We must have been lucky when in Italy to miss the queue jumpers, China was the worst place we have been for that. Ferrara is not a place we discovered but I totally understand why you would place yourself there, being so convenient to other places of interest. Modena is the only Balsamic I buy, making sure it is the best quality one, nothing worse they thinned out Balsamic. You certainly entertained us with informative tales this week, thank you for that. Now I will go back and read the ones I haven’t read.
Oh, please do keep writing! I so enjoy your letters, Jodi. They always feel like reading a letter from a friend. And the history you weave in is so interesting! As a writer/novelist, the historical stories you share give me such fun ideas for my own stories.
And the picture of half-eaten bread says so much more about how delicious it was. :)
I love your photos! They are mesmerizing! And the Lucrezia B story, fascinating. What a life she led, never a moment's rest. I always pictured her as brunette not blonde. But for Bryon to be taken w/ her story-letters and strand of hair, over the centuries, rather amazing. Also amazing is what pawns women had to be to just survive—overbearing, greedy fathers and lovers. But to have had so many affairs in and out of marriages, she must have been a very sensual being. I always learn so much from your posts.
Thank you so much, Jeanine! Such a fascinating life - I can't help thinking she must have been incredibly strong to have retained her passion after having been passed around so much (and used as a pawn, as you say).
Truly, but she may also have been a highly sexualized woman, too. We'll never know if what she did was for passion or for survival. The pawn part came in b/c I've been researching Maya warrior queens, and how at many Maya sites, royal women were used as pawns to gain territory or trade routes or solidarity. Elizabeth I, the powers behind the throne trying, unsuccessfully, to marry her off, or Catherine de Medici and so many more women royals, who were--they were a piece in the chess game.
I spent a night in Ferrara in 2003 and I don't remember why -- probably it was just a convenient stopping point on a longer train journey. I remember liking it and finding it a break from the more touristed famous cities.
But I rarely see it mentioned anywhere so this was a great read. (And as an orderly Canadian, I too struggle with the queuing chaos in many countries. Avoidance is my cowardly strategy too.)
And, so many are glad you DO keep writing! How else will I ever experience Italy? the account of Lucrezia Borgia is interesting. For a name so prevalent in history I knew surprisingly little about her. How odd to think of a life expectancy half of what we expect today!
Lovely piece. Lucrezia Borgia is a fascinating figure. Here's a fun fact about the later house of Este: it provided a queen to England. James II's second wife, remembered in the UK as Mary of Modena, was by birth Maria d'Este, daughter of a mid-17th century Duke of Modena.
Whew! Glad you like it. The Italian ruling houses married far and wide, but as far as I know Mary of Modena is the only Italian who has ever been queen of England.
I immediately hopped on airbnb to look for apartments in Ferrara after reading this! I would love to find a good biking city to be in for a month in Italy. And the food sounds glorious - I want one of the pumpkin "little hats" right now.
And I, for one of many I am certain, am so incredibly delighted that you keep writing these letters. Grazie mille.
I’ve never heard Toulouse be compared to an Italian city, but there are parts of the countryside around Toulouse that are often compared to Italy, Tuscany in particular. I can’t really say as I’ve never been to Italy! But I certainly saw a resemblance in that photo.
“looking … like the back end of a barnyard animal” 🤣🤣. Thanks for the post - it was really enjoyable!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Thanks for another lovely post, Jodi— both the writing and photos. You’re a generous and wonderful guide, wherever you go.
Thank you so much, Victoria! 🧡
Oh please continue saving experiences and sharing. Its so nice to read the differents stories and also your experience in each town
I plan to keep writing, I really love it! But it's so nice to know that other people enjoy it too, so thank you! :)
We must have been lucky when in Italy to miss the queue jumpers, China was the worst place we have been for that. Ferrara is not a place we discovered but I totally understand why you would place yourself there, being so convenient to other places of interest. Modena is the only Balsamic I buy, making sure it is the best quality one, nothing worse they thinned out Balsamic. You certainly entertained us with informative tales this week, thank you for that. Now I will go back and read the ones I haven’t read.
Thanks for reading, Sally! Ferrara really surprised me - it was so filled with history, really inspiring!
Oh, please do keep writing! I so enjoy your letters, Jodi. They always feel like reading a letter from a friend. And the history you weave in is so interesting! As a writer/novelist, the historical stories you share give me such fun ideas for my own stories.
And the picture of half-eaten bread says so much more about how delicious it was. :)
Oh, thank you so much, Petra - it’s so nice to hear that!!! ❤️
I felt a plunge in my soul when you talked about being the only English speaker. I want so badly to be able to confidently speak Italian… one day…
Oh, I wish I were so much better! I’m embarrassingly bad for someone who took (if I remember right) two years in college…
This is marvellous! It sent me back to a beloved Pisanello of Ginevra d'Este which used to fascinate me in the Louvre...
I'd never made the proper connection with the Estes, Ferrara etc (and balsamic vinegar!) and so I enjoyed this for lots of reasons. Thank you Jodi.
Thank you for reading, Laura! I love that portrait - it's so funny, all of the Estes seem to have the exact same nose...
How interesting... I shall notice that now!
I love your photos! They are mesmerizing! And the Lucrezia B story, fascinating. What a life she led, never a moment's rest. I always pictured her as brunette not blonde. But for Bryon to be taken w/ her story-letters and strand of hair, over the centuries, rather amazing. Also amazing is what pawns women had to be to just survive—overbearing, greedy fathers and lovers. But to have had so many affairs in and out of marriages, she must have been a very sensual being. I always learn so much from your posts.
Thank you so much, Jeanine! Such a fascinating life - I can't help thinking she must have been incredibly strong to have retained her passion after having been passed around so much (and used as a pawn, as you say).
Truly, but she may also have been a highly sexualized woman, too. We'll never know if what she did was for passion or for survival. The pawn part came in b/c I've been researching Maya warrior queens, and how at many Maya sites, royal women were used as pawns to gain territory or trade routes or solidarity. Elizabeth I, the powers behind the throne trying, unsuccessfully, to marry her off, or Catherine de Medici and so many more women royals, who were--they were a piece in the chess game.
Oh, I agree completely. Pawn is the perfect word.
I spent a night in Ferrara in 2003 and I don't remember why -- probably it was just a convenient stopping point on a longer train journey. I remember liking it and finding it a break from the more touristed famous cities.
But I rarely see it mentioned anywhere so this was a great read. (And as an orderly Canadian, I too struggle with the queuing chaos in many countries. Avoidance is my cowardly strategy too.)
Cowards unite! So glad you enjoyed the post. :)
And, so many are glad you DO keep writing! How else will I ever experience Italy? the account of Lucrezia Borgia is interesting. For a name so prevalent in history I knew surprisingly little about her. How odd to think of a life expectancy half of what we expect today!
Thank you Jim!!I know - she's one of those people whose name I've heard a million times, but still didn't know a whole lot about.
Lovely piece. Lucrezia Borgia is a fascinating figure. Here's a fun fact about the later house of Este: it provided a queen to England. James II's second wife, remembered in the UK as Mary of Modena, was by birth Maria d'Este, daughter of a mid-17th century Duke of Modena.
Never knew that. Thank you David!
Thank you, David! I (sincerely) love the information you add in the comments...I had no idea!
Whew! Glad you like it. The Italian ruling houses married far and wide, but as far as I know Mary of Modena is the only Italian who has ever been queen of England.
I immediately hopped on airbnb to look for apartments in Ferrara after reading this! I would love to find a good biking city to be in for a month in Italy. And the food sounds glorious - I want one of the pumpkin "little hats" right now.
And I, for one of many I am certain, am so incredibly delighted that you keep writing these letters. Grazie mille.
Thank you for the kind words, Michele!
The street photo right before the bicycle photo reminds me dead-out of Toulouse.
I've never been to Toulouse, but I would really love to go!
I’ve never heard Toulouse be compared to an Italian city, but there are parts of the countryside around Toulouse that are often compared to Italy, Tuscany in particular. I can’t really say as I’ve never been to Italy! But I certainly saw a resemblance in that photo.