La Mia Prima Mattina a Pari

martedì, 14 gennaio 2025

I can’t really remember how well I slept during my first night in Pari. I do know, however, that I woke up with that same curious sense of excitement that had permeated me when I was younger on both Christmas and my birthday. I was here! The very place that had seemed so very out of reach a few months ago. Heck, even a few weeks ago, I had no idea that I would be able to stay in Pari, yet here I was. Even though I wished to explore every nook and cranny of the village, there was one place in particular that I just knew I had to visit — the Palazzo.

The Palazzo rests at the top of the village and is where the Pari Center conducts its conferences. While I was curious to explore the Palazzo itself, I was more interested in the view from the top of the village. Not just any view, however, but the view that one has looking out over the rooftops of the village and unfolds out across the hillsides. I have always had a fascination with tile rooftops and stonework, perhaps due to the affinity I had for the houses of my grandparents. So, here I was in the magical medieval village of Pari, leaning on the railing, while looking out over the hillside.

More than anything, I wanted to take a picture, similar to the one that I had seen while working on the poster and pdf for the Gentle Action Gathering. This image was taken at the top of the village, in the vicinity of the Palazzo, and captured the very essence of Pari through one of its most notable landmarks — the bell tower or il campanile. The bell tower, with its structure in red brick, stands out, in a village made primarily of stone with tiled roofs. Of course there is also its height, as it represents the highest landmark in the village.

This past year, when I had the opportunity to assist with conferences, I would always use Il Campanile, the bell tower, as a reference that newcomers to the village could orient themselves by. If one could find the bell tower, which was connected to the larger of two churches, then one could easily re-orient themselves. And of course I also shared the wisdom that if one got lost all they needed to do was to keep walking, since the upper giro is a circle or circuit.

But here I am getting ahead of myself, jumping forward months instead of minutes, hours, or even days.

Yours in inspiration,
Michael Weaver