The boat I'm on is hauled out in Italy for the winter having maintenance down so we have hotel rooms in the next town for when the it's time to get out of the way of the work and to just get away from the work. We go down to this hotel everyday for food and I usually walk it just for the exercise.
You know the ornaments we hang on xmas trees, the round delicate glass balls. I've been buying one for my mother from every country I've been in when I'm not home for xmas.
Everyday I pass this store front display of these glass balls for a tree. These were different as they are ceramic pottery and they look different. They are quite nice actually, each one is unique, hand drawn little works of art.
And everyday through November and December I'm passing this store and they are never open. I mean I'm watching the dates because I have to mail it so it gets there in time for them putting up the tree. That day comes and goes, so I'm thinking at least maybe I can get one for xmas day. Not a frigging chance! They never were open any time I went by.
I missed getting my Mom anything this year because the workload on the boat is just crazy and trying to get time off to get down to this shop was hard enough. At least it was on the way to lunch every day so it looked like a good idea...just a frigging disappointment!
Everything with getting work done this yard period with the boat is just one frustrating experience after another with the Italian way of working. So this weekend I said the hell with the boat. Most of the crew was gone on vacation so we had an empty room in the hotel and I just needed to get away so I moved into there for the weekend.
There's no munchies in the room and I know on Sunday this town shuts down like the typical small town in Italy does. I just wanted to get something for Sunday to munch on if I got hungry.
So I'm on my way back from the market and I pass the store...they were open! They weren't open a half hour earlier when I passed???
Like Hillary said when asked why he climbed mountains, I had to go in just because it was there.
Inside are these two older guys and a dog. The dog, from the moment I saw him was standing in front of this little gas heater just staring at the fire on the heating element like he was hearing voices.
Anyway, what you do not see clearly from the outside was this was a complete pottery factory in two rooms lighted by the one window and some hanging lights. This is like stepping back in time and one thing led to another and I'm looking around and I see this one piece hanging and I look at, I look at the one of the guys and point and say Cuba. They look at me and this was like the magic password to the kingdom!
Next thing I know their pouring me an expresso and the dog is licking my hand. Their telling me the history of the family, showing me pieces of work hidden away out of sight etc., etc...
From what I could understand, craftsmen from all over the world come here to this shop to study and practice. I saw ceramics in Cuba similar to what I saw hanging on the wall and it was the same guy who came to the shop! It turns out this family has been doing ceramics there since 1958 and people know about them...under the dust on the walls is a letter signed by Queen Elizabeth thanking them for making some works for her, letters from all over the world requesting or thanking them. There is photos hidden behind vases and pots showing the family at work down through the years...sons, daughter, and one of old guys when his was young with one of the Popes accepting a piece...Wow!
They call up the daughter to translate for us and that turned out to be a twenty minute conversation which I get to tell my history and fully understand theirs...which all I needed to know was in their work...it's beautiful!
So much for a little store front that is never open except on a late afternoon on a rainy cold Saturday in Italy.
One of the reasons why I like Italy.
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