Time, Pressure, and the Things That Shape Us

Musings

“They say the Pacific has no memory. That’s where I want to live the rest of my life. A warm place with no memory.” That line from Shawshank Redemption has always stuck with me…and troubled me. It says: I want to forget the pain, the suffering, the loss, the darkness. I want to run away and start over. And yet, Andy Dufresne became a better, more complete, version of himself because of his suffering. It was necessary…all of it.

As the sun set last night over this beautiful landscape, I was reminded of a hundred (thousand?) other sunsets. Settings over loss and heartbreak. Settings over joy. Settings over oceans. Settings over cookouts and baseball games and snowfalls and mountains and roadways and darkness and death and life. A montage of a life seen through my own narrow lenses and each one completely necessary to bring me to the sun’s setting last night. It is a comforting thought.

The Dying City

Yesterday’s pace was more relaxed. No trains to catch. No schedules. The day opened with a leisurely breakfast of cornetti (plain and chocolate filled croissants), hard boiled eggs, ham (more like prosciutto), American coffee (in a pot!), fruit (including a lovely kiwi), bread, honey, sweet biscuits called cantucci, and a stunning view. We knew it was time for breakfast as we heard Chef Andrea raising our tray of goodies in a box on a pulley system to our treehouse retreat. Piuttosto bellow. (Pretty cool).

Our plan was to visit Civita di Bagnoregio, a medieval city on a moutaintop, about an hour away. The journey itself was amazing as we drove up and along the massive Lago di Bolsena, a 28,000 acre lake formed from ancient volcanic activity, complete with 2 islands, and many landmarks. The cliffs surrounding the lake offered amazing views, particularly from Montefiascone, a quaint town rising 300 meters above the lake’s surface.

Navigating sharp turns, minimal road signs, and the occasional truck unable to make a V shaped turn, we enjoyed a scenic drive amid charming villages and history – every place feels heavy with historic importance. Arriving in the village of Bagnoregio, we parked to walk the 2km up to the really ancient Civita sitting on the mountaintop.

The Civita di Bagnoregio is called “The Dying City” because it is slowly falling from its mountaintop due to erosion and the occasional earthquake. The city is about 2500 years old and was founded by the Etruscans, coming under Roman control in about 265 BC. Saint Bonaventure was born here though his boyhood home fell from the city many years ago in a landslide.

The Civita rises above the Vallei de Calanchi (valley of the badlands) and the striated rock surrounding the valley bears the signs of wind and time carved across its layers. There is one roadway into the town that is a long walk down and then up again through the city gate. Time and pressure – those two words kept rolling through my head as we walked along the narrow stone streets lined with stone walls. The village itself is a collection of shops and restaurants but the feeling of time is visceral.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch of pizza and panino – though it was my zuppa funghi di porcini (porcini mushroom soup) that was the real centerpiece of the meal (at least from my perspective). The streets rolled up and down throughout the village and some charming gardens softened the hard stone edges.

Another Day, Another Sunset

Returning to La Piantata, we spent some time leisurely enjoying the estate. Another swim in the cool water looking out over the rolling hills provided a refreshing window of time to talk and enjoy the sunshine. What does one talk about in such moments? Home, family, the challenges of life, our call to Faith. The mind can wander freely when unencumbered by time’s cruel necessities.

Gathering shortly before sunset, we prepared ourselves with some snacks and wine. We discovered that Sting and his wife Trudie, bought a 400 year old villa called Il Palagio and its vineyards not far from here. We enjoyed the Rossi called Message in a Bottle and watched the sunset. Considering the moments last night, I believe a few pictures are worth many thousands of my words.

At home, we enjoy “kitchen dancing” to the soundtracks of our life. Before dinner, we found ourselves singing and dancing to those same soundtracks on our treehouse deck overlooking olive trees and the landscape rolling to the horizon. Bellissima!!

We finished the day with a lovely dinner prepared by Andrea and enjoyed it among a few other people in the main dining area. It was a delightful close to another wonderful day.

Considering Andy Dufresne’s words earlier, I realize that I don’t want to forget. Any of it.