Dear Art Lover,
Just when I thought I could not be more in
love with my Tuscan home, yesterday I discovered a new delight! My landlord and I were taking a walk down our
street and ended up running into a couple we know at the end of the road who
were splitting wood with a band saw attached to a tractor. (I hope to photograph this for you since I had
never seen this configuration before!)
As I was speaking about something, I
turned around and my jaw dropped. Pussywillow was right behind me! This plant is a large part of my earliest
memories of being a child in Germany. My mother used to use the branches to make an egg tree for Easter. And yes, we colored the hollow or wooden eggs ourselves. I also continued this tradition when I lived in Texas [found the plant in Iowa]. Pussywillow holds a special place in my heart. I adore it.
I did not know that pussywillow
existed in Italia and now… here it is! I
think my friends were amused by my reaction, but it was love, really. I was invited to take some home, so I did;
just two sprigs, you know, not wanting to destroy this treasure.
When I got home, I wrote to some of my
nature-loving friends in Vellano, a village a couple of hills away. I wanted to know what they call pussywillow in Italian. Well, the willow family in general is called Salici.
However, there are about 300 varieties of willow, so I wanted something
more specific. Locally, the natives call
this plant “topini,” which means “little mice.” You can see that easily
enough, right?
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| Pussywillow or Topini branches Tuscany Italy |
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| Gregory (front) has a new friend. Gregory hunts real topini. |
But here is how my mind worked as the American wife and
I were doing the translating for the guys… I kept this one to myself until now
since I have a tendency to make a bit of naughty jokes when perhaps I would be
wise to … not.
Some time ago, while my friend Kumiko and I were having lunch
one day with a group of five Italian men (all
artists/colleagues), the guys found it funny to educate us on some Italian
ways. They told us a couple of the words
Italian men use to “catcall” women. In
all of Italia, but especially Roma, when men see a “do-able” woman, they call
after her, “Fica” or “che fica.” Italians (even the men) consider this word
quite vulgar. It translates to the first
half of the name of my beloved plant, mentioned above.
Then one of the guys said, “Well, the
Romans would use that word, but here in Toscana,
we would say, “Topa.” So I asked the speaker if this is what he calls his wife
and got a good chuckle when he immediately said, “Nope!” [as in he would not dare!] He explained that this word is considered
less vulgar, though. The other funny
point I should add here is that generally, in Italia, people do not trust those
who come from further south than they do.
So, someone from Milano may not trust a Florentine, whereas both of
those may not trust a Roman… and all of them will not trust someone from
Napoli, and Sicilians? “Forget about
it!” So, it makes sense that a Tuscan
would consider a Roman also more vulgar.
“Topa”
is a female mouse, but the slang refers to female anatomy, apparently with a
“cuter” visual than “fica.” [Oh, I tend to confuse “figa” (which means “cool”) and “fica”
and try to remember that the “c” stands for the “C” word in English, which I
personally do not want to hear. You
might imagine the mess one can cause when showing appreciation for something
really cool!]
So, after we had our fun with this, I asked
the guys what Kumiko and I should say if we were typical Italian women and saw
some hottie men walking down the street.
For a moment, the guys looked dumbfounded. I guess that is the double standard rearing
its ugly head. Then one of them offered,
“Bello?” not sounding convinced. “Bello”
just means “beautiful” or “handsome,” so, we agreed that this is not the same
sort of “compliment” on the flip side of things. I changed tactics, “Ok, so if
a woman wanted to make it clear to a man that she was really into him, what
would she say or do?” I was amused when
the man sitting to my right said, “If you want him to know that you are
interested, you need to stick your tongue inside his mouth.”
Hmm… subtle. So, why am I relating these silly stories
about “mice” to you?
Buona San Valentino! Or Happy Valentine’s Day.
Oh,
and as a side note: The Italians call
lots of little similar shapes “topini,” so here is a link to a recipe and
how-to video to make: Topini
alla fiorentina. Relax: It is only a type of pasta!
If you like, please have a look at some of
my paintings and sculpture online here:
Peace
and thank you for following this journey with me,
Kelly
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| Pussywillow or Topini branches Tuscany Italy - willow Salici |
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| Pussywillow or Topini branches |
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| Narcissus - just to throw you off ;-) |
