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| The wall on the edge of Calcata |
More from Italy. The day we took the cooking class our chef took us to a town just 4km away from the class. A town called Calcata that was built in the 11th century. Artisans of all types live there. Even a knife maker. We stopped in a literal hole in the wall for shots of coffee (cappuccino). The narrow cobblestone streets, wooden shutters and doorways looked like a scene from Pinnochio. I joked with Bob that I expected Geppetto to pop up at any moment. And
she did !
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| Foot traffic only |
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| House #14 |
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| I knew Pinnochio was here somewhere. At the cafe, it turns out. |
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| Some of the many cats in Calcata |
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| Calcata style door |
A Dutch puppet maker Marijcke van der Maden was sitting in her shop. Wood burned in her stove for heat. The walls were carved into stone. Everywhere I looked there were marionette parts, tiny clothes, and puppets hanging from the ceiling. In the back nook I found over a hundred puppets posed that I was told were part of her Nativity Scene she makes every year. She said she adds a new town member every year. She doesn't say who it is, and surprises them. Her shop was magical. I would have spent more time there, if we weren't scheduled for our class.
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| Marijcke was carving heads |
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| Part of the town Nativity scene. |
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| Marijcke and her marionettes |
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| A fave of mine. |
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| The door handle to her shop. I collect hands...so of course I swooned. |
Thanks for reading. Jet Lag has brought you this blog today...as I can't sleep past 5am :-) Below is a link from the NYTimes about Calcata.
Each day is a gift, open now.
xo, Suz
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/living/articles/living-in-the-italian-hill-town-calcata.shtml
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/travel/28dayout.html
