Selections from my graduate thesis at SVA:

” ‘Maybe there is a beast….maybe it’s only us.’ ”   |   William Golding, Lord of the Flies 

“Wild thing, you make my heart sing”   |   The Troggs

Our cultural response to males behaving badly is “boys will be boys”. I often witness my sons’ affection for aggressive play with undertones of power, violence, and sex.  I’m also struck by their raw tenderness and their fascination with nature.

As a mother, I struggle with this behavioral dichotomy.  I frequently find myself pondering essential parental questions regarding nature versus nurture, and these images document my conflicted concern over and adoration of their wild spirit.

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Dan and I finally journeyed to Italy to visit his sister, Kelsey, and her husband, Fabio.  Fabio is from the scenic castle-by-the-lake town of Bracciano.  Together they opened a beer bar/restaurant, Birreria dar Toro Seduto, which if you happen to travel to that area, you MUST stop by (and say you’re a friend/client/friend :)). Their food is a legit high-brow meets Italian take on pub fair and was honestly my favorite amidst many good meals and apertifs..

Anyway, I digress.  Below I am posting the many photos I took (on Pentax 645 and iPhone) along with a brief timeline and a few notes.  Enjoy !

Day 1

We were picked up at the Rome airport by Kelsey, Fabio and his dad, Renzo and whisked off to their home which lies on the outskirts Bracciano.  A lovely al fresco lunch had been prepared, and this perfect, lazy afternoon/golden hour may have been my favorite part of the entire trip.

We then head into the city center to our lovely Air BnB:And of course, a little wandering (filled with the sounds I always associate with Italy – diesel engines driving over cobblestones, pigeons flapping, church bells.. legit every time I visit these sounds are there!) and more photos as the sun set over the lake..Day 2:

The whole team traveled up to Civita di Bagnoregio – a “ghost” city of sorts set up on a hillside that is slowly eroding into the valley surrounding it.  A pretty gorgeous site, and popular with Italian tourists.  I think my favorite part of this trip was people watching!

Side note – so much smoking in Italy!  Makes for great photos.. (obviously related, right??)Day 3:

Kelsey and Fabio brought Dan and I to Rome (an hour 1/2 train ride).  I didn’t feel like lugging my big camera around for this trip, but still managed some fun little slices of the cafes and sights from our wanderings.

Day 4:

We hadn’t actually spent much time in the city we were staying in!  Oh and we were just a tad hungover this day.. so anyway we finally visited the castle (Castello Odescalchi di Bracciano).  This proved to be also a major highlight of our entire trip.  I love museums where you get to go inside a historic home or castle or estate or villa.. etc.  This is the place that Tom Cruise and Katy Holmes married at and I could see why they chose it – pretty breathtaking (although more sturdy and masculine than the fairy tale castles you think of).

Closing with a final photo from a morning walk before flying out on day 5.  Ciao, Bracciano!