From March 5, 2007
Book: ‘The Lady in the Palazzo” by Marlene de Blasi

Moments in this book evoke memories of when I was in Italy.

“When an Etruscan cried, he held the [little vial-shaped terra cotta] vase up to his eye, collecting, they believed, from the melting of the soul, and so to lose tears was to lose one’s soul itself.  Then they would crush violets or rose petals and scent the tears, make a kind of perfume of them, use the potion to anoint the people they loved.  Thus giving up their soul for love.”  [p. 117]

“...As a race, we have a genius for disguise.  Each of us is a secret to the other.  Beware the simple person, who is rarely so.”  [p. 127]

“Knowing what to forget is as important as knowing what to remember.  It’s the same … as harvesting wheat.  Know what to keep and what to refuse.  There’s a great delicacy.”  [p. 129]

“I asked her, Tomassina, to choose a melon for me - for my lunch - from the small pyramid of them built up …She dismantles the pyramid, pulling and pinching at the stem end of each melon, shaking her head, gazing at me once in a while, hopelessness rising.  When she has inspected all of the navels of all the melons she looks at me, a surgeon with tragic news.  “I have nothing that will be ripe enough for one o’clock.”  Holding up one in the palm of her hand, she says “Perhaps this one will be ready by eight this evening.  Surely it will be ready by midnight.  But nothing will be ready by lunch.”  Speechless by her specificity, I simply nod … I need this woman in my life.  I need to learn more about melons and much more about timing and patience…”  

[p. 145]