Patient, by Ben Watt

This book was a terrific find. I was never a big fan of Everything But the Girl; I liked their music but it didn't particularly appeal to me, so I never listened much to them and I knew nothing about its members. But then some months ago I read about this book in a writer's blog, he praised it greatly, and I value his taste; besides, I was curious because the disease mentioned, extremely rare (I never met a case) is part of a spectrum of illnesses - the vasculitides - I deal with not infrequently, and I'm always interested to know about the patients' perspective.

I absolutely loved Ben Watt's narrative. Written in a simple and almost matter-of-factly tone, sensitive and perceptive but never self-pitying or corny, it describes poignantly the life changing effects of a ravaging disease, near death experience and lengthy hospital stay. The hospital atmosphere sounds extremely familiar, it's most accurately depicted, with all its ups and downs, intensity and shortcomings. Several times, I couldn't help feeling embarrassed by how a sensitive patient experiences treatments and diagnosis procedures that we doctors prescribe so often and many times so cavalierly. It impressed me and moved me to read his experience with his cyclophosphamide pulse, by coincidence when I had just prescribed one to an old lady.

I'm glad Ben Watt survived and overcame his illness, and I do hope he didn't and won't have any relapses. I'm glad he shared his story in such an honest and unpretentious way. And I highly recommend his book to health professionals in this field, and to anyone interested in the personal experience of a devastating illness.

Assisi

From Orvieto we went to Assisi, another beautiful small city, home to Saint Francis and so a pilgrimage place. The city is stunningly beautiful, we stayed in another nice hotel, Quo Vadis, close to the centre. We started by walking through its many narrow streets, winding stairways and lovely piazzas. After a great dinner at Trattoria da Erminio, we enjoyed the sight of the Piazza del Comune by night, with its fountain, the tower and the Minerva temple, now a church.

The next day, we started by visiting the cathedral of San Ruffino, that has one the most impressive Romanesque façades I ever saw – big, elegant and austere, with some beautiful sculptures. The interior is spacious and luminous, so different from our small Romanesque churches in Portugal.
Walking around the city, we visited several churches – Santa Chiara Basilica, the church where Saint Francis was supposed to live, the small but enchanting church of Santo Stefano, hidden in the middle of a maze of stairways and small gardens with olive trees.

Then there is the Saint Francis Basilica; even if I had heard so much about it, I wasn’t really ready for such wonder. It’s absolutely incredible, one feels like entering a supernatural world of colour, the frescoes are stunningly magnificent, both in the Upper and the Lower churches. I felt like Lucy Honeychurch in Santa Croce without a Baedecker, not knowing which were the frescoes by Giotto or Cimabue, but it didn’t matter, because it was the whole space and atmosphere that mattered. And the crypt is also impressive, even for a staunch non-believer as myself.

Then it’s funny and kind of sad how all such beauty finds its counterpart in the many tourist shops with thousands of tacky Saint Francis and Saint Claires. But that’s the effect of mass tourism and mass pilgrimages.

We ended the stay in Assisi with a climb to the Rocca Maggiore, a castle from where the views over the city and the plain are really magnificent.

A rainy day in Orvieto

It’s always a pleasure to go back to Italy – it’s an inexhaustible source of sightseeing, good food and lively cities, where modern life coexists with the plentiful signs of past civilizations.

This time, we started by visiting Orvieto, a small but beautiful city perched on top of a volcanic hill, reached by a funicular from the train station. We stayed at a very nice B&B (SantAngelo 42) and had a wonderful dinner at Osteria da Mama Angela.

The rainy and cloudy weather kept us from enjoying the views from the hill, but we could still explore the narrow cobbled streets and the main sights of the city.

The main sight par excellence is undoubtedly the Duomo, Orvieto’s cathedral. It’s one the most beautiful cathedrals in Italy – and that’s quite something – a massive Gothic building, huge considering the city’s size (but then it was once a Papal residence). The façade is very original, being not only sculpted but also painted. The interior is dazzling, vast and with a beautifully decorated chapel, painted by Lucca Signorelli.

There are plenty of lovely squares, narrow streets, nice cafés and tourist shops, including with doubtful taste pottery. Piazza del Popolo, the tower, the market place, are all beautiful.

Then we visited Orvieto underground, a most interesting experience. The hill under the city is all excavated since Etruscan times, and the caves were in use until the 19th century. There are caves and wells dug in the soft volcanic rock – pozzolana – where they used to keep pigeons, make olive oil, store water, etc. The tour is very informative and takes us back in time.

I never get tired of these small Italian cities, they're all so beautiful and full of History and art! And there are SO many of them.

The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu

A great Sci-Fi book, as I hadn't read in a very long time. Accurate science and big questions wrapped in a thrilling plot with interesting characters. Looking forward to read the next books in the series.