Aunt Emma exclaimed enthusiastically. She immediately sat down at her work table to tinker with cardboard, glue, glittering powder and small crystals taken from the veterinary in Murano.
The costume would be ready in a few days, I said to my aunts and meanwhile I thought that basically I didn't care much about that costume, I had other problems and thoughts, to concern me.
"I'm sorry to leave Venice so soon." Aunt Emma sighed, looking around. "But Guido Chigi is waiting for me in Siena, like every year."
Fortunately, he's not waiting for me this time, I thought. In the splendid Palazzo Chigi Saracini, transformed into an Academy, the greatest musical talents alternated and the conversation, for an Adriana who was unaware of the difference between a B and B-flat, was too high. So much so that one evening, sitting at lunch between a violin genius and a piano genius, my head began to spin and I was about to faint. As soon as Aunt Emma had accompanied me to my room and made me lie down on the bed, I immediately felt better and, finally alone and relaxed, all happy I started reading Topolino*.
"Say hello to Guido Chigi and Olga Rudge too." I said. I did not mention that his friend, Ezra Pound's partner - at the time a member of the Academy organization - had just written to Papa protesting that he was not doing more for Pound, confined to Saint Elisabeth Hospital in Washington. He had done as much as he could and could not do more, Papa observed, a little bitter.
"Poor Olga!" sighed Aunt Emma. "She's got a lot of thoughts." The gondola slipped between the island of San Giorgio and the tip of the Giudecca and went out into the lagoon. With skillful maneuvering Beppi approached a briccola and, putting down the long oar, I tied the gondola to it with a rope.
* an Italian Disney comic which readily translates to "Mickey Mouse"
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