Press Article
Valley Life Volume 3
The Legend of Beppino, The Friendly Tuscan Wolf
by Simone Bandini, Petruzzi Editori
Dawn Angela Seeley, a Canadian painter with a love for Tuscany, and Giuseppe Dini, writer and civil servant for over twenty years in his native Anghiari, are the authors of a practical book to be published in a double edition, both in Italian and English. The guide, called Un’avventura in Toscana (An Adventure in Tuscany), is a collection of sixteen itineraries that start in the medieval town of Anghiari and explore the surrounding valleys, the great cities of art and neighbouring regions.
This publication is a highly effective tool for travellers: precise, informative, intuitive and never pedantic. Together with useful logistical, geographic and weather tips, it contains handy ideas for families on how to entertain children and keep them from becoming bored. This is where Dawn Angela Seeley’s creative sensitivity comes in, between a museum visit and a romantic stroll. Diversions such as crafts, drawings and other adventures will stir children’s curiosity and channel it into play and therefore learning. In the same way, every excursion includes shopping advice that highlights artisans’ studios and food shops that promote local products. And to benefit from the authentic and traditional cuisine of the area, the best restaurants are recommended.
The purely pragmatic qualities of the guide are surpassed by the aesthetic and narrative content. The watercolour paintings by the Canadian artist capture quite accurately the essence of place, along with some of its magic. Equally captivating is La leggenda di Beppino, amichevole lupo toscano (The Legend of Beppino, the Friendly Tuscan Wolf), where touches of extraordinary humanity blend with a riveting tale and pearls of wisdom. The Tuscan wolf is none other than the young Giuseppe Dini who tells admirably of a rural and rustic society where things are simple and unambiguous, but where life can be hard.
The autobiographical account of young Beppino’s life is quite literary in style, imbued with a lyrical and emotional charge. The son of tenant farmers, raised in a large peasant family in the countryside of Tavernelle, recounts his personal growth while faced with the challenges of a closed world that held little prospect, yet was instilled with timeless charm. During his trips to Florence and Switzerland where he worked in prestigious hotels as bellboy and concierge, the youth entered a world akin to a set of Chinese boxes, each one bigger than the last and filled with more surprises. He learnt to master public relations and to exercise caution and common sense while learning other languages and discovering other cultural habits. Nonetheless, he longed to return to his beloved Anghiari to his dear and humble family, so strong was the emotional pull of his roots.
The underlying awe at discovering a world that seemed so far away is expressed through a constant comic force. “Until I started going to school in Tavernelle, I thought the world consisted of two rustic houses, ours and that of our neighbours. However, when I did start school, I discovered the world was much larger than I had thought. There were actually about fifteen other houses!” And then, in relation to his first work experience in Florence: “At first I was afraid of the big city, having known only life on the farm. I would walk fifty metres away from the hotel, along the main road, then turn back. The next night I stretched it to sixty and so on until I felt at ease (…) I was like a wolf cub who left his mother to venture out into the world.”
The first adventures in the Anghiari countryside evoke carefree times far from the disenchantment of maturity and the modern age. Beppino’s story follows the emancipation of rural society from the primitive conditions of poverty, sustenance farming and the exploitation of sharecroppers. But his tale is expressed so poetically that it will cause shivers. Such immediacy and simplicity is expressed through all sentiments, facts and moral pronouncements. There was little room for analysis, and through hardship came a simple sense of accomplishment. Relationships held a certain mystery: “I remember there was a girl, Franca was her name. She took the same route to school, but I would wait for her, hidden behind the bushes, and jump out yelling, “Boo!” when she arrived.” Exhilarating, and yet at the same time the accounts of work in the fields and woods are harsh. “It was my turn to take the pigs out to pasture in the chestnut grove (…) and one day a pig decided to escape! I chased after it and tried to stop it by throwing a small stone, but hit a nerve on its spinal column. After that, it could only use its forelegs to walk, so the poor pig, still quite young, squealed all the way home to become our store of Sunday dinner meat.”
There is a memorable episode of sausages and eggs cooked by older sister Anna that the little Tuscan wolf had to take to the field where his family was hard at work. “The pot she gave me was very hot. I remember needing a cloth to hold the handles (…) I don’t remember how, but I hurt my foot on the road, tripped and fell. The eggs and sausages scattered all over the road! The hot oil jumped from the pot and poured all over my hands and feet, but the pain I felt was not so much from the injuries as from the shame of having lost my family’s lunch.”
The young Giuseppe, or Beppino as he was affectionately known, grew, earning the respect of his family. But the time came when his feet grew right out of his shoes, and a drastic decision had to be made. At thirteen years of age the little wolf was sent to Florence to work in a hotel under conditions that were less than favourable. “I would sometimes wake up in the winter, all alone, trembling in the cold. I would see that the wind had blown the snow through the cracks that let in daylight into my bedroom – the snow covered my bed like an extra blanket.” But it was still better to be a bellboy than a farmer and with time and experience, his responsibilities and professional reputation grew. Beppino was able to help his family and brothers and experience European travel while being an avid student of life throughout.
Beppino’s initiative, along with his professionalism and spontaneity, allowed him to attain the position of concierge in a Swiss hotel and then return to Florence as receptionist. But his heart led him back to his Anghiari where life held other surprises in store.
In the last twenty years Giuseppe Dini has helped numerous Canadians settle in, thanks to his long-standing friendship with the popular jazz musician Elmer Gill who acquired a cottage in Anghiari in 1985. Giuseppe welcomed the new arrivals – friends, tourists and adventurers – and enjoying his own personal development as well as contributing to the tourist development of the area. Such an ideal journey culminated last winter with a visit to Canada with the guide’s co-author, Dawn Angela Seeley. A trip that had been considered and imagined for thirty years had finally come about.
But the magic circle is not yet complete. The official presentation of the book and the accompanying audio CD in English and Italian will take place on July 1st at 10:30 a.m. at the Commune of Anghiari in the presence of the mayor and local dignitaries, as well as Canadian ones, including the Canadian ambassador to Rome.
We close with the words of Oakville painter Dawn Angela Seeley who, among her other activities, also organizes artists’ getaways from Canada to Italy, a lyrical declaration from the heart, “I love the people of this place, their smiles and their non-commercial way of treating visitors (…) like guests or old friends. An entire life will not be enough for me to paint all the landscapes that I need to share.”
Dawn Angela Seeley, artist and co-author of the guide, will be exhibiting paintings reproduced in the guide, along with an exhibition of photos, in the Audiovisual Room of the Commune of Anghiari from June 17th through July15th, 2007. From June 10th, copies of the book (in English or Italian) will be available from the website www.artyfactspublishing.com at the cost of 24 euros, which includes the CD. From November 15th to 30th, the book will be launched in various Canadian cities, with the participation of the Commune of Anghiari and the Compagnia dei Ricomposti. For more information, please contact Giuseppe Dini at 0575 788152 o 360 706537 or e-mail dinigiuseppe@libero.it.
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