"May I open it up?" I asked the proprietor before delicately moving the hinged door with its skeleton key. That's when the secret was revealed.
Inside this ocre colored drinking vessel was a lit-up, twinkling mirrored bar with holders for wine glasses and a center space upon which to display a fine bottle of wine (or champagne, or vodka!) On the rim of this gigantic wine glass sat a removeable tray that could be used for serving -- handy for its previous owner, Phyllis McQuire of the McGuire Sisters . Created by Italian furniture maker Aldo Tura in 1954, this bar is covered in goat skin and sits about three-and-a-half foot high.
Now I'm not a big drinker, but I imagine opening this fanciful vessel's door to reveal a gorgeous bottle of Brunello di Montalcino perched in a place of honor. As I stared inside, my memory was jarred back to the days when I traveled Italy as a fashion editor, savoring the culture at every turn. I was instantly taken back to the hotel in Florence that had a view of the Ponte Vecchio from its balcony and reminded of the sounds of motorbikes as they whisked over the cobblestone streets. On a certain humid night in late June, we would gather atop this hotel to celebrate the festival of San Giovanni, complete with endless glasses of Prosecco, and topped off with a smokey fireworks display. We swatted mosquitos, kicked at pigeons and sweated in the steamy heat, but these are the things that give life to memories and add details to the past.
As I closed the door to this bar creation, I quickly returned to reality. Back to the convention center. Back to Santa Moncia. Back to the rental car. But for a fleeting moment, I could almost see Italy.
1 comment:
Hi, I'm just wondering, do you know where I can find out between wich years Aldo Tura lived?
/ Sanna
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