La Dimora di Pesce (Abode of the Fish)

Monica Ballard <monica.ballard@wizardofads.com>	Jul 29, 2019, 8:56 PM
to Indy

Saluti, Indiana!

“Il Pozzo” is Italian for “the water well.” Following my hostess down three flights of circular stone steps, I understand the meaning of the gallery’s name when I stare into a green glass-top covering over a well in the basement. Goldfish blink back at me.  The gallery is appointed with paintings, sculptures, and leather-bound books embracing thick parchment. Calligraphy pens and colored inks line the shelves … oh, these people must know my weaknesses, especially when they offer me cappuccino, biscotti or wine as a bribe to linger and shop. I pause to inhale the beauty of one frameable parchment of plainsong notes of music and then, the most extraordinary etching of this large fish.

As I gush over its detail, a gentleman approaches from behind me, and in a minestrone of Italian and English, points out how the fisherman isn’t interested in catching the big fish because his house sits on the back of the fish.  He then points out on the lake bed below the two seahorses, the lobster, the shrimp, the clams, and scrawled in one section was the phrase, “You have found me!”

“I love this artist’s whimsy,” I exclaim. The man behind me turns to the owner of the Il Pozzo Gallery for a translation. “Capriccio,” the owner tells him with the obligatory twirling of his hands. The man turns back to me, his hand on his heart as he bows. “Grazie mille,” he responds smiling.

It’s the artist, Vincenzo Volpe; an extraordinary man whose name means “wolf” in a place with fish in the basement of an ancient Etruscan building in the incredible fortress town of Cortona.

My heart is brimming with Tuscan beauty, but alas, my pockets are empty. The “wolf” graciously allows me to photograph his etching, so I could share this image with wizards, rabbits and, of course, beagles.

Ciao for now. 

Monica BallardWizard of Ads – Performance Muse, LLC