Comments on: Anna Cleary’s Beautiful Research

By: anna cleary

anna cleary — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:42:37 +0000

Christina, it really DID get better. The following day in Venice we wandered into that little church you see below in the rear of our hotel. It used to be the private chapel of the Gritti family. As one might perhaps expect, there were a couple of Tintorettos hanging inside. (Well of course! It’s Venice!) But we were completely swept away when we discovered in a little side chapel one of the most precious treasures on earth. Just hanging there at eye level a metre or so away, without massive fortifications of steel plated glass, was this utterly breathtaking Rubens portrait of the Madonna with two bouncing babes on her lap, one of them St John. I wish I could express how richly sensuous and exquisite this painting was. For that experience alone we considered our entire trip worthwhile.

And thank you Ally for dropping by. I know what you mean. It’s impossible not to dream of living in Italy once you’ve visited. Como, Tuscany, Sorrento…I think it must be that Italians know how to live. They’re passionate about beauty and really care about doing things excellently, even simple things like baking bread.

By: Ally Blake

Ally Blake — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:25:57 +0000

Anna, what glorious pictures!!! Boy did that take me back. I spent two weeks in Italy, travelling to many of the places you described in such romantic, vivid detail. But the pictures, oh the pictures. They gave me hapy warm chills!

My husband and I came away deciding that one day we would buy ourselves a tiny apartment in Lake Como where we’d live for a eyar. Then another in one of those delightful hilltop towns in Tuscany where I could look out over the hills and write.

You’ve taken me away from packing boxes to move interstate – not nearly so exciting – my love! For that I thank you.

Ally

By: Christina Hollis

Christina Hollis — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:58:40 +0000

Oh, Anna, what a beautiful post. Just as I was thinking ‘A private viewing of Don Giovanni at La Fenice – it can’t get any better than that!’ It did. And those lovely photos…thank you for a few minutes of sunshine on a cloudy day!

By: anna cleary

anna cleary — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:46:57 +0000

Thank you for dropping over, Trish. It’s lovely to see you here.

Wouldn’t life be just perfect if we were able to visit Italy every year? Perhaps keep a little pad in Positano or Amalfi? Something simple would do for me, just a few rooms with white-washed walls, vaulted ceilings, hand made floor tiles and a terrace overlooking the bay.
Limoncello in the fridge and a nice pinot grigio from the Piedmont region.

Imagine that.

By: Trish Morey

Trish Morey — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:10:56 +0000

Ah, Italia! And the limoncello is to die for!

Thank you Anna, you’ve brought it all back in glorious technicolour detail. What a fabulous trip to share with one special daughter. And thank you for sharing it with us. Love the pics and look forward to the books!

By: anna cleary

anna cleary — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:05:22 +0000

Lucy, I suspect you are looking out on a lovely vista right now that is equally beautiful and would be thoroughly exotic to us Aussies. Our problem is being too far away from the places you European gals can just pop over to for a weekend. It takes us a weekend to fly there.

Joanne, it IS beautiful. And if you ever happen to go, visit Baveno. There’s a restaurant there with the most gorgeous young guy at the heart of it who’ll bring you his own special version of limoncello if he likes you, (especially if you happen to have a rather beautiful daughter along) and he’ll even present you with a long -stemmed rose. Oh, those Italian boys. What heart- breakers.

Thank you Ms Hunter, though really, after reading about Luke and Madeline’s story, my hat is permanently off to you. I suspect you’ll be quaffing champagne come Sunday morn.

By: Kelly Hunter

Kelly Hunter — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:44:36 +0000

You’ve definitely a way with words Ms Cleary. And those beautiful research pictures too. Love you for sharing.

By: Joanne Pibworth

Joanne Pibworth — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:22:55 +0000

I’ve always wanted to visit Italy, and your post has just bumped it to the very top of my list Anna. It sounds and looks just beautiful.

By: Lucy King

Lucy King — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:57:09 +0000

What a wonderful trip! I haven’t been to Italy for ages – your photos are giving me v. itchy feet. xx

By: anna cleary

anna cleary — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:19:37 +0000

Oh Robbie, yes you MUST go. You’ll love it, truly you will.

By my ‘next’ book did you mean Wedding Night With a Stranger by any chance? Wedding Night is set mainly in Sydney’s beautiful beachside Bronte, though Ariadne, the heroine, hails from the Greek Isle of Naxos. Of course she does. Where else could an Ariadne be from?

However, the NEXT one, titled Do Not Disturb and not due out for some months, is actually set in Monaco and the south of France. While my NEXT book is set in glorious Positano!

THank you so much for asking, Robbie. And where might your next fabulous book or three be set?