Day 22 – Val Taleggio

Today is the big day for setting up my installation. I have twelve eco-printed banners that Ilaria helped me install a long wooden pole.

Although it is very hot, it is also windy, which makes the banners dance.

Ilaria and her friend also helped document the installation. This flower surprised me the most of all the prints. It is from the butterfly bush with a blue blossom, but it printed a very strong golden-yellow.

The banners all lined up.

I got lots of feedback on the cards I had printed showing the plants I had identified.

One local resident, this man with the bag, corrected one of my labels. Google translates Chinese gooseberry, which is known as Kiwi in English, as Uva spina in Italian. No, he maintained, in Italian, it’s Kiwi. Uva spina is a different plant with red fruit, and he showed me a photo.

Of course, I made his correction and was thankful that he gave his stamp of approval on all the other card labels. He also noticed that I had a duplicate, which I had done on purpose to complete the set. Whew! Such attention to detail.

And I received lots of questions on how it is done and how long it lasts.

Angelo picked out his banner on which is written Avolasio, the village of his birth.

These few videos show the install in process and completed.

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/857919601

https://vimeo.com/857916492?share=copy

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/857909255

Tonight Ilaria and her partner Fabio put on a dinner focused on Fabio’s caccio e pepe. He is from Rome and knows how to make it perfectly.

The guests are all good friends of Ilaria, many from childhood. Here a friend Willy dishes out the pasta.

Another four-hour dinner.

I left to take in my installation they started telling jokes about people from Brescia versus people from Bergamo.

It’s going to rain tonight. Thunderstorms are expected so I’m lucky to have had good weather for my installation.