112 Quotes by Frances Mayes

What a strange mind, to cover the real thing with an imitation of something real.

I’m just fascinated by houses. In another life, I’d have probably trained as an architect. If I had enough money, I’d collect them like other people collect teapots. I don’t know why I love them so much. I’m just very interested in the idea of a house as a metaphor for the way one lives.

As they clean the walls with wet cloths and sponges, they uncover the earlier paints, most prevalent a stark blue that must have been inspired by Mary’s blue robes. Renaissance painters could get that rare color only from ground lapis lazuli brought from quarries in what is now Afghanistan.

Look if you like but you will have to leap. Yes, I’ve always known that; I just didn’t know that I knew.

There is so much jasmine and nightshade in the garden that we all wake with lyrical headaches.

We feel prepared to face the reality of restoration. We walk into town for coffee and telephone Piero Rizzatti, the geometra. The translations “draftsman” or “surveyor” don’t quite explain what a geometra is, a professional without an equivalent in the United States – a liaison among owner, builders, and town planning officials. Ian has assured us that he is the best in the area, meaning also that he has the best connections and can get the permits quickly.

He’s delighted to read what the mayor of Naples says about driving there. Naples is the most chaotic city for drivers on earth. Ed loved it – he got to drive on the sidewalk while the pedestrians filled the street. “A green light is a green light, avanti, avanti,” the mayor explained. “A red light – just a suggestion.” And yellow? he was asked. “Yellow is for gaiety.

Instead of winding and skirting, Roman roads tend to go straight to the top. The chariots were light and the shortest distance between two points seemed to have governed their surveyors. I’ve read that some of their roadbeds go down twelve feet.

Behind sunglasses we linger over espresso, talking about pizza as an art form, the geekiness of people’s travel clothes...