A Couple More Steps Forward and...It's Paradise!

The Purgatory is the second book written by Dante Alighieri
about a life journey's story. 

The book is part of a famous trilogy called: Divine Comedy

I couldn't wait any longer to share something I discovered on the Purgatory image I posted the other day. The image was part of my blog post about evolution coming in threes. My great discovery is that right now I am close to Paradise. So I am there at the end of Purgatory.

Where do you think I am? You would never ever guess why and where I got stuck these past months in the Purgatory. There is a particular reason you may not aware of. It comes from my family name: Niccacci. I am stuck in the circle of gluttons!!! I only have two circles left and I am stuck with gluttons!

Indeed my last name Niccacci comes from an Italian nickname for glutton, gourmet and to some extent a person who likes the right things, meaning good food as an example and beautiful things. Such a person is defined as NICCA in our dialect. Niccacci is the corresponding noun to 'nicco' (masculine) and 'nicca' (feminine), which are adjectives.

It is such a relief when there is an answer to what is happening to us. In these past months, I have been eating everything that was at hand. The fridge would not open the door for me at a certain point anymore, so much he was tired of being opened every other minute. If only I had known the circle of gluttons was near the end of the Purgatory!

The circle of gluttons is before the last circle. The very last one is the circle of lust. I will skip on that. I will find a rope and climb on it to get to Paradise straight from the gluttons' circle. My great-grandparents, the original Niccacci family, will see me and help me get there with them. They will give me a hand. After all the connection is perfect: from the gluttons' circle to the authentic Niccacci family in Paradise.

I have been waiting to get to Paradise for two years now. Since the time I was in San Francisco in 2014 looking for an eligible partner. A partner I could not find at that time and I was forced to come back to Italy. It was like falling back to square one, to the book of Hell. If people only knew what I have been going through. So once I am in Paradise. I will stay there put and hold on to it!  

Aurora by Guercino: this is ideally what the conclusion of my journey with Cama should look like 

P.s. When I was in school I could not care less about the Divine Comedy. I am enjoying studying art and literature now because they mean something to me. The reason is there is a connection with my real life: my journey with CAMA. Works of art really take life now. They speak to me. I have always loved teaching and with the amazing experience I had in these past years I would have much to share with students:  about the importance of education and how studying could be turned into something useful and enjoyable if we knew what it is for. 

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Acanthus Leaves and the Eternal Cycle of Life

Entrance door with acanthus leaves
varieties are seen in Florence 

If you are traveling in Italy you may notice that Italian Renaissance residences, Renaissance-style main doors and gates are often enriched with floral swirls that look like kales, with central flowers and acorns. These details are called rosettes. Rosettes turn a balcony's supporting beams into a festive garland of flowers, an empty door wooden square into a point of attraction. The same artistry applies to paintings and frescoes in the Renaissance: rosettes turn into swirls and explosions of beautiful leaves surrounding a painting's main scene.  

We said we have to keep in mind that the Italian Renaissance was a rewriting of the classical ages. Indeed Italian Renaissance art brought back to life what the classical ages had left us as a heritage.  

We can think of the classical ages as an evergreen remedy in times of revival after a temporary recession or important world phenomenons such as the Industrial Revolution and the current globalization. Indeed these events have much in common because they have given way to the highest consumerism peaks. Consumerism works in pairs with death while artworks in pairs with life. 

Arch of Settimio Severo, 203 A.D., Leptis Magna, Libya

That is why when times are hard on us when we look for a sense in life when we feel lost, we go back to the ages that made us feel eternal. The classical ages are eternal themselves by the means of their works of art and traditions and acanthus leaves are probably the best symbol for eternity. Acanthus leaves carve on Etruscan urns are probably the most meaningful example of the acanthus leaves' message: it's the description of the neverending revival cycle of nature. In this sense, death becomes part of the life cycle and is enhanced and respected the same as life. Acanthus leaves were an invention of the classical ages. They do not exist in real life. They are an idealization of what we strive for: eternity. 

English translation: Antique rosette belonging to
the arch of Settimio Severo (203 A.D., Leptis Magna, Libya)

My curiosity about acanthus leaves comes from the fact that I grew up with my mother Elena painting one of the historic Deruta patterns, called RICCO DERUTA. I started wondering where the pattern came from. Researches took me back to Italian Renaissance artist Perugino.  Then through Perugino, I got interested in the classical ages: Romans, Greeks and Etruscans in particular. These latter are a recent discovery of mine. My love for the Etruscans burst last year only by watching a 3D video of a finding with acanthus leaves carved on it. It was a helmet. It brought me back to the origin of my researches and the circle was concluded. I had found the answer to my question about the meaning of acanthus leaves.

My mother Elena is painting acanthus leaves at CAMA
before 2011.  A classical pattern called: Ricco Deruta

                          

Screenshot from the 3D video reconstructing a helmet with acanthus leaves
that was found in an Etruscan tomb in Tuscany 

Acanthus leave borders from a fresco by Perugino

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Renaissance Art Curiosities in Times of Rebirth   

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FIVE YEARLY WINDOWS FOR TWELVE MONTHS

Simone Martini, Saint Martin of Tours, 1322-1326, Basilica di San Francesco, Assisi, Italy 

My favorite day of the year is New Year's Eve. To me, this day is the first window into my life journey's renewal. Celebrating a new start to the journey with the rest of the world is definitely a great event. 

The egg is a symbol of rebirth and renewal. 

However, there are other important windows during the year. Among all celebrations in Italy, we can list FIVE important occasions to celebrate the yearly revivals: 1. New Year's Eve, Easter, August 15th - also known as 'Ferragosto', November 11th - also known as 'St. Martin's day' and Christmas. Most recently I heard people rename 'Ferragosto': 'Summer New Year's, probably because of the fireworks closing the day's celebrations just like we do on New Year's Eve. 

We are now way ahead towards autumn. Our next yearly renewal appointment is November 11th. In Italy, on this day we celebrate Saint Martin of Tours. The reason is that we remind ourselves of being charitable in order to face the seasons' craziness.

Fireworks in Italy are part of the Ferragosto celebrations
on  August 15th 

These five-yearly celebrations became part of the religious and political calendar in classical ages already- such as the case of Ferragosto, which was the name given to this celebration by Emperor Augustus - Feriae Augusti --> Ferragosto in Italian ---> etymology from Latin: Augustus vacations. However in the beginning these celebrations were part of nature's revival cycles. These cycles were described by the fruits of the earth, among which wheat was indispensable for survival since the dawn of time. Ferragosto was meant to celebrate the closing of the wheat harvesting period. 

Christmas atmosphere in Sicily 

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Friends of Cama: the intangible heritage of a much loved Italian ceramic workshop

Translation of the article published by L'Italo-Americano on August 18th, 2014 available online in the original Italian edition: 

DERUTA talking coat of arms with the castle (Deruta)
and the Gryphon (Perugia) protecting the city. On top of the
tower a plant of rue, the herb of grace, a symbol of
good luck 

The history of the brand name “Cama” has its roots in Deruta, the most important ceramic production city in Italy. It is also linked to California and to most areas of the United States by a common thread. 

The name “Friends of Cama” was originally created by a group of American customers from the Bay Area, who in 2010 came together to raise a “crowdfunding” in order to save the ceramic factory from imminent closure.  They wanted their favourite artisan workshop to stay in business as for 30 years they had become collectors, and closure meant they would not be able to acquire any more genuine Cama pieces.  

This sincere initiative for the workshop, visited by many people, was “Cama” which is an acronym for Cooperativa Artigiana Majoliche Artistiche (Majolica Artistic Handicraft Cooperative), founded in the fifties specializing in hand-painted Renaissance dinner services.

It is thanks to the artist Elena Niccacci that the classical Deruta patterns reached their perfection, a quality much appreciated by her American customers. Elena’s style became a fashion statement on the dinner tables in many American homes, also in Starbuck’s cookery book entitled “Passion for Coffee” and in films (“Mrs Doubtfire, 1993).

In 2010 Elena Niccacci celebrated 60 years in the world of ceramics, as well as being the first woman entrepreneur to revive the Deruta classical patterns.  As a young girl, she believed passionately in her work, at a time when the art of pottery was reserved for the elite.

During difficult times for Cama, a bridge was created between the US and Italy but it needed more time and resources in order to envisage new horizons.  Reopening the workshop as it had been operating before was unprofitable and attempts to merge with another factory in Deruta were in vain.

Therefore the members of Friends of Cama began to take on a supportive role in the company’s transition and innovation. Starting from a common sharing and a great relationship with Cama’s customers, the daughter Roberta Niccacci took over the intangible heritage of the company in the search for new paths.  So far it has taken five years.  A challenge that has changed Roberta’s life.

“It has been a journey that I never imagined to do.  As each door closed I went forward.  I learnt not to give up;  to fight and to stay focused.  I became very strong because having a vision makes you resilient” said Roberta Niccacci.  “It’s like living a dream.  And I want this dream to come true.  I’m ready to celebrate with my many friends all over the world starting from the United States.  Thank you to all the friends and customers of Cama, and the people unknown to me, for supporting me in an impossible mission – never attempted in Deruta before.”

In Deruta Roberta was the face of Cama;  she took care of the clients with considerable talent together with her brother Andrea, who supports the project to make Cama revive in an original way. With the help of her Italian mentor, who believed in her potentialities, Roberta has moved from sales assistant to innovator.

Roberta Niccacci writes about her journey on the Cama Facebook page www.facebook.com/FriendsofCama and on the blog www.friendsofcama.blogspot.it.

Overcoming the vicissitudes in Italy, where she experimented, researched new methods, knocked on doors;  this year Roberta finally visited the Friends of Cama in the Bay Area returning to San Francisco after twenty years.  She has never forgotten her love for the city and her long-standing friendships.

Now Roberta’s project is ready to take the plunge, possibly with an American business partner, and make her dream come true:  to revive Cama and once again serve the loyal customers who patronized her family’s workshop. 

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'C' FOR 'CITY CLAIMS'

Diet Coke Is Targeting San Francisco Techies With Tone Deaf Ads 

Upon my arrival to San Francisco I felt that the city was talking to me with a beautiful voice. Nothing had changed for me from twenty years before when I had visited the city the first time.  Things were even better as everything around me started sending written messages through witty, up-to-date campaigns. 

The first day I took the bus it kindly told me to 'hold on'. A few days later an ad on a large screen on the way home said 'there are no wrong turns'. I switch on the tv and they give me addresses of companies helping start-ups get going. 

Last but not least a sign said that it's never too late to be kind. That I certainly need a reminder for as it is the most difficult thing to do. However the most fascinating of all claims is the Coca-Cola ad, that goes like this: 

YOU MOVED TO 

San Francisco is the Renaissance city of modern times.
There are plenty of opportunities. It gives everybody a
second chance. 

SAN FRANCISCO
WITH AN IDEA
FOR A START-UP,
A NAME FOR A START-UP
AND ZERO MONEY 
FOR A START-UP.
YOU ARE ON
DIET COKE 

As of yesterday this ad was still around in the city especially in the area of the Temporary Transbay Terminal and along Market street. I love to live the moment with everybody around me fostering and playing along for making something happen.  

I love San Francisco. I love Renaissance cities! I love running with other people who are enjoying what they are doing. Making their art part of their lives. Giving their best for binging innovation. That's why in San Francisco I feel I am on! 

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This is my second edition  of short  stories entitled "Cake Stands for Cama": stories about my favorites starting with the letter "C". 

"C" for "Chapel"

Upon receipt of this photo from a Cama friend, I had the opportunity of having a closer look at it. This cealing belongs to the small chapel at Castello di Ama (Siena). 

I wish to share a Renaissance art curiosity I found out in this ceiling. When I visited back in the fall I didn't notice the contents of the four symbols inscribed in the suns. Nor did read the writings.They are symbols and invocations to the Virgin Mary, part of the rosary prayer. 

Herewith invocations follow clockwise. They are written in Latin:  1. Turris Davidica (symbol: tower. tr. David's tower); 2. Stella matutina (symbol: raising sun. tr.morning star); 3: Turris Eburnea (symbol: Tower. tr. Ivory tower); 4. Rosa Mystica (symbol: rose. tr. mystical rose); 


More information and close-up pictures in a new blog post.   (to be continued...) 

 



This is my second edition  of short  stories entitled "Cake Stands for Cama": stories about my favorites starting with the letter "C". 

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"C" for "CHANEL N.5"

I love Gabrielle Chanel because she thought out of the box.  

Yesterday for the first time in my life I paid a visit to a Chanel store. I had never dared to enter such a luxury store before. But yesterday I was feeling like a princess for a few good reasons. 

I was dressed nicely and shop assistants were kind to me. I smiled back to them and when I got to the youngest one, in order not to get her hopes up on sales commissions she would never receive, I added that I could not afford anything in their store. The only thing I could afford I was wearing it already: my Chanel n.5.  

I added that the reason for my visit was that Gabrielle Chanel is my favorite entrepreneur. I was so proud of myself. She smiled back to me and welcomed me to their store. Eccellent customer service. As the line goes: 'Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you wanna get' (Forrest Gump) 

p.s. I didn't add that this perfume was a gift from my fiancé and that for the first time in my life I was wearing an eau de parfum. Usually it was an eau de toilette. A good step forward. What would I do without you, my love! 

This is my second edition  of short  stories entitled "Cake Stands for Cama": stories about my favorites starting with the letter "C" 

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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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