On our honeymoon back in 2002, Jan and I made a point of stopping into internet cafes and sending off these massively fun e-mails to a huge number of friends. Oh so originally, we entitled these, "Dispatches from Europe." Since I’ve been talking about our time in Verona, I thought it would be fun to post a couple of these – really in the hope that some travel organization will see how brilliant they are and hire Jan to travel the globe to write more, with me in tow. I suspect that we would be great globe-trotters. In fact, we already are, but it would be even better to get paid for it.
So, from mid-June, 2002, here’s one of the Dispatches (remember, 2002 was a World Cup year):
Hello Again All,
We’re still here in Verona and what an amazing place this is and what an amazing time we are having (David has been teasing me about how I use the word "amazing" in these dispatches… so feel free to fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night…).
Yesterday morning we met with Antonella Leonardo, the secretary to the Minister of Culture in Verona. It’s a very busy time for them as Opera in the Arena (yes, they actually use their Roman arena… and for grand opera– isn’t that the most amazing thing?) is gearing up and Aida is loading in. It’s really fun to wander the Piazza Bra (the area around the Arena) and see it full of giant Tutankhamen heads and sphynxes and Aida stuff… and to see the giant posters everywhere advertising it– with scenic design by Franco Zefferelli. He’s also directing a piece later in the season with Jose Carrera, but he’s the scenic organiser and designer for the season. Anyway, it’s all really fun to be around.
So, we met with Antonella and she gave us lots of information to help in our Verona travels– passes into an archeological dig about the Scaliger palace that are really hard to get, information on how to get in to other places… the phone number of a university professor here that David had been in contact with about the history in Verona, and the phone number of Count Alighieri… the last of the direct descendants of Dante and Pietro Alighieri– about whom David’s book revolves. So we called the professor– Rita Severi (good Roman name)and made plans to meet at the civic library. When we met up with her, she showed us around the library, amazing, and introduced us to the head librarian whom David had been in contact with by e-mail but hadn’t met. He spoke no English but was so excited about having a "scrittore" and a couple of "attori" who were interested in his collection that he went hog-mad, giving David copies of books and manuscripts and promising to dig more things up and grinning and laughing… he was so happy someone was interested I expected him to actually dance for us. So we left the library laden with material, and had drinks with Rita to discuss literature (she’s the drama literature professor at the university… her main field of study is Oscar Wilde… but Shakespeare seems fine to her as well) and she ended up inviting us back to the university to meet her husband and check the place out.
So off we went. At the University we just happened to run into the head of the Humanities department, who is an internationally recognised post-medieval scholar… and chatted a bit with him (actually, he speaks no English, so we spoke our pidgeon Italian and Rita translated) while he frowned over the idea of silly Romeo & Juliet stuff, but smiled broadly over the Cangrande and the Della Scala aspects of David’s book. Again, he offered help if needed.
We love these people– the Veronese are so helpful and interested and interesting… as long as it’s not about Romeo & Juliet– about which they are terrible snobs. I am so with them.
And then we met Rita’s husband Paolo who is a medieval history specialist who writes mainly about the lives and stories of medieval saints (we didn’t think it would be good to tell him about our Saint-Baby/Muppet idea…) and he was lovely ("you’re so young!" he exclaimed upon meeting us… you’ve got to love that!) and they invited us out to dinner and to wander the city with them.
So, we raced home to call the Count (we had to call the Count at 8… that was a fun sentence to write) and managed to connect with him. We have an appointment for brunch with the Count tomorrow morning– he’ll show us the Alighieri estates and vineyards (I gotta tell you, these are fun sentences to write!) and he seems like a kind if crotchety old man… with a teenaged daughter… these Counts, what can you do?
And then we went to dinner with Rita and Paolo and their eleven-year-old daughter Julia. We mentioned the Count and our appointment and then had a lovely chat with our new Marxist friends (did I mention they’re avid Marxists?) about how this is a Republic and there are no titles anymore… ok, I know that, but he’s still
"the Count" to me.
One ring of Dante’s inferno… ah-ah-ah… two rings, two rings of Dante’s inferno… ah-ah-ah…
And we had a lovely dinner at a Pizzaria on the other side of the Adige (with a lovely Valpolicello and the mushrooms on the ‘za were to die for… I’ve been told I don’t mention the food enough in these dispatches… I’ll write a brief mini-dispatch about that another time… and the limoncello is great) and talked history with
Paolo and Rita.
It was great to wander the city with people who both love it and know all about it. They showed us where the people built houses into the Roman walls in the early Dark Ages because the old walls were stronger than anything they could build, and they took us down old streets to show us where bits of fresco still exist… they pointed out which bridges were still there from the 13th century and which bridges were there, but had dropped by now.
And then we all walked to the top the old Roman hill (where the Roman theatre is– and yes, that’s in use as well… they use it for a Shakespeare festival in the summer and we were able to watch them rehearse a bit of Julius Caesar… in Italian) to look down and across the Adige at Old Verona City.
Once you get past the outer suburb-type areas, which are highly industrial, the Old City is amazing… I believe quite the most beautiful place we’ve been so far. It’s delightful.
And we discussed coming back to lecture on theatre and possibly David’s book when it’s out… and all that jazz. And they want to come to the States at some point to check out our Universities… and it was a truly wonderful night.
Today we wandered and climbed the Arena (a surreal experience with all the Italian IATSE guys loading in the Egyptian Aida set) and are now trying to avoid the heat heat heat.
Tomorrow, brunch… then the US/Germany game… then we’re meeting another University Professor… And then Saturday we’ll hit Vincenza and Padua briefly (they’re just short day trips away… like visiting Naperville from Chicago) and then see about Mantua.
We’re having a wonderful time, and again, we wish you were all here with us… ok, maybe not all of you… but a large percentage of you.
Hope you’re well.
Jan & David
