Greetings from Italy

~ Village of Manarola on the Cinque Terre coast of Italy. 

I wish you all the best in 2014. Follow my journey into the new year!  ~  Roberta
                                                                                                                                   

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FRIENDS OF CAMA 

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Italian Lucky Numbers

The Friends of Cama story continues with a new entry:
my little brother Andrea! 

In Italy, we are much into lucky numbers. The capital city of lucky numbers is Naples, where they have turned beating numbers into art: it's called 'Smorfia Napoletana' (Neapolitan cabala) and was originally based on personal night dreams. I love this tradition but I cannot call myself a fanatic as I do not know how to beat numbers as an art. You have to catch the perfect matching number to the symbols you dreamt of. Most of the time there is more than one number to select from. That makes it a hard win. 

Twenty-six is my lucky number

What's funny about my beating numbers is that in the past two years I bet numbers twice only, inspired by two important night dreams. I won both times by pointing to selected numbers randomly. It was not much for a win but still two wins out of two. That's one of those moments when I think of myself as a lucky girl. 

'26' is my lucky number. I was born on the 26th of the month and I am a honeymoon baby. That's what makes this number magic to me. Being a honeymoon baby is so sweet and makes the number twenty-six so dear to me. The story of this number doesn't end with my birthday. This number has been following important events in my life: I graduated from university on the 26th day of the month, last year I got engaged on the 26th of January. These are important events in my life. I am sure that if I go through other life events, the number twenty-six comes up. And it is not meant on purpose, this number gets in the story by mere chance. 

Thirteen is the luckiest number in Italy

I hope my next upcoming event will be on the 26th of the month; if it's January 26th, 2014 I will think of myself as a lottery premium winner. This time it's about my professional life & my brand new work adventure. 

I feel lucky already because my brother Andrea is joining me in this endeavor of mine. It's the biggest news of St. Stephen's day, December 26th, a true gift. He is going to be my right-hand man ('il mio braccio destro') - I hope the expression sounds correct in English - meaning my most professional interface in Italy, my best assistant, the person I can trust. He was born on the 13th of the month  and '13' is the luckiest number in Italy. A big sister and a little brother: I have found my perfect match!

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First day of winter. Saturday, December 21st. I can't wait to be back writing my posts. Appointment for my new post is December 26th!

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Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas! 

Taking a week off. Posting again on this blog & Facebook page on December 26th, St. Stephen's feast day. You may find me on Twitter in case of travels around Italy: www.twitter.com.FriendsofCama

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"C" for "COFFEE"

I met my soul mate last year.  According to fortune he was on top of my journey's priorities. I recognized him immediately. We met in a Coffee Shop called "Bar Fortuna"!  

Coffee is my favorite beverage. I can drink several espressos in a day without any consequences. I love it!  So this morning within the coffee theme I wish to write about a special coffee shop. It's the one where I first met my soul mate. It is called 'Bar Fortuna' (Fortune Coffee Shop). How's that for a stroke of luck, my favorite coffee shop had a perfect name! How could this happen in my life? This is the beginning of the story. 

Back in 2011 I was exhausted by the events in Deruta. No one was listening to me. I was not happy with my tests with other workshops.  I was losing on all fronts. All doors were closed. So I decided to move to a different place in Italy. The first thing I did was to ask my friends if they knew of someone from whom I could rent an apartment. I was lucky as a friend had a place in Piegaro, which at the time I did not know other than the fact that it is home of a famous glass factory. So I moved to Piegaro.  

In Piegaro I spent a whole year continuing my reseach for Cama. It could not be the end. I started feeling much better in Piegaro. I made new friends, I loved talking to the eldely in the village and I enjoyed reading newspapers everyday at coffee shops there. I was missing meeting people at the workshop so much. I wanted to be around people. However looking for someone to date was the last of my thoughts. I was not in the mood. I couldn't keep my mind still. 

But one day in January last year all of a sudden something happened. I was at Bar Fortuna, one of the two coffee shops in Piegaro and I saw my soul mate walk towards me. In my mind's eye he was walking as if he was in slow motion, as if he were in a silent movie. Was I dreaming? 
Fortune was starting setting my priorities along my journey. On top of priorities was: Soul Mate. Thank you Bar Fortuna!  

This is my last post of short stories entitled "Cake Stands for Cama": stories about my favorites starting with "C".  
I hope you enjoyed it!

A NEW SERIES STARTING 2014. 




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THE CERAMICS LOVING CUPS TRADITION IN ITALY

In Italy at the end of the 15th-century gentlemen started offering ceramic loving cups as gifts o love to their beloved on specific occasions: weddings, engagements, baby showers and ballrooms. These pieces usually depicted a female bust and a flying ribbon around it with the compliments "Bella" (beautiful) or "Gentile" (kind).

Writings were varied: “Be Ludovica”,”Lorenza B”, “Maria”, “La Giulia Bella”. Sometimes we find writings like ”Orelia B e Momolo suo servo“(tr. Orelia B and Momolo her servant), “Memento”, where “Be” and “B” stands for “Bella”.

In early examples and later on, we can find the sweetheart's name only or symbols such as the heart perforated by a spike; the heart in flames or the two hands tightened together. Indeed the etymology of symbol is an exchange, woven.

The loving cups' origin is related to the change of attitude towards beauty and love in these centuries. Love was no longer concealed like it was in the Middle Ages and men wanted to make it eternal and show their feelings. The tradition started in Casteldurante (Urbania) in Le Marche and spread throughout Italy including Deruta. 

Loving cups were produced in several shapes, such as plates, spout pitchers, soup cups, amphoras, double handled vases and salt containers. According to the festivity, each loving cup had a different shape and usage.

As an example, the loving cup as a ballroom's memento was filled with almond candies and sweets and dedicated to a young lady. This is apparently how the wedding favors' tradition started.

On the contrary bride's loving cups were accompanied by a tablecloth with an equal inscription. The married couple would drink out of the same cup to ensure fertility.

In the Renaissance, loving cups became very popular and reached their most rich expressions in colors, details and shapes. Local famous artists such as Perugino (1450-1523) and Pinturicchio (1454-1513) were taken as examples for patterns and portrait styles.

Local craftsmen took inspiration from these artists and painted beautiful women. They had several examples of “Bella’s portraits so that the commissioners could have a choice. This might be the reason why many women did not match their contemporary sweethearts.

Portraits were painted in blue, yellow, brown and green on a dark blue ground, and covered with a high sheen glaze.
Classical literature was also a source of inspiration for the floral intricate patterns enriching portraits, especially when dedicated to engagements and weddings. Some examples of loving cups are painted with mythological stories with loving subjects.

The loving cups tradition lasted for a long time and examples in the 18th century can still be found. Several changes in styles have occurred over time. Interesting pieces belong to private collections and are part of important museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of New York and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

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"C" for 'CINNAMON'

 In times past cinnamon was a spice we didn't
 use much in Italy

My father Renato Niccacci visited me in the United States twenty years ago for Christmas. It was his first trip outside of Italy and he had never been on an aeroplane before. He changed flight in Amsterdam and landed in San Francisco with lots of luggage, carrying warm clothes for me, a torciglione homemade cake and above all his bike rider's uniform and accessories. 

We had planned to rent a bike for my father and my friends Nancy and Burt took him to Sausalito to the rental store. My father said the bike we rented for him was almost better than the one he had at home. So his adventures started and that day he went up Mount Tamalpais with his new friend Burt reviving his experience in the Dolomites. 

'Torciglione' is a traditional almond Christmas cake
from my region, Umbria,
shaped as a snake. It brings good luck!

2014 is going to be a good year for my father as he is going to take part in the annual Dolomitenradrundfahrt (bike tour in the Dolomites) July 27th-August 2nd again. He has done this tour for 22 years, however he was not able to take part in the last 5 years race. What warmed up his heart is that no one has taken the race number "1" in all these years out of respect as they considered Renato Niccacci still number "1" bike rider. 

My father enjoyed his visit to the United States very much. Something he discovered was a different food as we do not use the same spices at home. Discovering new horizons is very exciting and it's never too late!

This is my ninth post of short stories entitled "Cake Stands for Cama": stories about my favorites starting with "C".  
I hope you enjoyed it!

ONE MORE POST TO GO. DON'T MISS IT!




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