Orvieto is a vibrant and lively city, but it also offers a slower, tranquil pace. In the daytime, the city swells with visitors (yah, we like that), but at night, locals come out with their families for a stroll along the ‘Corso’. Maybe they have a gelato – or as we did last evening – stop to enjoy an impromptu string concerto. There’s always something to do and see in Orvieto…and sometimes it’s completely unexpected!Like!Share!Visit!
Examples of the ancient art of woodworking can be found on nearly every street and alleyway (and home) in Orvieto. Bottega Michelangeli has been creating its signature wood furniture and whimsical figurines since 1789. Continuing in full operation today, you can find its most famous creations, the ‘trojan black horses’, on one of the town’s prettiest streets – Via Michelangeli. Climb up onto the horses’ sturdy backs for a photo; these solid wood sculptures bring out the ‘kid’ in everyone! Like! Share! Visit!
As we come to the mid-point of our project to spread the word about the marvels of Orvieto (in 31 installments), today I thought I’d post some of my favorite shots of life in Orvieto. If you love Orvieto or want to support the effort to “passaparola” about Orvieto’s beauty and history, then ‘like’ the posts, ‘share’ them and then ‘visit, visit, visit’!
I came to Orvieto for the first time in 2002, but returned in 2004 to learn Italian by the’ immersion method’. Embarrassingly, 11 years later I’m still struggling (apparently, I suck at mathematics AND languages). Luckily my good friends at I Love IT School, Laura Cardinali and Evelina Santaguida, have taught me some important language skills such as: 1) Make sure you distinctively pronounce the double ‘n’ in ‘penne’, 2) Stay away from the verb ‘scopare’ and the word for ‘figs’ in Italian, and 3) Never, ever give up….Parla Italiano? Boh! Like! Share! Visit!
…but of the beautiful kind! Did you know that the “Green Rooster of Orvieto”, created in the 13th-century, is one of the oldest Majolica ceramics (Italian tin-glazed pottery) dinnerware designs in Italy? Some of my favorite local pottery-masters include L’arpia Ceramiche, Ceramiche Fusari and Ceramiche Giacomini. Oh, I haven’t forgotten famed artist Marino Moretti. On the lighter side – La Brocca di Gallo is the wine/water pitcher everyone needs for their table!
Some people live where they happened to be born, where they got a job or where a spouse is from. But some of us, like my friend Brian, chose our home. Brian is an example that it’s never to late to realize a dream or change your life. I once asked him, “How do I explain to people why I chose to live here in Orvieto? His answer is now mine: “It’s easy, just tell them it’s BECAUSE YOU LIKE IT!” Live, dream and do! That’s my friend, Brian.
Want to know more about Brian? Read a post I wrote about him back in 2012 here.
It began almost a year ago. A man was visiting a mutual friend of mine in Orvieto and took a picture of an elegant, solitary gentleman sitting on the bench across from the Duomo. Several months later the photographer wrote to ask if I knew the gentleman’s name or how to contact him. He thought the man and his family might like to have a copy of the portrait.
Although I’d passed him many times on the street, I didn’t know him personally. Naturally, I turned to social media for help, posting the above photo on my Facebook page with the following caption:
“This is a beautiful photo shot by a friend while visiting Orvieto last spring. I have seen this man around town but I’ve never formally met him. Does anyone know him? If so, perhaps he might like to see his portrait – it’s stunning.”
Responses poured in.
Signor Lollo (affectionately known simply as “Lollo”) was a beloved mathematics professor at the high school. They say he is sweet and gentle and that I might find him walking along la confaloniera (the promenade on the edge of town) in the mornings. In any other circumstance I might have staked out the confaloniera at dawn, bounding up to him in my overly perky American style, but in this instance I thought better of it. Something told me he was a private person and maybe a bit shy as well.
It wasn’t long before fate stepped-in and I found myself alone on the street with Lollo walking towards me. I politely stopped him and asked if I could show him something? He said yes, so I pulled up the photo on my iPhone. “Carina, la foto”, he said and told me he had remembered the day it was taken. I asked if he had email, but of course he doesn’t. Then he said “Grazie, Cara”, turned and went on his way.
I’d been carrying around the 5 x 7 print in my purse for weeks, waiting to see Lollo again. Finally I spotted him down on the Corso and after greetings were exchanged, I handed him the beautiful photograph and said it was his to keep. He seemed pleased and touched by the gift.
Nowadays, whenever Lollo and I run into each other on our walks, we always stop and have a little chat. We’ve even developed a “secret handshake”.
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the connection it formed with a stranger that turned into an unlikely friendship is priceless.
Death Logs In is the second book in E. J. Simon’s techno-thriller crime series. The first, Death Never Sleeps was published in 2013 and rose to #2 on Amazon Kindle, as well as appeared on numerous bestseller lists in the U.S. and abroad. Initially self-published, Simon/Zef began publishing Death Never Sleeps after it moved over 80,000 copies in its first year.
Unfortunately, I was unable to read the first book in the series because both copies mailed to me never reached my home in Orvieto. Ahhh, the Italian postal service…talk about a shady organized crime syndicate!
“Some of the most powerful people in the world want to kill Michael Nicholas. Only his brother, Alex can save him – the problem is that Alex is dead. It’s been almost a year since Alex Nicholas, a Queens based underworld Boss, was gunned down. After Alex’s brutal murder, Michael inherited not only his brother’s business – but his enemies. Michael is now a key player in a world he once feared. By day, he is the head of a Fortune 500 company by night, the CEO of Tartarus, one of the worlds largest illegal gambling operations.”
Review of Death Logs In….
Thrillers and crime novels aren’t really my thing, but I wanted to keep an open mind as I began reading E. J. Simon’s newest novel, Death Logs In.
Death Logs In has all the makings of a great crime/mob thriller. There’s protagonist, Michael “just when I though I was out, they pulled me back in” Nicholas – a reluctant gangster who was left to run his brother’s gambling empire after his death. Sindy Steele is a femme fatale bodyguard with more secrets than the Vatican has gold leaf, and Michael’s wife Samantha, who likes to shop but doesn’t much care for Michael and Sindy’s business association. The cast of characters are rounded-out by two meathead bookies from Queens, a whiney but deadly assassin stuck in exile at one of Rome’s finest hotels, and a gaggle of high-powered Catholic priests whose dealings have nothing to do with “God’s work”. It’s The Godfather-meets-Goodfellas-meets-The DaVinci Code.
I had some trouble, initially, getting past the artificial intelligence premise on which the story is based. To be fair to the author, I’ve always been a bit of a skeptic – especially when it comes to future shock/conspiracy theories. If a Stephen Hawking had come to me personally to explain “AI” principle, I might be more receptive to the idea…but then again, maybe not.
The improbable plot aside, I also struggled with the schizophrenic quality of the storyline. Locations changed and jumped around a lot and some chapters were way too short, making the plot extremely difficult to follow. The sanitized dialog stuck out like a sore thumb – not one single F-bomb in a book full of mobsters? A novel about a criminal underworld should have a little edge.
Finally, the world-class destinations such as New York, London, Rome and Paris were underused. Scenes were invariably set inside restaurants, bars or hotel rooms instead of taking the reader on a clandestine gondola ride on the Grand Canal, a car chase through the streets of Rome, or a cliff-hanging murder scene atop the Eiffel Tower. It might have been contrived and cliché, but at least it would have been fun.
Regrettably, Death Logs In is a book I’m less than enthusiastic about. In my opinion, the author didn’t take the story of racketeering and church corruption quite far enough. But as I said earlier, crime thrillers aren’t really my thing…they could however, really be yours.
Meet the Author:
E.J. Simon was the CEO of GMAC Global Relocation Services (a division of GM) and the Managing Director of Douglas Elliman, the largest real estate company in NY.
He is a consultant to many leading private equity firms and has held senior level positions at prominent financial services companies.
He is a world traveler, food enthusiast and lives in Connecticut.Death Never Sleeps is his first novel. His second novel, Death Logs In, will be available in October 2014.
Italy Book Tours gets books in the hands of readers who love everything Italian. They offer professional virtual book tours to authors and publishers whose books are set in Italy, have an Italian theme, are written by an Italian author or translated from Italian. For more information you can contact Laura Fabiani at http://www.italybooktours.com.
I tacked the following note to the front door on the way out of town this weekend. I thought perhaps I could appeal to my drunken, vicolo-loitering, barfing teens’ sense of irony (combined with a little bit of pleading). I was wrong.
The note read, “I want to die drunk to throw up at the gates of hell.” – Jim Morrison* This is not hell but the front of my house. Go vomit elsewhere. Thanks!
As I lugged out my trusty red bucket filled with scalding hot water to clean the remains of someone’s regurgitated stomach contents from the cobblestones in front of my stoop, it hit me! This wasn’t vomit at all, but rather a carefully placed pile of Pappardelle con ragù.
Touché, Ragazzi, touché.
Game On!
*This quote was attributed to the late Jim Morrison, however I was unable to find confirmation that he had ever said it. It appears to be an urban myth circulating around the Italian Internet.
Vicolo Wars Update:
December 2, 2014 – Last night a young friend of mine saw the Facebook Post and photo below. Translation: “One person in Orvieto assessed the situation with a little sense of humor.”
It’s nice to know this young man appreciated the sarcasm. Bravo Nicola!
Tip #2: Always have Google Translate open on your phone and a copy of the “Alfabeto Fonetico” in your wallet. My name spelled out this way is Torino-Otranto-Napoli-Imola. Domodossola-Empoli-Bologna-Empoli-Livorno-Livorno-Ancona.
Tip #3: Never make eye contact on public transportation – it invites people to speak to you.
Tip #4: Don’t engage in conversations with Italians under the age of 5…it’s just soo00 humiliating.
Tip #5: Avoid initiating phone calls – send emails or text messages because you’re less likely to sound stupid in writing.
Tip #6: If you must answer the phone, pretend you’ve got a bad connection. “Pronto? Mi senti? Mi senti? Boh” and then hang up.
Tip #7: Respond to questions (even if you don’t understand them) with phrases such as “Certo” (sure), “Si, Si” (yes, yes), “Va bene” (okay) and “Ho capito” (understood) as you start to walk away. People won’t think you’re rude – just late for an appointment.
Tip #8: When all else fails…talk with your hands.
And speaking of speaking Italian..I recently participated in a podcast with Cher Hale, the brains behind the “Iceberg Project.
The Iceberg Project is based on the theory that most of what you learn about culture when visiting a new country without speaking the language is just the tip of the iceberg. To learn more about The Iceberg Project go to click here
Orvieto or Bust: 