The land that we bought 5 years ago on a ridge high up between Monterosso and Levanto was once carefully cultivated by a kind old man whom I had the opportunity to meet twice. Ernesto had worked this land since before the war, clearly remembering the time that he and […]
Life
19 posts
There are innumerable things about living in a small town that can inspire or infuriate. Because I happen to love my small town (nb: Levanto, Italy), I usually tend to find myself on the inspirational side. Today, after schlepping up four flights of stairs to the offices where I hold […]
2011 has ended much differently than it began for me. A year ago, I had not planned to resign from my comfortable job in a European School because of the inability of its administration to handle a call for jobs with transparency and dignity. A year ago, I had not […]
Here in Levanto, there’s an apartment building in town with glassed-in balconies. On one of those balconies, the owner has painted over the glass with the paints that you always see used on shop windows. It is a bright, child-like scene of sky, sun, birds, clouds, and water … could […]
If you look closely at the photo above, you’ll see the remains of an old construction in the foreground, probably a small stone hut used for storing tools and for getting out of the sun while eating your lunch on hot days. There’s not much left of it now, and […]
I think what most fascinates me about the professional surfing world is not the glamorous side of it – great tans, fancy sponsors, chiseled physiques, screaming fans – but the lifestyle they have as professional athletes in a minor sport. If you take away some of the top earners, the […]
Last week Tuesday, 8 days ago, just hours before the deluge that brought down an unbelievable amount of water and mud and suffering to the Cinque Terre, I went to take a look at the sea after dropping my daughter off at nursery school. It was a warm morning, the […]
After five weeks of straight sunshine, a cloud bank settled in over Levanto this morning, and we have had our first gray day in ages. No complaints, though – after all, the seasons and rhythms of the sun are as important for us as they are for any other animal, […]
A few weeks ago, my daughter Julia and I discovered our black cat Bagheera in one of her new hiding spots – a bare space between two thick bushes from which she had a great view of what was going on, but where she was practically invisible. As soon as […]