The Wisteria on Campo San Provolo
The forgotten story of a much-loved Campo San Provolo and its wisteria
It happened in the early 1970s, one day in early September, grandfather told me, when a famous guest entered the little pensione located on the grounds of an ancient monastery near Piazza San Marco. Grandfather did recognize him but offered coffee and a glass of spritz, as it was past 11 am.
The guest liked what he saw, gathered his belongings from the train station as he realized he was falling in love with the city - and the secret garden terrace hiding between hanging gardens filled with fragrant pelargonium, laurel, and sage. And while he was there, our grandparents told him the special story of the neighborhood. Friends and neighbors arrived to talk, lunch and dinner was served in the garden, and finally, the guest started painting.