a week of all weeks

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Today was my last language lesson and as a person might expect, I felt like I understood a concept that had been stumping me over and over. Oh well, Lydia (Leeedeeeeah) was a great maestra, teacher, and I will maybe ask for her again next time I come into Milano. I have made it my job to see the things in Milano that people talk about. I went to the chiesa (church) where the original Last Supper by Michealangelo Da Vinci . It is a mural basically painted on a large wall of the church. I have seen this picture a jillion times in books etc. (et-chet-air-ah hee hee) but it really was an interesting experience. I was able to get a viewing time right about the time I needed just by accident. A tour guide had a last minute cancellation of a group and she was selling them by the door. I was warned DO NOT BE LATE, because they frown on that....ok.....well i wasnàt late,of course i wasnt....so, they take you in groups of about 25. No kidding it kind of reminded me of when I worked at the prison because they take the group into a holding area, the doors close behind you. Then the next set of doors open. there is no guide you just kind of drift in a bundle towards the obvious open space. Well you just drift in and there it is. i looked at it for quite a while and then remembered there was another masterpiece on the facing wall at the opposite side of the hall. That was really great too. So wow, what do you do after you see a couple of artistic masterpieces.....how about another one? ok, so i caught the green line and went down to the chiesa of San Ambrogio. this is particularly cool because he was a very important bishop in his day and he was black. It is a beautiful church with the amazing carving, woodwork and stained glass....mio cugino, Fedorico, aged 21, was telling me how interested he is in these things because he believes a person can feel God more through the stained glass, than the Mass (Messe).....neat thought..he went on to tell me lots of amazing details that of course I really only understood about half of what he said. Italian doesnàt have a "th" sound so when a word like Gothic comes up it sounds like ggo-icka with emphasis on the end of the word....sheesh ok, eventually i was into his rhythm but i felt badly that i really didnt understand the depth of his knowledge about this.
He told me this on our drive up to the Piedmonte where mia cugina (my cousin who is a woman) has a house. He asked mio zio (my uncle) to stop in a little town called Vigevano...canàt even find on the map...Iàm going to see if theràs a bus later in the week because the cathedral there was really gorgeous plus it has a PIAZZA!!! mamma mia!!!(they actually say that 😊 yesterday my uncle said, SANTA MARIA!!! in traffic, i giggled quietly. But the piazza is big and gorgeous but we couldnàt stay because we were on our way to the house. ok well anyway, the drive took us about an hour out of Milano. Itàs called the Piedmonte because it is the foothills of the Alps. (piede feet--monte---mountain) it is also where a lot of the wine in Italy comes from.

The family Festa was wonderful. VITA!! (life!) There were the oldsters, zio, zia, her brother roberto and wife Mara, their two daughters cant remember their names but were delightful, one of the daughteràs husband, all three of mio zioàs children, their spouses and children and a friend popped in from down the way....my family in the states knows how i love to have one long table for family gatherings and i was so tickled when Emilia had that. one LOOOOOg table. Sheand her wonderful husband Stefano grilled veggies and other antipasti on the original fireplace in their home. (if I can remember to attach my head tomorrow I will get pictures uploaded, or is it downloaded?) Grilled Eggplant, mushrooms, tomato, potato, slices of salame, cipola (onion), green olives, little gherkin pickles, and slices of peperoni ( no no not the kind that Americans put on pizza) they call bell peppers peperoni, they were sliced and sauteed in olive oil, mmmmmm and more to eat on slices of toasted Brooosh-ketta. BUT first, take a little clove of fresh garlic and smooth it onto the bread..then secondi the grilled ribs and chicken but I was too done to eat the meat at all. then grilled cheese that i love all the two times iàve had it, well now three 😊 big bowl of grapes, dessert wine but i passed caffe, then the dolce that all the ladies made to contribute....it was fabulous. the weather has been unseasonable warm and to have that warmth in this environment couldnàt have been more perfetto!! All this with bottles of wine. I tasted wine Iàve never had before and wowowow what a treat. first was the bubbly white that was ok but iàve never really liked bubbly, but you know in that environment where everything is new , it tasted great!, then mia ziaàs brother Roberto, says to Emilia hey (in Italiano kind of a aayya itàs hard to type it) dove vino rosso?! ok ok she says and she and Stefano bring out bottles of red that were divine, i mean it, just wonderful. I asked stefano a couple of days ago to write down these names so i can buy some to take home and he says ok ok and just kind of put me off. well he gave me three bottles to take home. he had a lot to tell me about wine. my husband has a book i gave him sveral years ago and maybe theres more info in that to explain more.
it was a wonderful day, and i am really pretty tired right now in general. its time to get back to my normal lovely life. iàve met famiglia on the >Marasco side that are new, and now on the Barsacchi side that are new. Zia is Barsacchi! itàs all great with me.
I watched a political parade similar to the kind my daughter told me about from Costa Rica, big loud speakers with the big voice, flags, bright colors, fun. i learned out to play boccia ball.
And i havenàt even told yo about the castle yet. I was surprised but only because i am virtually ignorant of italian history. Surprised because the castle is just the castles we have read about from England. Draw bridge, towers, moat, so impressive and amazing. Really great until you remember who did the grunt work....

The week is going to fly by i know. Tomorrow donàt know what ill do but maybe Vigevano, ciao tutti!! (bye to all) k

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