Sunday midday, 12th July, 2009. The first day after our arrival in Tuscany.
We drove to a nearby village in the hope of finding a bakery. Finding nothing, at one point I got out of the car to try to ask the first person I met if he knew of any bakery still open. The big man immediately got up from where he was seated in the shade and invited me to follow him. We walked into a small street where there was indeed a bakery, but it too was closed. He then suggested that we wait in our car for him to come in his and then we should follow him. He would drive to his home nearby to give us the bread we needed. So this we did.
We soon arrived at a large house with big automatic wrought iron gates, a fair sized garden and two dogs.
The man gave us the bread but emphatically refused any payment for it. His wife then showed us some of the work of their artist daughter Nicoletta, after we had expressed admiration of a painting displayed in the lounge next to the kitchen. It was all very impressive.
We were graciously offered an aperitif and then even invited to lunch, our host honouring us further by de-corking one of his best wines. It was as if we were old friends or members of the family.
What a marvellously moving example of 'ospitalità e generosità toscane' to greet us on our first day in Italy!
Nicoletta's parents are naturally concerned for her regarding her vocation, but it is obvious that she is already an accomplished artist. Although age should never be regarded as a criterion where art is concerned, one can't help being all the more impressed when the creator of such work is only twenty two years old. One naturally assumes that in a few more years she will be producing chef d'oeuvres that will reflect even more this inherent confidence and generosity.
Such a random meeting, such spontaneous trust and goodness can only reinforce the conviction that there is no such thing as 'hazard'. It would thus be an honour to to do what one can to try help the artist, assuming Nicoletta agrees.
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1 comment:
Nicoletta exposed her work not far from Nice (Alpes Marimes, France) in September this year.
The fact that she drove up from Toscany, Italy, to expose in France, and above all the quality of the work she exposed, was very much appreciated indeed.
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