I was curious if there were other Chicagoans who visited Cortona and loved it as much as we do, so last year, I began to inquire. Our local friends replied, “Don’t you know the people from The Pot Shop?”
Seeing the somewhat quizzical look on my face, they quickly said, “Not that kind of pot – they make ceramic pots!”
And that they do. Meet Dominic, owner and proprietor of The Pot Shop, located in Evanston, just north of Chicago.
Over 40 years ago, Dominic had the opportunity to take one of those throw away electives in college and settled on ceramic pottery. Little did he know it was the beginning of a long and fulfilling career.
The Pot Shop is also available for private parties. In fact, on my last visit, they were preparing for their first annual fundraiser:They are making about 200 mugs for this event which will be held on November 15, from 6-9 pm.
Funny how we would have never known about The Pot Shop, nor would we have met Dominic and Julia, had it not been for our friends in Cortona, a mere 5000 miles away! Small world.
Next time you’re looking for a unique gift, or you want to wrap your hands around some clay,
Yesterday, today and tomorrow, Chicago – a great place to be.
Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, founded in 1868, and open and free every day of the year, is a perfect fall destination for:
napping in the sunshine
swimming with friends
donning pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
andfindingeverycoloroftherainbow
as well as colors that only bloom in the fall
Sunday morning, the city opened its arms to the 45,000 runners participating in the 37th Annual Chicago Marathon. Near perfect conditions greeted the runners and as always, Chicagoans lined the course to show their support. I live near Mile 10, and the elite runners passed our house about 46 minutes into the race.
And then there are the slogans – this one especially good for the non-elites who trudge on long after the official course closes.
Tomorrow, on Columbus Day, Chicago celebrates Christopher Columbus’ historic voyage to America as well as the Italian American culture so vibrant in Chicago. Monday is the city’s 62nd annual Columbus Day Parade, and this year, the parade honors the victims, survivors and Italian heroes of the Holocaust. In 1938, Mussolini instituted very harsh discrimination laws in Italy, and yet it is estimated that roughly 80% of Jews in Italy survived due to the help and support of many selfless and courageous Italians.
Posthumous portrait of Christopher Columbus by Sebastiano del Piombo, 1519. There are no known authentic portraits of Columbus.
Missing everything about Italy, especially friends and food, I decided to try to replicate one of my favorites dishes. In Italy, pasta con ragu is pasta with meat sauce. The dish varies based on the region and the person in the kitchen, but it is usually a combination of meats stewed in tomatoes for hours.
At AD in Cortona, they call this paccheri with braceria sauce. Annalisa the chef says it is what her grandmother served every Sunday in Napoli when she was growing up, as it was an inexpensive means to serve many people. This is my attempt at her recipe.
The flight from Rome to Chicago is about 10.5 hours, hopefully uneventful and always pretty boring. But occasionally, one can catch a glimpse of nature and its magnificent show. I believe these are over Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, from about 33,000+ feet above. They were shot with my iPhone and are shown in the order taken. Note the changes in snow cover.
Reflections From and About My Grandfather
Alexander Capraro, Architect
Maude Capraro
Chicago
Wednesday
August 10, 1938
Dearest Al,
Received your three letters of July 31 – Aug 1 and indeed very glad to hear from you, and all very interesting. Also, glad that you are well and enjoying your trip. It sure is a very wonderful country. You know, last Monday, August 1, Marion and I went to Byrd Theater and saw Swiss Miss. It’s a picture about Interlaken and I said to Marion, it’s where dad is going, so you see, we saw the pictures of Interlaken while you were there. So you have nothing on us!!
Swiss Miss was a Laurel and Hardy movie released in 1938 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Beautiful shots of the Alps gave Maude and Marion some insight into what Alex was seeing first hand.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Released by MGM, May, 1938
It sure is beautiful country and I’m sorry I’m not with you. I sure miss you and hope this month will fly so you will be home with us soon.
Glad to hear you are making acquaintances with men (how about women?). Well, we won’t worry about that now!! I wrote to you yesterday so I don’t have very much to write. I do hope that you get all our mail as the children have been writing also. As I wrote before, Marion is at Long Beach and having a good time. She said she would write to you from there.
It must be quite a thrill to be up 12,600 feet. It must have been a grand view. Well, I hope someday we will make the trip together, which I hope won’t be long. Gee, I wish I was with you! Had I known you were going alone, I sure would be with you. (As you may recall, Alex’s friend Joe Montenegro became ill and was unable to travel, leaving my grandfather to travel solo.) Next time I will go with you for sure.
Joe Monte is getting better every day. Why don’t you write to him. They only received a postal from you and I guess they expect you to write to them more, so write a letter if you can. Oh, dear, the weather is terribly hot this month, especially yesterday, and today is worse than ever. I have no pep to do anything today. I hope it isn’t that warm over there because it would be hard to travel.
The children are all well and so are Pa and Ruth and hope the same with you. You sure are traveling – now take it easy or you will be good and tired when you get home and you will need another vacation. Of course, I understand you are trying to see all you can, which I don’t blame you.
Well, I hope you will see Ferme in Rome so you won’t get lonesome. So, I see you are not going around with DeRosa. It’s too bad you didn’t, but I suppose he had a different itinerary than you. Catherine was just down here and she sends her regards and thanks you for the card you sent them.
I didn’t go out last night, it was so warm that I decided to stay home. The gang wanted to take me for a ride but I didn’t want to go. So I stayed home and relaxed. Hoping you are well and enjoying yourself, I will close my letter with millions and millions of kisses and love
from your darling Maude xo Vincent, Billy, Marion, Pa and Ruth
It would still be almost a week before the first letters from home would reach Alex.
Reflections From and About My Grandfather
Alexander Capraro, Architect
Chicago
Monday, August 8, 1938
Letter written to Alex from his son (my father) Bill, age 15. Photo of my Dad, some 7-10 years later. With today being Memorial Day, a happy one to you, Dad, and a heartfelt thanks to you and all who have served/are serving our country.
Bill Capraro, US NAVY
Hello Pal:
In my last letter, I told you it was plenty hard to write a letter to somebody, but after writing one, it’s all the harder to find anything to say in the next one. (He references his last letter, but it appears this is the only one Alex received.) Well here goes: everybody here is just about the same, all feeling fine, hot, and happy.
Vince (brother, 18) came back from Lake Delevan yesterday and while he was horseback riding, he fell off the horse and came back kind of stiff. HA-HA.
Maude and sons, circa 1924
Maude, Vince and Billy (L), circa 1926
The weather in Chicago is still as hot as it was in my last letter. Marion (sister, 11) has been out in Long Beach for two days now and boy how I envy her. She must be having a heckuva time. I am still going to Carl every Monday and Thursday and so far he has filled one tooth, filled one with silver, and will put a permanent filling in another Thursday.
Uncle Bob and family were here tonight and he and I are going to play golf someday this week because he gets every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday off in the summer. Last night, Larry, Joe, Alice (the singer), and Marie were over and we had a swell time because all of us, including Mom, were acting absolutely crazy, which I guess is the only way to have any fun nowadays. All of us are going on a beach party either this week or next and we probably will have another real good time.
Might as well tell you that “lights out” are no longer “on” so we get the feedbag a half-hour earlier on Wednesday nights (YIPPEE)!
Well, I hope those foreigners are treating you alright over there and if you run into any trouble, just mention that you are the father of the great accordionist Mr. William Capraro – P.S. they’ll understand.
Funny, I never knew my Dad played the accordion. And per Aunt Marion, she played the piano, their father Alex sang, and they all were quite good!
Well, there isn’t much more I can think of to write about so I’ll sign off saying
“With most sincere wishes for a most enjoyable vacation, I, the great accordionist Mr. William Capraro, remain your jealous and perspiring son,” Bill
Reflections From and About My Grandfather
Alexander Capraro, Architect
Hotel Europa E Britannia Venezia
August 7, 1938
Darling
I arrived this morning about 11:30 on the fast train from Milan. It is almost unbelievable to see water where streets should be.
I remember feeling the exact sentiment the first time I visited Venice some 33 years after my grandfather. I still marvel at the engineering feat when I visit, despite the crowds and flooding.
blogginginitaly.com
Upon getting off the train, my luggage was immediately placed in a gondola and I had my first ride in a real gondola. We wound our way about 2 miles through narrow canals and finally came to the Grand Canal where my hotel is.
JM photo: blogginginitaly.com
The charge was 13 liras or about $.65. It sure was worth it because it is hard work to row one of these things, a gondola being about 35 feet long.
That same ride would cost Alex over $160 today.
blogginginitaly.com
The hotel is a nice place, one of the best I have been in so far. It faces the Grand Canal and is 75 lira for room and meals ($3.75).
From the hotel’s website: During the autumn of 1908 it was here that the celebrated Impressionist painter Claude Monet stayed – a long visit in which he made the most of his talent with the magnificent views that the hotel offered. In a letter, dated October 16th, 1908, Mme. Monet wrote: “We have finally arrived at the Hotel Britannia, with a view, if such a thing were possible, even more beautiful than that of Palazzo Barbaro…“
I was pretty dirty upon arriving here, smoke and soot from the train as well as perspiration due to the heat. It is pretty hot and I can look forward to a lot of hot weather from now on as I understand it is very hot in Florence, Rome, and Naples.
After having washed and changed and taken lunch, I went to the American Express with a feint hope that I might find a letter, but nothing doing. I was not surprised, however, because it was too soon for any mail to be forwarded from Milan.
On the same day Alex was writing this letter, Maude was only just writing her first letter to him (previous post).
Well, I started upon my visit immediately as I will leave here tomorrow night for Bologna and Florence. I went to St. Mark’s Square, a picture you see many times in the States.
Family Photo: 2007: blogginginitaly.com
The cathedral is immense in its mosaic portraits.
blogginginitaly.com
The ceilings are all gold mosaic with lifelike figures of saints, etc. in very colored hues. Everything you see is a work of art done without thought of money or time. This cathedral was built in 832 and is now over 1100 years old. 1000 years doesn’t mean anything over here.
And then Alex has this random thought:
I’m just thinking I have been in several churches every day and prayed in all of them so I ought to be given some kind of special indulgence by the time I get through.
After St. Mark’s, I took a boat to the Lido and found it to be a sort of Atlantic city. As you know, this is on the Adriatic Sea, and I wanted to be able to say I bathed in the Adriatic. So, I rented a bathing suit and went in to get a few mouthfuls of saltwater. The place is miles long lined with cabanas and beautiful sandy beaches. With the weather being hot, I stayed a couple of hours in the water.
My hotel gave me a ticket which was good at a hotel on the Lido for dinner, so I had my dinner on a large veranda overlooking the sea and enjoyed my meal amid rosebushes and flowers of every description. One thing they have here a plenty is flowers.
blogginginitaly.com
I then took a boat back to St. Mark’s and found the Square full of little tables, people sitting and having coffee or gelato, all amid the strains of a half-dozen or more orchestras at various spots.
San Marco:
blogginginitaly.com
2007: Enjoying gelato:blogginginitaly.com 2007: Enjoying the orchestras and vino: blogginginitaly.com
I sat at a little table, had a cup of strong coffee, and am now back at my hotel writing some postcards and this letter to you. Tomorrow I shall take in other places of interest here in Venice, like The Doge’s Palace, and then leave about 6:00 PM.
The Doge’s Palace: JM Photo:blogginginitaly.com
I hope some mail will meet me here tomorrow as I’ll try the American Express office.
Unfortunately, Alex would be disappointed once again.
Reflections From and About My Grandfather
Alexander Capraro, Architect
Maude Capraro
Chicago
August 7, 1938
Dearest Al,
Received your three letters of July 28, 29, and 30, and indeed a pleasure to hear from you.
Although Alex’s first letters to Maude were written on board ship, July 16-23, his letters from Paris, written 12 days later, arrived in Chicago first. Traveling alone, Alex had been expecting/hoping for mail from home at almost every stop, yet Maude only penned her first letter once his arrived. After all, he was the one with new and interesting things to write about, and, truth be known, Maude didn’t really love writing letters.
Sorry to hear that it rained and that you missed your friends, but glad that you met the brother so that helped some. Judging by your letters, Versailles must be beautiful and historical. Gee, I envy you. Well, maybe someday I’ll make the trip, who knows? You sure are kept busy. You’ll need another vacation when you get home, so take it easy and don’t get so tired. Of course, I realize you are trying to take in all you can because time is short.
Imagine, three weeks are gone yet it seems a long time, but it won’t be long and you’ll be home and that will be grand. I see you enjoyed Paris very much which I thought you would. It sure must be a lovely and wonderful place. I hope you didn’t fall for one of the French babes??? We will talk about that when you get home.
Maude wasn’t actually worried about her Alex at all. They had a great relationship and a wonderful family and friends. And they loved doing things together.
Alex and Maude, and a great big bottle of vino!
In regards to family, we are all well, children are behaving wonderfully. Vincent isn’t abusing the car because I don’t let him use it, only when I want him to. Billy is a good boy. Marion went to Long Beach Friday night. It certainly is lonesome without her because she was my pal so now I lost my two pals, you and Marian. I’ll make the best of it for the balance of the month. Nothing exciting here – mostly going to shows and visiting friends. We are having some pretty hot days – can’t wait till it gets cooler.
Maude goes on to tell him of their kids activities, Vince being 18, Billy (my Dad) 15, and Marion 11, as well as her outings with her girl friends. She had opted to stay home with their teenage children rather than go on the trip, something she would later regret.
Just called Mrs. Monte and she said Joe is getting better every day.
“Mrs. Monte” affectionately referred to Joe Montenegro’s wife. Joe had planned to accompany my grandfather on this voyage. Joe’s family still had a beautiful home in Naples, and he knew Italy and much of Europe well. However, his serious illness shortly before the trip was what led to Alex traveling solo.
Joe might get out of bed by the end of next week. He is on a very strict diet and he’s getting tired of it. Dr. found a little sugar in his blood, so it makes it kind of hard for Joe, because he likes his pastry and sugar.
Well, honey, I must start my Sunday dinner so I must hurry, although I don’t have much else to write to you. The Montes send their regards, and so does everyone else who is receiving cards from you.
Love and kisses from your darling wife,
Maude
God bless you honey, and good luck
They are making about 200 mugs for this event which will be held on November 15, from 6-9 pm.
Blogging In Italy 