Amalfi in August
...Couldn't be much more overcrowded and traffic-bound than it is now--could it? Within minutes I was heading up endless flights of steps, twisting and turning in wind-swept corridors till I got as far as I could go. I will post some typically gorgeous pix of the place when I get to NY. My refrain.
Now in Ravello where I've taken photos not only of the spectacular views from the restaurant where I've had a wonderful lunch of orata alla griglia...I've also taken them of the food. Jeremy Parzen has made me feel guilty.
The wine was a Ravello product, "Selva delle Monache" (Nuns' Wood). Nice but nothing great. The food definitely outclasses the wine here at Hotel Villa Amore.
I was just thinking about "the scandal of particularity". This is the idea that it is a "scandal" that Jesus came to save the world in that place, that time. You can extend the scamdalous idea to everything in the Old Testament, from Abram to Moses and the concept of Chosenness and onward.
Which is quite a leap to the scandal of the blessedness we feel in a place and at a moment where/when we feel content, complete, at one with the world around us. We feel that blessedness in precious few moments of life. When we fall in love. When we have an epiphany, such as "I belong in this world because you love me". And when we travel far and long and expensively to a place of stunning beauty and serenity. As if to say, "The quest is done. I have arrived at my golden destination.".
As all but the dullest of you will have guessed, this is the prevailing sea breeze now.
A blessed domeinica a tutti.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
If I can pull you away from your exciting life for a dinner, I'd love to take you to Jean Georges, I get 50% off!!
We'll get a table next to Peter Gelb and the President of France.
Posted by: Lisa Qiu | May 04, 2008 at 02:31 PM
Btw, LOLOLOL @ Nuns' Woods, ahahahahaha.
Posted by: Lisa Qiu | May 04, 2008 at 02:32 PM
My rife soooo sucks, Risa!
Take me away from all this--sunny days in vineyards, tasting cool wines, meeting great peeps, getting great deals in awesome hotels and eating authentic southern Italian food. I really detest it!
We'll tawk when I get back to the Divided States of Embarrassment, as Eminem calls it.
Bacioni,
Terenzio er Vecio
Posted by: terence | May 05, 2008 at 05:53 PM