1-28-23, Day 27 In PTL Perrin’s Life
Welcome to day twenty-seven of A Day In My Life! Happy Friday!
Imagine, if you will, lining up behind the columns in the central street in this photo, out of sight, dressed in cap and gown, and waiting for the opening notes of Pomp and Circumstance. In my graduating class of forty students, I stepped out onto the steep ramp into the illusion of perspective, careful not to fall. Number three in my class, I made my way to a seat on the stage. We faced a curved amphitheater where our families and friends cheered as we graduated. It was 1968, and this theater was nearly 400 years old.
Built in 1580-85 by Andrea Palladio, a resident of Vicenza, Italy, and the most influential architect of his time, the Teatro Olimpico is the oldest surviving Renaissance theater in the world. And it’s where we American students got to graduate.
Vicenza is a beautiful town midway between Verona, where Romeo and Juliet lived, loved, and perished (in fiction), and Venice, known for its canals, gondolas, and blown glass figures. We also knew it for its fishy scent, art museums, and pigeons that would perch on your shoulders if you dared take out a snack in Piazza San Marco.
I’m a bit nostalgic today because I found a cache of some photos we took with old Brownie cameras back in the 1900s. The photos you see above came from an internet search. As teens, we hung out at the Piazza dei Signori after we shared pizzas at Duo Ruote, the best pizzeria in the world. We lived on a side of Monte Berico, off a narrow road we accessed near the Basilica. The church sits at the top of the mountain overlooking the city. The inside shone brighter than the outside with all the gold in there. I added the photo of a villa just like the many that dotted the land around the city. One of the teachers at the DoD school we attended lived in one like this.
Our villa was smaller and the land around it not as well manicured. We had a variety of fruit trees and vineyards and one tall pine we’d climb for a spectacular view of the valley.
I had a room with a balcony. My brother loved to climb the iron grate of the downstairs window, jump onto the balcony, and scare the daylights out of me.
You can see the slope of the road in front of our gate. We kids would walk about a quarter mile to the bottom of the hill to catch the school bus. We also had to walk UP it after school. A neighborhood St. Bernard named Topo (for a cartoon mouse) lost control running down that hill one day. He’d picked up so much speed, he couldn’t stop. My brother and I hopped out of his way as he passed, eyes wild, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth, flapping in the wind. We watched him reach the intersection in the village below at the exact moment a Fiat 500 did. Topo barreled into the car, knocked it over on its side, and staggered to a stop. He sat down, shook his head, and wandered away. Meanwhile, the family of five inside the car, opened the door, now on top, and climbed out. The papa screamed Italian curses at the poor dog, while Dan and I laughed all the way home.
I’m front and center in the photo of the family gathering, surrounded by siblings, German cousins, aunts, an uncle, and my Opa — Mom’s dad.
I won’t post the photos of our annual beach vacations along the Adriatic and Mediterranean coasts. However, I will share these pictures of a boat my dad fashioned from an old dinghy he rescued. His boat sailed so well, a company bought his design to mass produce them. He thought it bobbed nicely, but didn’t have enough speed, so he built a better one after he and Mom moved to Spain.
I hope you’ve kept old photos that bring back pleasant memories. I enjoy being invited to share your journeys, so please keep posting them!
Here’s my to-do list for today:
- Write my daily blog. (Check!)
- Read the blogs of everyone participating in this challenge and comment. (daily)
- Read and critique my writer’s group’s chapters.
- Take a nap.
- Spend an hour editing my friend’s book.
- Relax with dinner and a movie and Bill.
Thank you for reading my blog today, and please visit my friends and fellow RRBC Bloggers at https://ravereviewsbookclub.wordpress.com/rrbc-member-chat/
Blessings!
Patty Perrin (writing as P.T.L. Perrin)
PTL Perrin Writes... 
Hi Patty! From the sounds of it, you had the childhood I always dreamt about. Hold on tight to those beautiful memories and thank you for sharing them with us!
Best wishes,
Donna M. Atwood
D. M. Atwood
https://www.dmatwood.com
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Looking back, it was the idyllic childhood, Donna. We were blessed to live in Italy, away from the base and among our Italian neighbors. I had a few paranormal encounters in that old villa. I believe an angel saved us from a house fire one night, even though I didn’t know the Lord back then at all. God has always been watching out for us!
Blessings!
Patty
https://www.ptlperrin.org
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I yearn for a simple life. When I was younger, I loved Manhattan’s crowds and the hectic pace, but now I want a villa in the countryside. You had an ideal childhood.
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I wish that for you, Susanne. I never liked cities and swore I’d never live anywhere near NYC. When I married my ex, the first place we lived was across the river from Manhattan in New Jersey. Hectic, crowded, and Hispanic. I had to learn Spanish to survive in the Barrio. We spent ten years there, so it made up for my quiet childhood in Italy. I must admit, I love the Cuban culture, music, and food! And the people are fantastic, too.
Blessings!
Patty
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What an exotic setting for a high school graduation. I was wondering “Why Italy?” and then I remembered that your dad was in the military.
Creativity certainly runs in your family, your dad creating an enviable boat design. And high achievement: you graduating 3rd in your class. Enjoy your weekend!
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Thanks, Marian! Looking back, it was an exotic setting. At the time, it was just normal. What did I know? I had nothing to compare it to. Third in a class of 40 is at the bottom of ten percent. There were two number ones ( exact match in GPA, and they married each other! ), and then me. No number two. I escaped having to give a speech by the skin of my teeth! Dad designed and built a 35 foot sailboat that slept six in his seventies in Spain. He put red sails on it because Mom loved a song (Red Sails in the Sunset), and they sailed it on the Med for years. Thank you for your kind comments!
Blessings!
Patty
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For your listening pleasure:
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Marian, THANK YOU! This song brought tears to my eyes. As Nat King Cole sang the words, I heard my mother’s voice blended with his. She loved it and would sing it often. Your posting it was a lovely gift, and I’m grateful!
Blessings and love,
Patty
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Hi, Patty! Thanks for sharing these beautiful memories! I can just taste that pizza from Duo Ruote… mmmm, now I want pizza!
Your memories were so vivid and rich! I truly felt like I was there for it all – the graduation, at the gate of your villa with your mom, and even watching Topo, along with you guys, race down the drive. Thank goodness Topo didn’t meet the end that I imagined while you were painting that image for us.
Memories are what keeps us young, and when we are able to recount them the way you did here… a blessing. “Thank you, God, for waking me up in my right mind.” Part of my daily prayer 🙂
I am behind on reading posts, but I will be catching up on all. Yours have been delightful!
Thanks, Patty!
http://www.nonniewrites.wordpress.com
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Thank you, Nonnie! I’m glad you’re enjoying my posts. It’s fun remembering good times while I still can, so I’m happy this challenge is taking me there. I echo your statement in my daily prayer along with “Thank you for another beautiful day!” Any day we wake up is beautiful. And I can also still taste that amazing pizza. I don’t know why, but I’ve never tasted one quite as good in this country. Still looking!
Blessings!
Patty
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🙂
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That story about that dog made me crack up (once I knew everyone and the dog were okay, of course!). I’ve visited Varona and Venice, but I never heard of Vincenza. Guess I’ll have to add that to my list. Thanks for the trip down your memory lane, Patty!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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Poor Topo. I hope he learned not to run down that steep road again, Yvette. I was glad to see he was okay, too, but I laughed every time I pictured his terrified face in my mind. Vicenza is where the US Army base is. The base was only a comparatively small area outside of the historical center of town, thank God. There is SO MUCH history in Italy!
Blessings!
Patty
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Hi. Patty,
You have just created a desire in me to go to Vincenza again. I loved it. I had TDY there and stayed in a hotel where the Italians stayed. My little group of three had so much fun after duty. Every night we were eating at a different restaurant. We also took a day trip to Venice (Venedig) because I had been there and I wanted to show them St. Markus Platz.
You and Bill must come to see it again.
Your post just put a spark in me that I needed.
Thank you.
Shalom aleichem
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How wonderful that you’ve been there, Pat! I think my post put a spark in ME, too! Bill has never been to Italy, and it’s high on our bucket list. We used to take day trips to Venice quite often. Seems almost unbelievable now, but it was routine life back then.
Blessings!
Patty
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Yes, Patty. Those were days I enjoyed.
If you travel to Europe, please let me know. I would love to take you out to dinner and show you around Frankfurt and Wiesbaden.
Shalom aleichem
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I’d love to meet up with you, Pat! I worked in downtown Frankfurt many years ago. Lived in Hanau. It would be a treat to see Frankfurt and Wiesbaden with you.
Blessings!
Patty
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I am 10 Kilometers from Hanau. You wouldn’t know it anymore. Pioneer is being torn down and condos are being built. The same with Hanau- Wolfgang. The large medical dispensary is now a shopping market.
And many other things have changed.
Shalom aleichem 🤗
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Pioneer is where I met my ex. How strange to think it’s no longer there. We were married in the local castle, which was somewhere near Hanau. Memory fails me. All I remember is the German Baumkuchen that was our wedding cake. It was delicious! I never forget good food. LOL
Blessings!
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