It was her birthday, but she has stoped counting somewhere in her 30s. The first traces of lines were hidden below a large straw hat and dark sunglasses,waring a black and white polka-dots silk dress and her favorite Manolos, she had to break all that fancy style with her own personality adding an orange 'Pucca' bag...it was just one of her ways...just one of her ways.
Arriveing at Genoa airport, mid of May, the crowd seemed like the summer season had begun. She was to meet with her daughter and son, both in their late 20s, rent a car and drive to the Ligurian Riviera, just some 38 kilometers from Genoa, to Portofino, a place she admired, a place where she was at peace.
She felt a sudden change in her heart beat and her smile was welcomed by their crazy shouts and laughter, as they kept hugging and kissing each other. She was alive and happy again. As they all talked at once as if everyone wanted to tell his own story, joy and laughter surrounded her as they all walked to the car rental and within minutes headed to Genoa.
Just driving through the city she recalled the beauty of Genoa, an amazing city containing many beautiful wonders. Palaces and galleries, bursting with fine art, set around one of the loveliest streets in Italy, Via Garibaldi. Extravagant rococo rooms with wonderful paintings, sculptures, tapestries and Oriental ceramics contained in the luxurious 17th-century Palazzo Reale. She wanted to move on towards their destination, there was no reason to stop now and wonder through the city, taking her straw hat off and letting her shinny blond hair fly as all three of them sang their favorite song that echoed through the autostrada: 'YOU'R JUST TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OF OFF YOU, YOU'D BE LIKE HEAVEN TO TOUCH, I WANNA HOLD YOU SO MUCH, AT LONG LAST LOVE HAS ARRIVED AND I THANK GOD I'M ALIVE, YOU'R JUST TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OF YOU...' which followed by the crescciendo of klapping hands and yelling : 'I LOVE YOU BABY AND IF ITS QUITE ALRIGHT I NEED YOU BABY...' Her smile, not fading away, she listened to their singing and laughter, while they passed San Fruttuoso, she watched the vineyards, orchards and slopes covered in cypress and olive groves of this wonderful fishing village, where she remembered was an ancient Benedictine abbey, and where you could take a boat trip on a calm day and attempt to spot the bronze statue of Christ, immersed 15 metres below the surface in memory of divers who have lost their lives.
How she loved this part of the Riviera, as she took deep breaths filled with the smell of the sea and the cypress trees. She closed her eyes, and kept the glitter of the image ...for just a moment, so that after she's gone, she would recall the smell and the image all over and over again. This was one of her secrets of how she practised to remember places she loved...with their smell and image all together in her treasure box of memories.
As they reached Portofino they drove up the hill towards Hotel Splendido which had one of the most beautiful views overlooking the bay. She loved this hotel with its extraordinary beauty, the quiet, precious, and secluded atmosphere, a combination of intimate style and international tradition. It could tell her things about nature and man which, if accurately observed, could be viewed from a privileged stage, cosy and unobtrusive enough not to encroach upon the scene with the flow of events. It always offered her the atmosphere as the overall image of Portofino which, in a symbiotic relationship with the surrounding environment, through encounters and confrontations with the nature, history life, and the diligent work of man, one may draw back from or be enticed by, enhances the fascination of sensations and seems to offer witnesses to observation .
Always upon her arrival at this fascinating place she would think of…Guy de Maupassant “ A little village spreading like an arch of the moon around this quiet basin… Never have I felt the way I did when I walked into that green indefiniteness, with such a sense of peace and fulfilment".
As they settled in their rooms, she decided to have her Martini on her favorite terrace, and wait for her daughter and son. After a quick shower, she changed into her white long Ozbek dress that gave a rather nice and provocative view of her bare back, she pulled her hair under a large white straw hat with a flower-pattern-scarf hanging and touching her bare back, slided in her Prada's sandals that had the same flower pattern as the scarf, ofcours the 'Pucca' bag, last glimpse at the mirror and she headed towards the terrace.She could feel the sun and the Spring breeze on her face as she put her sunglasses on.
As she sipped her Martini, the taste of it on her lips brought back more memories, as she slowly slided back in her chair, folding her legs together towards the side...a sudden smile on her corner of her lips, whenever she made this move, she would remember her mom saying:'Never cross your legs in public, its not lady-like'...oh, wasn't she the one who always broke all the rules and went against all manners, or were those some long lost days in her past, has she grown up suddenly...or did she just age...no, she wouldn't think about age, and, anyway she didn't decide to grow up, just yet...maybe later, maybe tomorrow...
So, Portofino was same, it was one of those places that kept its style and tranquility, and strongly fought for its uniqueness, and somehow managed to keep its image throughout all these years. The tiny village of Portofino (which means "port of dolphins") is located just 10 miles down the road from Camogli. The crown jewel of the Italian Riviera, Portofino was always a magnet for jet-setters and celebrities worldwide along with regular tourists who flock here to experience the heady ambience. The term "Upscale" is evident everywhere you turn in Portofino from the fancy designer shops (Gucci, Armani, Hermes) and boutiques to the assortment of luxury yachts and pleasure boats vying for space in the small harbor. Much of Portofino's appeal is due to its magnificent location at a point along the Riviera where the rocky cliffs tumble down to meet the azure waters of the Mediterranean. Houses dot the hillside above the village, and the buildings in Portofino itself are decked out in a spectrum of colors ranging from pink to yellow to orange.
During the day,people like to hang out in the trendy restaurants and cafes around the main square soaking up the sun, a short and easy walk up to the Church of San Gregorio or the longer 90 minute hike to the 13th-century abbey of San Fruttuoso. The famous “Piazzettaâ€Â, delimited by the little houses, slopes down and ends in the water of the harbour. To this day, sailors still draw boats out of the water upon it as if upon the edge of a beach.Nowadays it is still of possible to see women working at the lace pillow to make the very famous and refined laces. Portofino is thus a haven of peace in a place of unequalled beauty where, while one is sipping a drink or tasting a typical dish, one can see famous actors and actresses, artists from every part of the world, writers, scientists, men of finance and industry, and the protagonists of our dreams passing by. A kingdom ruled serenely and with a lot of love by king colour and Queen light.
The bay is delightful and sunk in a perennial greenery, and if one walks along the quay, one can breathe the salty fragrance of the sea which combines with that of pittosporo, pine trees, and junipers coming down from the mountain (610 m. above sea level), which is now the Parco Regionale (regional park), which one can reach through panoramic trails.
The Church of San Gregorio, at the time of the post-war reconstruction, the excavations brought to light a square-planned chapel, which was believed to be the little church around which the Longobardic Arimannia was gathered. A memorial stone placed inside the church commemorates the first reconstruction in Romanesque style of 1154. In 1691 the church was completely rebuilt and, on that occasion, also the road coming up from the village was widened. After being modified and enlarged again in 1760, this road was eventually struck right in the centre by a bomb in 1944. In 1950 the church had already been rebuilt after its former structure, some altars were restored and new furnishings replaced the old ones which had been destroyed. Here are kept the relics of Portofino’s patron Saint, brought here by the seamen returning from the Crusades.
She heard and recognized the voices and the laughter of her daughter and her son approaching her table. Turning her head towards the sound of their laughter she suddenly cought a glimpse. She shivered. Nothing had changed from a few minutes ago, the sun was still shining, the air was still warm, as her heart stirred with nervousness, and gave a lurch, she saw him sitting at one of the tables. There were a couple of other people there, but she could just see him...how long was it, was it two years or more, thoughts were rushing through her mind, while she tried to controll her breathing and hold the chair with her hands, afraid she would make a move, but she was paralized. He looked at her, and his deep, almost soulful eyes seemed to look right into hers.
Her daughter immediately realized that something was wrong, looking at her mother's pale frozen face and trying to follow her gaze, she saw him too. She knew, she had known for some years now, but they never spoke about it, in the past year, and she respected her mother's silence. She was about to ask her mother if everything was ok, but knowing that there would be no answer, because there was no answer to that question, she saw him stand up, while her mother's face reminded of a marble statue by now, she took her brother by the arm and lead him through the terrace to a table near by.
Just as she'd feared, as she watched him walking towards her, she was aware of how deeply affected she was by him. It was threatening to make it almost impossible to be objective, or even altogether rational, for watching him now, she was only able to see him as the man who laughted and teased, the man she talked endlessly with, who made her feel what she thought she could never feel again, glad to be alive at the time she'd actually wanted to give up on everything in her life, the man who she loved and the man who loved her dearly. When he was close enough, she still couldn't stop staring into his deep blue eyes. She felt disadvataged sitting in the chair, but since getting up was an undignified manoeuvre these days, she bore it out where she was. She looked up at him, standing tall and slightly dishevelled in the breeze, and thought all this was just a dream. He was still searching her face, as though making sure of every detail as he sank down in a chair next to her.
She couldn't look away,adrenalin was pounding through her vains now, her breath felt suddenly short and ragged and she finaly looked away, giving herself a moment to assimiliate. She was unsettled by how dense his eyes seemed, feeling unsteady she lifted her head to watch the sun glinting on the sea, while shapeless white clouds scudded through the sky. His eyes were still on her, and for one long excruciating minute she was afraid he might touch her. She looked at him thinking of what an extraordinary way the world sometimes had of bringing people into each other's lives, and how capricious the timing could be. No words were spoken, there was no need for words, they knew it all, how many times have they talked about this moment in their lives...until they stopped talking and left their lives to unfold.
He placed his hand over her and she felt an unstedy beat in her heart, they both smiled, then without really thinking, she reached and put her hands around his neck and kissed him softly, the feel of him kissing her back spread, a warmth all the way through her. Then she pulled away slightly and they gazed into each other's eyes, him still holding her hand, and her with arms linked behind his neck, untill he took her hat off, going through her hair with his fingers and placing her head on his chest. They sat in silence...time didn't matter, time did not exist anymore. The night was slowly falling over the bay of Portofino, as their lives continued to unfold in a mysterious way.
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