For whom the church bells toll
The lights in the garden illuminate the way to each curve in the winding road. They stand as sentinels by trimmed hedges. The tallest tree with the greenest leaves dip up and down and can’t avoid the white specs of gentle snow. These trees in the hilly backyard are healthy the whole year, summer, spring, autumn, and fall. Their perseverance proves there’s no war between nature and nature. It’s man who puts them down from their lofty heights or leaves them beautifully wild behind the stone house where I am — Villa de la Tre Esperanze — one month of the year.
Beside this home is the church of Impruneta, a village 20 minutes from the center of Firenze or Florence. Every day the church bells ring here. It’s a beautiful remembrance of God’s almightiness. In this tiny village one can’t but obey the summons of the bells. At least not me. Coincidentally it’s been like that in hotels and the Apartamentos where I’ve stayed in Firenze.
Churches in Florence that have awoken me from sleep, stupor, and stupidity are plenty. The Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, the fourth largest church in Europe with its length of 500 feet and its width of 380 feet is a tribute not just to our Lord, but to artists like Lorenzo Ghiberti with his “Gates of Paradise.” The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, located in the huge square of Santa Maria Novella near the railway station, which brought me to Padova and St. Anthony. The Basilica with its great façade and treasured works by Leon Battista Alberti and Masaccio, Paolo Uccello, FIlippino Lippi and Domenico Ghirlandaio whom Florentines are so proud of.
I can’t forget the Basilica of Santa Croce, the principal Franciscan church in Florence. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, near Mai’s first apartamento. The church’s site, when first chosen, was a marshland outside the city behind the city’s tall stonewall. There I saw the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile, Rossini, and Marconi. Thus, it is known also as the Templo dell’Itale Glorie (Temple of the Italian Glories). Situated in the center of the city’s main market district is Basilica of San Lorenzo, burial place of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III. I had to read about the Medici family so I wouldn’t be ignorant and remain just a Gucci fan.
The location of the house where I live is reminiscent of the walled city of Manila, Intramuros. Our plaza mayor was situated right in front of the church, so is Impruneta’s. The Palacio del Gobernador is nearby like Intramuros was and across the street was the Audiencia Real or the Supreme Court. Impruneta’s court and municipal buildings were built beside each other for easy access. Ours was in accordance with the guidelines decreed by Governor-General Jose de Basco y Vargas for protection in times of fire, typhoons, earthquakes and even Moro raids. Theirs is a typical European plaza as our Intramuros was centuries ago, under Europeans, too.
This is the setup Andrea, Mai, and Demina a.k.a. Tutti enjoy in their stone-and-marble house on a hill next to the church and beside the plaza. When it’s market time on Sundays, bread, ham, salami, meat, pork and shrimps are sold in trailers at the plaza. A flea market sells all goodies — from lamps to furniture and belts. That’s their native ukay-ukay. A town hall has dance lessons for 70-to 80-year-olds every Friday and Saturday night. What fun! Of course, I have not reached 70 and I am not admitted in that dance hall. Wow, would I stand out being oriental and skinny?
My thoughts go back to the surroundings of Mai’s former apartment in Borgo Ognisantti as the Impruneta Church bells ring again. I would run up the attic where Mai’s painting and study room was just to get to listen with a clearer ear, counting the number of the church bells that rang. I seized the early days of summer to see roof tops made of shingles and houses of bricks and stone. Shingles in red, dark and lighter from years of existence. I’ve seen ancient structures with simple, tall wooden doors. Unexpectedly, when the door opens, viola! Inside is a beautiful courtyard with wide stone stairs.
An elevator in this house is for guests. Afraid to be tagged as lazy, I chose to take three flights of stairs to burn the pasta I ate. That way my thighs become firmer. In the beginning I’d pant, being out of shape, but after two weeks it became a habit.
Today we’re going to the centro in spite of the 35-degree Fahrenheit. Saturday finds Plaza dela Republica crowded with locals and tourists and kisses and laughter. We take up Lorenzo Nencini’s offer to have a look at his apartment-hotel, The Palazzo Vecchietti (www.palazzovecchietti.it), right beside this huge cobbled plaza. Like all historical stone edifices in this breathtaking city, Lorenzo has a courtyard where the sunlight warms momentarily his 15th-century hotel formerly owned by the Vecchiettis, who are mentioned in Dante Aligheiri’s “Heaven.” Its small reception room has piedra China once used as ballasts to steady galleons (and junks) at sea and if their cargo was too light. These stones were placed on the keel of the boat. Now we’re stepping on them.
Palazzo Vecchietti’s interior is extremely modern in spite of the tallest of windows that are typical of European houses. Bookshelves line the walls, a fireplace, kitchenette and friendly square furniture — neither Victorian nor gold-leafed — of soft thick foam a la Ralph Lauren sofas and beds you sink in, and marble bathrooms for a complete feeling of home away from your own, designed by the Florentine architect Michel Bonan.
With us is Tutti, who is lying still under thick blankets and a jacket with fur around her face. She’s exhibiting as early as now her love for pearls. She grabs mine to bite them. She’s all girl! With just her huge eyes we see how she opens them upward, smiling at the reflection of a gold watch.
Once outside this warm, embracing apartment-hotel we head for the French baby store Bon Point. Then I walk to Ponte Vecchio where every jewelry store is open, in spite of the cold eating at my bones.
On subsequent days, we’re on our way to a cooking course at “Tavola” via de Velluti, Firenze. Walking along a narrow dark side street where bikes are parked makes a perfect scene for a crime. But, never, Firenze is tourist friendly and its Carabimerri are hovering nearby. We continue hearing our footsteps over cobbled stones. China and I open the door to a school with steel fixtures and wooden tables. It’s the classroom. We meet two Italian chefs — teachers, we surmise, and China is the only student.
They have a beginner’s course with four lessons at =410 euros . Two lessons will cost =210 euros. Professional courses at =1,350 euros to =3,850 euros for 25 lessons. There’s a short four-course dinner at = 63 euros learned in a day. After the instructions these tables with benches are available to eat the meals all the students have cooked or baked or for their guests to test their recipes right after.
Again, how can I leave China from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in this strange place? Thank God for wandering Filipinos. I see a Pinoy who looks Malaysian in a chef’s outfit. He turns out to be Ariel Turingan from Isabela province and Novaliches, who’s been in Italy as assistant chef teacher to the owner for five years. We have the same friends in politics, the Dy’s, Silvestres and Alvarezes. It’s a small world… and I am comforted. Relieved, I can go home sooner with Mai and not have to enroll in this pizza-baking course.
Days later we’re off to Cordon Bleu’s Firenze branch and after, another cooking school.
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Here’s Tavola’s Tomato & Garlic Pasta Sauce (Sugo all’ Aglione):
800 g. fresh tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
5 whole cloves garlic
4 small peperoncino (small dried chili peppers – optional)
5-6 whole basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
Cut an “X” at the bottom of each tomato; drop each tomato briefly into a pot of hot water (not quite at boiling point). Remove tomatoes and run under cold water. Peel, cut in half and remove seeds; dice the tomatoes.
Pour enough olive oil into a large sauce pan to cover the bottom (about 1 cm. deep).
Add the garlic to the oil and heat/cook over medium-high heat until garlic begins to brown.
Carefully add the tomatoes, peperoncino, salt, pepper and basil leaves; stir with a wooden spoon.
Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for about 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Check flavor after about 5 minutes and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Remove garlic before serving.
Enjoy!
