Wednesday April 22011 — Whirlwind visit to Italy

We returned last evening and were met at SFO by Leah and Mike. The return trip on an Airbus instead of a 747 was just a little less brutal. Actually a lot. Fewer seats and more amenities. The below decks restrooms are in a space where one can actually stand and do some exercises and stretches. What a relief. Chuck and I each had isle seats with no one sitting in the adjoining seat. That helps a lot too, for easy getting up, down and around.

Steve, Susan and Mira entertained us royally. Susan made some lovely dinners and lunches for us and we ate out at the most pleasurable venues. They had reservations for museums in all directions. For the next few days I'm going to back up a bit and tell you about the places we went. There was never time to work on the blog while on the trip because we often returned to our inn around 10:00 or 11:00 night and took off the next morning for a new day's activities.

The first day we went to the nearby town of Chieri to visit the Textile museum that Steve had discovered. They responded in such a gracious manner to his request to see this space that has very restricted hours. The displays of beautiful old looms began with the simplest in construction and ended with modern dobby and Jacquard looms with all their peripherals. The man whose family had once owned one of the major textile companies in the area was our guide and he was helped with translation by a very knowledgeable and cordial colleague. The guide is also the president of the museum's foundation. As we moved along and they began to realize the depth of my interest and my understanding of what they possess, they really warmed up and were extremely generous in the number of special things and places they shared with us.

Their collection includes a nice sampling of things that are very Italian and some things from far off places. The president's face lit up as I exclaimed over the presense of a Japanese marudai set up with weights and all. He looked at the label and said, "Yes, a marudai." You're never alone when you're looking at textiles and the devices that have helped with their production all through the ages. When we were visiting their library, the president presented a gift to me of the book they had published dealing with the textile production of textiles from the thirteenth century to the twentieth century. A big, thick, meaty book I'll be sharing with many of you. I'm hunting for an Italian/English dictionary today. Certainly, the amount of Spanish I possess, little though it is, helps me a great deal in making sense of the Italian written word.

Walking back again through the museum space as we prepared to leave, was like going back again in time. Dye plants, methods, raw materials, looms from a fancy little Jacquard loom to produce pictorial swaddling fabric for Italian babies, to a linen fabric made on a simple vertical loom that made reproductions of the famous Turin cloth that is thought to possess the image of Christ.

I will probably come back to a discussion of this museum and the stimulating book I received. But I'll move on to that day's delightful activities for now. The two hospitable Italian gentlemen suggested that we have lunch at a remodeled space where the important bleaching facility for the city of Chieri once operated. We found it to be closed for the day though and moved on to one of Steve's many haunts. He took us around the corner to a favorite place for having lunch where we feasted on green salads with chicken strips. It is attached to a building holding the library space where Steve hangs out many days to do research and get some of his business ideas formulated and written down. We went upstairs where they hold many interesting exhibits of old Italian books and artifacts. The library and reading room space was spacious and airy. Lots of good shelving ideas. I can see why Steve is very happy to hang out in such a space. Later in the week we visited tow other libraries in Torino where he also spends a lot of time using their wifi and tables for his work.

To finish off the afternoon we drove out to the edge of Chieri and visited a very solid complex of buildings housing the Martini & Rossi company. We asked to see their museum and were quickly directed there. What an amazing, endless cellar space spanning at least a city block. Beautifully displayed and lighted ancient receptacles adorned the stone and brick underground walls. Beginning with Etruscan objects of interest that were so beautifully made and preserved you would have thought they were from this century. Chuck was fascinated by the contrast between our local winery museums and their holdings which inspire awe if they are a hundred an fifty years old. Here we were with artifacts thousands of years old and in handsomely designed humidity controlled spaces. The old presses and wagons as well as other wine cellar artifacts were also endlessly fascinating. I don't know when I've seen so much beautiful patina on wooden objects being displayed. The Italians seem very trusting and casual about these spaces. There were only a couple of other people in this underground space while we were there and they were a visiting couple enjoying the exhibits as much as we were.

We drove home leisurely (If that can ever be said of Italian road travel) and spent several hours resting at our inn before being picked up and taken to dinner at an outdoor garden dining room in Moncalieri where Skip and I had also eaten the year before. Salads and pizzas were the order of the day. Then back to our rooms to rest up for the next full day of museuming to see an amazing historical review of the times leading up to and following the unification of Italy one hundred and fifty years ago. Turin played a big roll in this happening and they are celebrating it all over town. All for now, but much more to come. Ciao.