La Dolce Vita
The Italians speak of la dolce vita, the sweet life, in days of plenty as well as in days of want, in war as well as peace. Their dolce is the mere fact of being alive. Darlene Marwitz was destined to fall in love with Italy for in that soft landscape she saw the mirror image of her own joy in living. Hers is a personality that would threaten to bubble over had she not created Villa Texas and given herself a place to pour the enthusiasm she has for life.
Marwitz found her way to the sweet life through architectural studies of stone and steel. Today she holds two degrees in architecture, and works primarily in restoration, but in her student days, when working toward those degrees, Marwitz spent a summer as a Teaching Assistant in Oxford, England. On a side trip to Italy, she discovered Italian architecture which, as she states, is "a wonderful introduction to Italy." It was just an introduction, and Marwitz followed her passions, discovering the great artistry that is inherent in all Italian creations.
There are no shadows falling across Marwitz' face. She glows when she talks of the Italian sweet life and of Villa Texas, but her sparkle becomes radiance when the conversation turns to the land she loves, to the lavender farm she has created, or her desire to do something that brings young children close to the land.
Marwitz has planted pomegranates and olive trees. "This year I planted a grape vine," she states, "and it grew three grapes. I watched those three grapes all summer long. They turned gold, then they turned brown, then they got all speckled and then - then I ate them. I watched them all summer and finally ate my three grapes."
This is Marwitz, speaking in her own words:
"First, and immediately, there's a connection to the land for me. The rolling Texas Hill Country reminds me not only of Tuscany and Umbria, but also of my country roots in Central Texas, a rural community with a heritage of farming, gardening, and raising livestock. We grew our own onions, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, lettuce and other greens. We had peaches, apricots, and plums to spare. If we didn't grow strawberries or blackberries then a farm ten or twenty miles away did. If we needed more corn-on-the-cob to stock our freezer for winter, then a farmer five minutes away had a field full, sweet and milky.
When I was growing up, the beef, poultry, and fish that my family ate was either grazed on our pastures, fed in our chicken house, or caught on a fishing rod. Our cows came running to us at feeding time, our baby chicks first arrived to us as a ³peeping² box via the United States Post Office, and my brothers and I dug worms and caught jumbo grasshoppers for our fishing hooks."
To share her enthusiasm for all things Italian, Marwitz has written a humorous and spirited book that is part advice on keeping the Italian spirit alive, part nostalgia, and part just plain fun. You can purchase through Amazon: Italy Fever: 14 Ways to Satisfy Your Love Affair with Italy
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