then sit back in your desk chair and enjoy...
I was living in Padova, Italy in the early 70's with my husband and children. My little sister, only 19 at the time, came to visit me from the States.
She decided to take a train ride to Venice by herself and there she met, Paolo. He was quite a bit older but he intrigued her.
He was working on his Venetian sailboat. She approached him and asked half jokingly if he would give her a ride on his sailboat.
He did and he took her around to all of the islands. He spoke little English and she spoke no Italian but there was something there.
She had just come from a traumatic situation in the States. Her fiance had died suddenly and she was devastated.
Paolo was the distraction she needed. She said he was a gentleman, old school, would not let her pay for anything and she enjoyed the quiet between them.
This quiet grew into an unlikely romance and they married.
Juli on her first day in Padova. No one had seen that smile in months. Working briefly as a nanny this is Juli
with one of her "charges". She was becoming a true Venetian.
Paolo was an artist and did not own a camera. In those early days he must have painted Juli dozens of times
on their sailboat with him at the helm and Juli always reading.
As wonderful as life was always sailing and reading Juli longed to work but did not have the proper papers.
One day when she and Paolo were sailing down the Grand Canal the wife of a wealthy hotel owner fell into the Canal.
Paolo jumped into save her and when the hotel owner said he wanted to reward Paolo he said, "Give my wife a job!"
Juli began a job at the front desk of one of the nicest hotels in Venice and quickly became fluent in Italian, Venetian and French.
On the side Juli taught a conversational English class and her classes were very popular because she taught using stories from the
scandalous National Enquirer. One of her students took this picture and mailed it into the Enquirer 30 years ago.
This article was published in the Enquirer the next month.
One day Juli went to the University Library with one of her students who worked there and was horrified to find stacks of books nearly ruined in the
basement nearly molding and dust covered. Juli volunteered to clean these books and reintroduce them into the university library shelves. This volunteer service
became invaluable and this labor of love became a real full time job for Juli complete with job benefits and a pension.
As much as Juli enjoyed living on the boat she longed for a real home. Juli and Paolo decided to buy the 1500's home of the
famous Venetian artist, Tintoretto. This home still had the original marble floors from the 1500's and needed a lot of work.
Deemed a historical treasure they were able to get the Belle Arte to finance 75% of all renovations. With Juli and Paolo's loving care this
was restored to the original charm. I was reminded everytime I visited to remove my shoes and grab a pair of slippers from the basket she
kept by the door. You can see the placard in the 1st picture marking this home as an historical landmark.
Juli and Paolo donated the pink and cream building to the fledgling artists of Venice. This is the building next to their home.
The style of Tintoretto was taught and many artists came from all over the world to take part in their bed and board classes throughout the Summer.
There are many artists that are world recognized today that back then were unknown and just getting into the art world.
You can see my coat hung on the original door. The shutters were so old I was always afraid to open and shut.
This windowsill was a favorite place for her cat to sleep. Her cat had the distinction of being the oldest cat in Venice.
Below are the curtains and furniture from Paolo's grandmother that she gave to Juli and Paolo. Every piece was handcrafted/handmade.
Juli's 1st love...horses. She desperately missed her horses she'd left behind in Texas. She and Paolo decided to get a country home
about an hour's drive outside of Venice near the Dolomites. Here she had her two favorite horses from Texas shipped to Venice.
Juli began competing in riding and jumping competitions. When I was in Venice packing up her houses I was amazed at how many equestrian
trophies and prizes she had accumulated.
Juli and Paolo begin spending nearly every weekend at their country home riding horses, bicycles and hiking. This is the front of the house.
To save money in the winter no one was spared from wood chopping duties and all activities were centered in the living room in front of the fireplace.
Not the fanciest kitchen in Italy but one with much love. My bolognese on the stove.
In the Summer we ate outdoors on this rickety table covered with a checked table cloth. Same scene but our table now covered with snow.
Skiing and sledding in the nearby mountains made this a Winter wonderland.