Category Archives: Beauty
The Pencil Case
My pencil case is purple with big white dots. I’ve had it for a very long time. The inside, made from some kind of rubbery material, has dried out and constantly crumbles. I have plenty of unfinished projects and promised … Continue reading
Venus in a Niche
Yesterday I had a dental appointment. My dentist’s studio is in a very pretty part of Rome with very pretty bourgeois aesthetics. In Ancient Rome, niches were popular as they provided a display space for statues and urns. Until minimalist … Continue reading
Self-defining Women
For a long time, Italy existed as a cluster of independent states getting in one another’s way. The ideal of a national identity led to the Risorgimento, a social and political movement to unite Italy. After years of conflict, Italy … Continue reading
True Crosses
Today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Spirit commemorating the finding of the True Cross by St Helena, Constantine’s mom. This means, in my neighborhood, that the local ladies will get together to make flowered crosses. The … Continue reading
Repristination
for Jayne The beautiful bougainvillea in the background belongs to our neighbor, Dominique. It’s quiet magnificent, so elegant and graceful. Even though it’s several rooftops away, I regularly stalk it. Because I like to see beauty grow. So much is … Continue reading



