Marlene Luce Tremblay

Life & Friendship

Part 7 – Lake Como, Italy – The Arrival

The trip to Italy was a little more complicated than I had anticipated. At 6:30 in the morning, Louise drove me to the bus station in Villeneuve-sur-Lot and I was on my way to the train station in Agen. From Agen to Toulouse Airport, I flew to Milan. From Malpensa airport I had to take the local train to Como via Milano.

Although I promised myself to travel light, I had bought some clothes as it got hotter than usual not realizing that my suitcase would be much heavier. Going up and down the stairs to change trains was not easy. Fortunately, some kind people helped me and especially this young handsome man who got on the train. His stop was in Como as well and when he saw me struggle with my heavy suitcase, he carried it up the stairs and outside for me to wait for the bus. By then, it was 8:30 at night and, needless to say, I was exhausted.

Almost two hours later, I was in Menaggio after a very scary bus ride on a narrow road along Lake Como. When I got to Menaggio, there was one taxi but no driver. In a restaurant near the taxi station, I could hear people cheering and shouting for it was the World Cup playing on television. I went inside and asked the manager if he knew where the taxi driver was, so he shouted, hey Mario, you have a client! I learned thereafter that there were two taxi drivers in Menaggio, Mario and Marcello. How sweet it is to be in Italy!

I met up with Alessandro who showed me around Menaggio. The next day, we went to see Bruno at the gallery (Galleria Tettamanti) for the mounting of my artwork for the show at Villa Carlotta. Bruno and his sister, Lorella, own and run the galleria with that special mindset of artisans whose work is a labor of love. I could feel their energy, that of people who are passionate about life and the arts.

Bruno is part of Alessandro’s great many contacts in Lake Como, he lives with his family in Bellagio. I met Alessandro and Elisa at the Florence Biennale last year during which time they approached me to work together with their organization, Tablinum Cultural Management (TCM). TCM operates on a more personal and humanistic approach in the realm of the arts and culture. Alessandro is the Executive Managing Director and Elisa is the Curator with an in-depth knowledge of the arts.

In January of this year, they invited me to show my new series ‘Aenigma’ at Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo. This was the beginning of a one-month stay in Lake Como, an incredible journey to a mesmerizing place where one can truly be in tune with the elements of nature. Thanks to Elisa & Alessandro, this incredible adventure is one of the most memorable experiences of my life’s new chapter.