in – the food and wine, the atmosphere and art – but the phrase kept repeating in my head, “I am in a castle, I am in a castle, I am in a castle”. 

As for Marino’s works, they are quite particular.  His pieces belong mostly in the category of Majolica (Maiolica) ceramics, but what I really want you to know is that they belong in a class by themselves.

Majolica is a traditional way of tin-glazing pottery that dates back to the 13^th century.  The technique uses strong bright colors and often depicts historical and legendary stories through figures and scenes. Moretti’s creations come in all forms of earthenware, terracotta and porcelain.  Since the 1970s, Marino has gathered quite a large and loyal following.

Tonight the main room was filled with whimsical pottery displayed in groupings of vases, bowls and platters.  In the corner were spindly garden sculptures, and handpainted tiles of yellow, blue, green and red hung like Renaissance calling cards. Happy medieval figures danced around bowls and ancient fish swam across platters.  Even a crazy man was biting his own tail – this is serious art that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  

I found my way into the potter’s workshop where small cups and vases were perched on simple wooden shelving.  I took a deep breath before attempting to pick up a tiny espresso cup with a medieval man’s head on it.  I thought it was so magnificent I needed to touch it.  I lifted it gingerly, careful not to bump it against the other cups or drop it.  It seemed so precious and delicate. I admired it and felt how light it was in my hand.  If I owned this cup, I don’t think I could bear to drink coffee out of it!  It might be just a little cup and saucer to some, but to me it’s a work of art.

Marino Moretti Studio d’Arte, via del Castello Vecchio, 12-05014 Viceno (TR), 0763 361663 – 320 2651654

For more information go to www.marinomoretti.it or email: info@marinomoretti.it

by Toni DeBella