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Umbrian Skies


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La Bella Italia does not need me or anyone else to rhapsodise its enchantment.

I just think that there must be something deeply sad within anyone who does not fall in love with Italy which goes far beyond its iconic, stereotypical images; its prodigious artistic heritage; its cuisine concocting mouthwatering marvels out of a few basic ingredients; its heart-wrenching, timeless songs; its short-fused people who have long perfected an operatic swell out of being both rhetorical and garrulous at the same time; its countless sellers who fleece you barefacedly with the most disarming charm; its crazily speeding, honking  drivers threatening lives while their screeching wheels create the type of dissonant music Stravinsky would have loved to compose and direct; its fabulous fashion and design ever-driven by sex on the brain; its unbridgeable North/South divide which only kind of presses pause when the national football team descends on the pitch no matter how superb or shambolic its performance. Italy’s bizarre politics, terrifying violence, and escalating femicide is another story.

This is the land of my maternal grandmother who I never met because she died years before my parents got married but whose expression in old photographs tells me so many things that I would like to hear but never will.

I was far from a child or a teenager when my first visit to the Italian mainland finally transpired in the last week of June a good number of moons ago. I’m not sure whether it was worth the wait. What I’m sure of is that it was a dream come true and a lesson learnt.

Destined or not, I did not seek my partial Italian roots but sought the heart of Italy. That’s Umbria. Landlocked and converging all the quintessence of Italy’s past and present. A symbiosis of valleys, hills, and mountains dotted with the wonders of Perugia, Orvieto, Assisi, Spoleto. Gubbio, Todi, Castiglione and Citta’ di Castello. A history of the most blood-curdling feuds, of the saintliest saints and mercenary warriors. A glorious architecture embellished with Giotto and a mile-long list of Renaissance painters on the loose. A region totally vulnerable to and victim of devasting earthquakes. A pulsating heart which had my own heart racing and always will.

My friends and I had opted for Agri turismo accommodation – a converted farmhouse sprouted in the middle of a huge vineyard where bottles of on-the-spot-made wine greeted us when we arrived around mid-afternoon. This was the beginning of my discovery of Umbria where day after day we’d drive to wherever we had decided to go and take it all in, savouring every moment.

Yet in the surfeit of God-given and man created splendour, what overwhelmed me most was the bewitching beauty of Umbrian skies at twilight. What T.S. Eliot aced when he called day dying into night the ‘purple hour’. Diaphanous veils upon veils of purple hues is precisely what Umbrian summer skies turn into when the sun begins to set and the moon to rise. Twilight in Umbria is neither as extended as in northern Europe, nor as shrunken as in the southern Mediterranean.

Consequently, you don’t get hours of magical light. Nor do you get a flaming sky blackening at breakneck speed. What you do get is the lengthy embrace of a spellbinding cloak of amethyst.

I’ve always had an affinity with skies. Probably because I’m claustrophobic. Above all, because of the vivid luminosity of Mediterranean light by day and the velvety balm of its starry nights. Perhaps it’s also because I lived most of my life in a corner house flooded with natural light thanks to its massive windows. Today, I live in a smaller apartment but it’s part of a U-shaped corner block and its natural light is a delight.

To be simultaneously both on the giving and receiving end of unrequited love must have given capricious gods a binge of warped pawning.

At first, the miraculous interplay of mauve, lilac, and lavender streaks added Sulphur to my wounds. For the joys of the day would take on a bitter tang since this was the time when I would immerse myself and cling to the memory of the love of my life. And here I was without him standing under the most romantic skies and above the most seductive, verdant undulating hills. I would gaze with such longing and desire that I was overdosing on masochism. Worse still, I was harbouring the wretchedness of having unintentionally inflicted pain on one of my dearest friends who was in love with me but who knew very well that I had no lover’s spark for him. To be simultaneously both on the giving and receiving end of unrequited love must have given capricious gods a binge of warped pawning.

One evening I decided to give the ‘purple hour’ a miss. The next day my legs made their own way across the geranium scented terrace. The friends I was with had the sensitivity to leave me alone. Perhaps it was having skipped an evening of twilight gazing. Perhaps it was the gentle breeze revving into a wind. Whatever it was, I noticed a difference. The diaphanous veils seemed to be stripping off less gently revealing a darkening sky in a more urgent manner.

And then it struck me. They seemed to be telling me ‘Let go… let go… let go…’ I cannot explain how or why, but suddenly I thought of the Sioux tree burial custom that accelerates the soul to take flight rather than be smothered by the earth.  I was so transfixed that I spent the entire night on the terrace unable to shut-eye.

The heartache did not vaporise.

But I began to unfetter the manacles of obsessive self-orbiting and scrape the barnacles of self-pity.

Umbria’s diaphanous twilight did not cease to be romantic but to my eyes, the parting of veils now beckoned an openness to still believe in the power of love; even when love lets you down.

The manacles and barnacles have made several comebacks. So have the saws and the scrapers reminiscing Umbrian skies.

Noemi Zarb
Noemi Zarb
Writing, teaching, marketing. I have pursued three totally different career paths with the power of words serving both as link and lynchpin. Now I dedicate most of my time to writing - a never-ending romance. Typical of content writing I have been and am still responsible for scripting webs, advertorials as well as full-length articles. As a feature/opinion writer, I have over 600 articles published in Malta's leading newspapers and magazines (and still counting) - an experience which honed my interviewing skills when I interviewed countless painters and people involved in the performance arts. I also have over two decades of teaching English Literature and Critical Thinking via Textual Analysis under my belt having prepared students for the IB Diploma in English Language and Literature as well as MATSEC, IGCSE and SEC examinations in English language and English Literature. TEFL sometimes punctuated my summer holidays. Dealing with young people keeps you young and I have truckloads of cherished memories of my past students My current writing continues to be inspired by what life throws at me together with my critical thinking of what goes on (or doesn’t) around me firing my sense perception and vice versa. Being immersed in the corporate world gives me endless opportunities to observe facets of human behavior which invariably have me brood over. Learning and thinking over what I learn is still my way forward.

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22 CONVERSATIONS

  1. THE SKIES SEE SO MUCH, ESPECIALLY THE CAPRICIOUS AND LOVELY SKIES OF UMBRIA IN ITALY’S HEARTLAND. AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THOSE PASSION-PRODUCING SKIES WE SEE A WOMAN STRUGGLING WITH LOVE’S VARIOUS DIMENSIONS, ITS BOUNTIES AND HEART-WRENCHING COMPLICATIONS. SHE IS LEARNING VARIOUS LIFE LESSONS UNDER THESE PURPLE SKIES–AND IN THE PROCESS WE ARE EXPOSED TO HER SELF-PITYING REMONSTRANCES AND ALSO HER UPBEAT ROMANTIC FLIGHTS OF FANCY. ZARB IS PITCH PERFECT IN HER LOVE SONG–AND WE ARE LEFT TO ASK AFTER THIS JOURNEY WITH HER–WHAT ARE HER FEELINGS ABOUT LOVE AFTER THIS UMBRIAN HEART STORY AND EDUCATION?

  2. Noemi, con il ritratto che hai fatto del mio paese, l’Italia, mi fai appassionare ancora di più di questo posto che già amo moltissimo in tutta la sua bellezza, nella sua storia e nelle sue ricchezze… Anche se è un paese con tante, troppe contraddizioni e che troppo spesso è maltrattato e non considerato dai suoi stessi “figli”, moralmente e spiritualmente, come hai colto ed espresso molto chiaramente nella veracità della tua descrizione. Io vivo in una regione più a nord, nel Piemonte e mi hai fatto venire in mente che da dove abitavo tempo fa, nella prima periferia di Torino, potevo ammirare specialmente in inverno, stupendi tramonti dalla terrazza di casa mia che era rivolta verso una parte della corolla di montagne alpine, tra le quali svetta su tutte il Monviso. Mi fai pensare che ogni paese di questo nostro stupendo Pianeta ci riserva le sue meraviglie, e noi siamo fortunati a poterne godere… anche se troppe volte siamo così presi dalle nostre frenesie per accorgercene e ricordarlo per dimenticarlo inesorabilmente. Penso che le esperienze che portiamo e viviamo nella nostra interiorità, le nostre riflessioni che a parere mio sono volte in qualche modo sempre verso il nostro desiderio d’infinito, che ci fanno scaturire domande, ci portano a contemplazioni, nella normalità, nella gioia, nella tristezza e nel dolore, facendocene vedere tutte le sfaccettature. Bellissima l’Umbria… ad Assisi sono stato diverse volte, e anch’io ho visto quello stesso tipo di tramonto che hai visto tu… Ti ringrazio Noemi.

    • E’ sempre toccante vedere una persona chi ama il suo paese con la tua sensibilita’ e onesta’. In oltre, hai anche mostrato che tutti noi dobbiamo essere resi conto della bellezza del nostro mondo e che cosa significa essere vivi su questa pianeta e che cosa significa essere morti indipendentemente (o forse perche’) siamo credenti in un Dio o no.
      Grazie di cuore, Claudio, per i tuoi commenti – sempre belli e validi.

      • Io ringrazio te Noemi, per la tua professionalità e perché offri sempre te stessa per mezzo delle tue esperienze, delle tue emozioni, nella loro bellezza e nella tua sinceritá, anche quando a volte sono velate da dolore, da tristezza, gioia per la vita, che rendono concrete e coinvolgenti le tue riflessioni, con la tua profonditá, che sembra quasi di conoscerti da sempre

  3. Dear Noemi
    With a few lines of writing, you have fully grasped the profound Italian soul and the many, different sensations that pervade us even by observing the sky … at dawn … the sparkling of the day that begins … the evening … romantic, taciturn … erotic. I always remember with pleasure the words of the great Italian actor Vittorio De Sica, in one of his films, if I remember correctly, “Bread, love, and ….” from 1955. When sitting on a bench, looking at the sea … he says “The sun is at dusk and the sailors are softened or ‘…in Napolitan ” Il sole è all’imbrunire e ai marinai s’intenerisce o’core”.
    Thanks.
    Max

    • Dear Massimo
      A heartfelt thank you for your time and reflections. I have watched Pane, Amore e Fantasia a couple of times and what I like best is the very title because it encapsulates just what we need to have a meaningful life. It has to be the Italians to illuminate us all. I know I’m biased but I cannot help saying it. Besides it is so true.

  4. I too have Italian heritage Noemi. My Grandfather ( My Mom’s Dad) was born in Sicily, and came over to this country when he was a few months old, and my Father has Naples heritage in his family, but like most we are all of mixed blood, I am at least. Italy is on my list of countries to travel too, places like Tuscany, and the Amalfi Coast. I studied Architecture for a year in college, and the Renaissance period was an area that we had to study, I loved the art and architecture of the regions, which I find breathtaking.
    Your article made me think about all the beautiful places to visit, and to take in.
    I am a traveller, and you brought a unique experience to all of us.

    Thank you Noemi, and have a blessed week.

  5. This is absolutely beautiful, Noemi. With your words, you paint for us a marvelous canvas that draws the reader into Umbria. We all have those places that get deep into our soul and that we carry with us wherever we go. Thank you for sharing this lovely story with us.

  6. A vividly painted panoramic view purely in the most beautiful words and expressions and expressionism. I love it because it reflects your true persona.
    The fast-paced commentary is so enthralling. It takes me to various dimensions of your past…which is not lost yet…because it persists in you and your existence.
    Revisiting our roots is an intriguing pilgrimage from present to past and then past to present wherein we rediscover both dimensions of our true existence wholesomely.
    I loved and caressed all your beautiful expressions so profoundly….

    Take Care
    God Bless

  7. Your writing is transcending in every delightful way, Naomi. I have never quite made it to Umbria, but your words speak of it much more enticingly then any travel guide could as you have lived and loved it exquisitely and completely. What struck me as you penned about love in the giving and receiving end was also your mention of your grandmother who you never met and that I felt held a place of unconditional love in your heart. An undiscovered connection between you. So well done and appreciated.

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