Perche'? (Why?)

Mona Lisa by Leigh Cooney

Before I married an Italian I was married to a German speaker and almost immediately after I made the switch, I noticed that while lots of folks drive a Mercedes, nobody ever passionately longs for wurst and lederhosen.  Italy, on the other hand, immediately brings out the poets, and I have spent an entire marriage trying to figure out what it is that pulls our American hearts in spite of  long lines at the post office and sleazy politicians.

Occasional mental noodling is one thing, but  I'm sure if you'd ask Michele, this time he'd agree, I've taken my research way too far.

 Next month School Amici hosts Cincinnati Dreams Italy, a companion exhibit  to George Inness in Italy at the Taft Museum.  My friend, Tricia, is in charge of public relations and she asked if we could do a class.

Something About That Italian Sun
(a 3-part adventure in the beauty of Italy explained by real Italians)
October 1 (2pm)  Amore: Friends, Family and Courtship & olive oil tasting
October 8 (2pm)  Paese: Spots (most) Tourists Don't Discover & Italian cheeses
October 15 (2pm) Tavola: Food and Italian Culture & artisan gelatos
If you sign-up for the whole series ($90), it includes a one year membership to the Taft and all their fun events.

That was all they wanted.

Except then I got to thinking, "Mamma mia! When's School Amici going to throw a party and get everybody together around big long tables with red checkered table clothes, outside in the tent in the garden, like they do in the old country, with lots of crusty bread and  steamy dishes cooked just right?"  We could sing Neapolitan songs with Michele on guitar and Silvana's gorgeous voice, an accordion player strolling by every once in a while.  We could go upstairs when the museum is all spooky and quiet and take our time with Inness' dreamy landscapes.  We could talk about food all night with folks who know about it, like it's the most important thing in the world. (which it is)

October 20, 6pm, Per Sempre: The Dinner Party  
Members: $40; Folks Who Haven't Joined Yet: $55

That was really way more than the staff at the Taft ever expected.  "Kathy, you're out of control," one of them said and who could argue?

Sure, the landscapes are pretty, but they don't tell me everything I want to know.   Inness took his Grand Tour almost a hundred and fifty years ago, but we Americans still travel there today with the same hope that our journeys will change the way we see the world forever.   So I invited 35 of the most talented artists in Cincinnati to galleries scattered throughout historic buildings around Lytle Park that aren't normally open to the public.

Cincinnati Dreams Italy, October 8&9, 15&16, 22&23  11am-5pm  (gratis)
an extravaganza in paint, print, and sculpture, part of all purchases to benefit the Taft


"Basta!" I thought to myself.  That is more than enough.  And it was, until I realized that Cincinnati was one of the few cities without a bocce court in any of our parks.  So I ran around and got everybody all excited until finally our co-host, Western-Southern Financial Group, agreed to donate the money for materials and the Park Department (miracle of miracles) said, "Yes! You can have a bocce court"  Now everybody wants to play.


Lytle Park Bocce Tournament, all weekends
Teams of 2, $10 registration per participant.


BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Free Group Tarantella Lesson, Saturday October 8 at 4pm, led by Silvana and friends.  We're gonna dance like there's nobody lookin'!

An espresso cart, walking tours, vintage scooters.


Which will surely be enough, don't you think?  Whatever it is that I'm looking for just beyond words, I'll find it this time and I'll finally be able to explain everything Italian that makes no sense.  It'll be there in one of the oils or the curve of an elegant bronze.  Or if the artists don't get to that secret place, it has to be tucked under the trees, between groups of friends chatting on park benches while they watch the players roll the bocce down the court.  This time I'll finally figure it out, exactly what it is that we are missing in the here and now that we have always called home.

I better.

Because I'll never get Michele to do this twice.