A former co-worker and friend...Michael...is traveling through Italy right now...he's married to an Italian woman who has a sister, Tatiana, a travel planner...last week, he was in Siena...and his Facebook photos have me reminiscing...about my own journey there...about the gratitude I feel for knowing him...about the gratitude I have for meeting her...
If it wasn't for Michael, I might never have found my favorite Italian town...he kindly referred me to Tatiana before we embarked on our month-long Italy trip in 2006...she reviewed our planned itinerary and made suggestions we would not have known to consider...as a result of one of her ideas, we had the great good fortune to stay in Camogli...a small seaside town we didn't even know existed...at the topmost part of the Italian Riviera...above the Cinque Terra...
It takes me only a single, deep breath to re-immerse myself in that place...at that time...waking to the expansive beauty of the Ligurian Sea viewed from our hotel room terrace...watching the fishermen repairing their nets at the wharf....sipping a glass of wine, accompanied by bowls of black olives, potato chips and peanuts, while the sound of the sea lapped at our feet...appreciating the detailed façades of the buildings, all painted in warm pastels, architectural details added with a brush...feeling the setting sun on my face as I looked southward along the coast...sitting on our balcony at sunset, the light dancing on the sea...tasting the first bite of roasted chicken and potatoes from the local rosticceria...
On our drive there from Umbria, we too stopped in Siena...at the time of our visit, the famous Cathedrale di Santa Maria was draped with a painted cloth...the west side...the main entrance...was being restored...while we could visit the interior, we were left to our imaginations...and the details on the drape...to appreciate the ornate exterior...
West façade of Cathedrale di Santa Maria in Siena, Italy, 2006
Thanks to Michael's latest images, I can now appreciate the restored cathedral...and be grateful once more for his kindness that led to my wonderful stay in that sweet seaside town I would not have known about otherwise...