In certain moments there is nothing better than...

...a relaxing atmosphere in a family home which brings back dear memories of a happy childhood.

Codevilla

Only clean lines and warm colours...

in my son's and daughter-in-law's apartment

Busto Arsizio

The Waste Land

La Piana,

Codevilla

A good nap after lunch

Jan

Codevilla

36° Celsius

We left Arona at 14.00 hours sharp last Friday. We had an appointment at 16.30 hours with an important winery in Wine Paradise that same afternoon, to discuss the final details of the winetasting event we are organizing in New York for the end of September and of the forthcoming trip to Turkey to meet with the main wineimporters/distributors there. It had rained uninterruptedly from 4.30 till 7.00 that morning which had refreshened the air . Then a gentle breeze had swept away the clouds and I could see the lake glistening again in the sunlight in the back-mirror while driving up to the highway. 26° Celsius (79° Fahrenheit), an ideal temperature for travelling. We knew that there wouldn't be much traffic on the road as most of the Italians had already reached their holiday destination. The trees on the hills around the lake looked at their best showing off their lush green leaves. A perfect summer-day, we said. It couldn't have been better.
Then we left the Region of Piedmont and drove into the flat land of Lumbardy with its typical yellow and red ocre colour farmhouses. My wife looked at the indicator of the outside temperature which in the meantime had crept up from 26°Celsius to 30° (85° Fahrenheit). "I am not going to like this!", she said while remembering her preference for the climate of the more northern European countries. The esmerald green of the lands along the highway was slowly changing into straw-yellow while we proceeded, notwithstanding the hughe water-spouts trying to do the utmost to keep the land moist. Some far-away tractors moved like snales over the dry land and disappeared in swirls of yellow dust under a merciless sun. "I am not going to like this at all!", my wife repeated while staring at the red numbers on the black electronic device sticking out of the wall of a Bank: 36° Celsius (97° Fahrenheit) was the temperature of our final destination.
We opened the doors of our car and were welcomed by hot burning air. At least there isn't any humidity, I mentioned, trying to convince my wife to keep her good mood while leading her into the airconditioned winery. We stayed there for more that an hour defining our projects and when I looked out of one of the windows, I saw that the blue of the sky had in the meantime made way for that typical grey that promises a generous distribution of humidity. "Not a breeze whatsoever"!, said the porter of the winery while he opened the door for us wiping his forehead with a large handkerchief with the other hand. He looked soaked in his blue shirt. We took a deep breath and ran to the car which had baked in the full sunlight for over an hour. I immediately started the engine trying to ignore the 49° Celsius (120° Fahrenheit) that had flung on us like a hot wet towel.
"You look lovely all the same!", I clumsely tried to console my wife looking at her hair which the hairdresser had so carefully arranged that very morning and which had now lost every possible structure. I felt her beautiful green eyes piercing through my cheekbones and she did not say a word till we reached her sister's home where we were going to stay three days and two nights. It was only when she was given a glass of chilled Prosecco that I finally spotted a glimpse of foregiveness in her eyes, and I swear that I heard "psssss...." when we finally let our overheated bodies sink into the cool water of the swimming pool.

The end of a hot day in

rural Codevilla

...with a glass of chilled white wine

...and a good book, Paradise is closer than you think.

Private garden

Codevilla

...when Art and Kitsch come together

This vase with flowers and yellow-colour wooden shutters were painted in the 1990ies on the darker shutters of an 18th century window-frame.

Ispra

Drying feathers

Arona

Day dreaming...

...in the early afternoon, just after lunch, lying on the big bed, with the shutters closed to shut out the heat, thinking about what you have done for, with and to other people, and also what you have done for, with and to yourself...You never seem to get an answer, because your eyes get heavy while you slowly drift away into another world.

Arona

Winemakers at rest on a warm sunday morning...

...while recalling their incredible and "true" hunting stories.

Codevilla

...and eight plus five of the mighty...

...came together in l'Aquila (Italy) to decide the destiny of many.

Arona

Beautiful Lindos...

...with its beautiful medieval walls which enclose the remains of the acropolis dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom, of household arts and crafts, of spinning and weaving, of textiles. Inventor of the flute, the plough and the ox-yoke, the horse bridle and the chariot. Athena, goddess of war, guardian of Athens, the city named for her; defender of heroes, and of justice.

last photo of my holiday in Greece

Exhausted

Acropolis of Lindos

Isle of Rhodes

Greece

The old streets of Lindos

In the 6th Century B.C., seven wise men of Antiquity became known for their social and political wisdom: Thalis of Miletus, Pittacus of Mytilene, Solon of Athens, Bias of Priene, Chilon of Sparta, Periander of Corinth and Cleoboulos of Lindos.

Cleoboulos, the ruler of Lindos , boasted descendence from Hercules. He traveled widely and was well acquainted with Egyptian philosophy. He wrote poems, riddles and epigrams.

The only riddle written by him which has arrived to us is the following: The father is one and his children twelve. Each of the children has twice thirty daughters who have a different appearance: some are white others are black, some of them are immortal while others die.

The answer is: Time.

Lindos

Isle of Rhodes

Greece

The Rhodian deers

Elafos is one of the the two deer statues which today form the entrance of Mandraki Harbour (Rhodes), where once the legendary Colossus stood, a 31m high bronze statue erected between 292 and 280 B.C. ,by design of Charles of Lindos, and dedicated to the Titan God of the Sun, Helios, who was also the guardian of the Oaths and the God of gifts of sight. One of his daughters was the famous Circe, who could turn men into animals with her magic wand. The statue, considered as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world was said to have collapsed during a heavy earthquake in 226 Before Christ. Elafos and Elafina represent the symbol of the victory of the Rhodian deers over the enormous quantites of snakes which had invaded the island.

Mandraki Harbour, Rhodes

Greece

An invitation...

...to join folk dancers in a heart-pumping "Sirtaki"

(which I did)

Isle of Rhodes

Greece

Waiting for entertainment

Isle of Rhodes

Greece

Pearls of light

garden lighting

(the lamps are between 30 and 40 cm high)

Isle of Rhodes

Greece

Essential lines

Isle of Rhodes

Greece

What sunlight can do...

...to an empty corridor.

Isle of Rhodes

Greece