A wonderful getaway to Castel Gandolfo. In a very small village outside of Rome in the region of Lazio is a place… a castle. Within this neighborhood are small shops, simple cafes, restaurants, and artists. Two memories come to mind.

First, walking through the village, I looked into an open doorway… a small shop… almost a broom closet. A man sitting and looking at a very old and delicate painting. He seemed to making touchups and repairs. What was the painting? How old was this painting? Who originally painted this ‘master piece’?

Working through my phone translation app, I was able to communicate in Italian to better understand his work. A beautiful scenery like something from the National Art Gallery; I was drawn in and became curious. He gave me his business card and repaired and restored old painting from around the world. The gentleman seemed to have been in his mid to late seventies. I sat with him in silence and watched. After some time, I said ‘grazie per il tuo tempo oggi’ – thank you for your time today.

Second memory was a family owned restaurant. Walking down into the entry, smells of seafood, meat, pasta, and bread filled the air. On the TV was football (soccer) and many people, for such a small restaurant, sat talking, drinking, and eating. My family rented a small flat down the historical center, so take away was best for us. Looking around and smiling at the locals, trying our best to blend in, we ordered bruschetta, risotto, bottle of red wine, and bread, we talked with the owner.

The owner of the restaurant was happy to speak with up and want to know more about us. In slow and carefully selected words, the owner mentioned he loves Texas (where we are from) and had watched the TV show “Dallas” in the mid-70s. We laughed wile enjoying a glass of Italian beer and occasionally looking up to watch the football game on TV. On our way out, the gave me nice wine opener in which I have to this day. Cheers or Saluti.

See link of field of daisies in Parco Regionale Migliarino – San Rossore – Massaciuccoli⁩, ⁨Vecchiano⁩, ⁨Tuscany⁩, ⁨Italy⁩:
http://barnes.com/unforgettable-summer/