The excitement of the exhibition is over as the finissage took place on Sunday the 26th of June; however, it was a beautiful ending that we celebrated at Marina’s home in Vercana, a small village up the mountains of the Alto Lario with a magnificent view of Lario (Lake Como). I had the pleasure of meeting Marina through Alessandro and Elisa; from the moment I met her, there was an instant connection that one feels when meeting someone whose energy is of the same fabric. Marina Catalano is a writer and the author of many novels of which her favourite subject is Lario. She is a citizen of the world and a member of the International Society for Contemporary Literature and Theatre. One of her many novels, Oltre le palme i pensieri del mare, takes place between Lake Como and the Dominican Republic where she has a family of friends. Her latest novel, which she passionately talked about with me in 2019 before it was published in 2020, Parole Nel Vento La Voce Del Lario, is a historical novel set in Alto Lario, Lake Como, formerly called Lario. The story's main characters are Lario and Milena, a young woman whose grandparents grew up in the area and then emigrated to Dublin, Ireland. Milena is attracted by the strong magnetism of Lario and listens to its voice telling her many stories. This is a fascinating tale of Lario, a fascination that we both share and the reason why it is a magical place to me as well.
The dinner was convivial with rich conversations and I had the pleasure of meeting Marina’s friends who live nearby. It was an Italian Sunday dinner “il pranzo della Domenica”, the occasion for family bonding and celebration. For us, it was a family of friends bonding and celebrating the end of a very special exhibition. Marina prepared a delicious meal during which took place fascinating conversations oscillating between Italian, German, French & English. Alessandro likes to throw in a little Latin and is amused by our Tower of Babel type of conversations. His sense of humour can be at times intriguing, especially when his best friend, Jonathan, joins in the conversation. Jonathan is an art collector and has bought pieces of my last series, Love in Lake Como.
