Bella Rosa
Chapter 21
Calcata and Beyond
Gabe and Bella soon hit the open road. It was a short ride from Rome to Calcata, about 47 km or 30 miles. They stopped at a small restaurant for a late lunch before ascending the hill. As they enjoyed pizza and a bottle of merlot in the warm Italian air, Gabe related interesting facts about Calcata.
"Calcata is centuries old. It's built on top of volcanic rock and eventually people who lived there were scared that the rock was collapsing. About 40 years ago everyone moved down the hill. In the 1960s, many 'devil may care artists' moved in and took over the town. It's still a major art colony. I've wanted to visit for a long time."
Gabe stopped a moment to take a bite of pizza. Bella was busy listening and managed to eat most of the pizza while Gabe was talking. After taking a healthy drink of wine, Gabe leaned closer to Bella as if he were sharing a secret.
"There's a very odd story about Calcata. In the early 1500s a German soldier who was part of the army sacking Rome looted the Sanctum sanctorum and stole the reliquary containing the Holy Prepuce. He hid it away in a cave for 30 years."
Bella wrinkled her nose. "He stole what?"
Gabe smirked. "Christ's foreskin. After about 300 years the church received another Holy Prepuce from Charlemagne. At that point no one knew which foreskin was real and which was fake so the church announced that anyone who wrote or talked about it would be excommunicated. Very dramatic don't you think?"
"That sounds like a lot of fuss over nothing." Bella looked more disgusted than amused.
"I guess you have to be Catholic to understand the humor. I thought it was kind of funny."He stood up and extended a hand to Bella. "We should probably get on with our trip. I want to be there before dark so we have some time to look around while it's light."
They wound their way up the hill. At the top Gabe parked the bike outside the village gates. "This is a pedestrian area. We can't bring a motorized vehicle in. We'll just leave it here until we need it again."
Bella jumped off the bike. "This looks so small. Are there enough things to keep us busy for the night?"
"Oh, I don't think we'll have any problem. " He waggled his eyebrows. "There's a little place where I've rented a room. It's not as luxurious as our hotel suite in Rome but it's cozy. I think you'll like it."
"As long as I'm here with you and we can get a good bottle of wine, it'll be fun. Show me the way."
They stepped through the village gate and joined the small populace.
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After finding their room, Bella pulled a small gauzy item out of Gabe's saddlebags. She enlarged it to a long full red skirt that she wore with her leather vest. She also enlarged a pair of "almost nothing" black sandals that had sparkling crystals on the straps that criss-crossed her feet. Gabe chose to wear his leather trousers and changed into a white poet's tunic which nicely displayed his dark skin and long hair. After eating a homemade pasta dinner Gabe picked up a wineskin filled with merlot and he and Bella hit the streets.
They wandered from place to place, visiting with the different artists who came out to sit on doorsteps or around the small amphitheatre in the middle of the village. Games of chess and checkers were being played, mostly by men and boys although several girls joined the friendly competition. A few street musicians strolled about as they sang and played various stringed instruments or performed in the doorways of businesses that had closed for the day. As the hot afternoon turned to dusk, many of the musicians made their way to the stone dais on the north side of the amphitheatre. Gabe commented, "This is how street dances start here. People get together to play and others dance. Sometimes they don't even know each other."
The music started out on a slow pace. Always eager to show her skills, Bella kicked off her sandals and started a seductive dance around Gabe. As the music got faster, so did Bella's feet and her skirt twirled until it was a blur. She danced around Gabe as if he were a steady and strong pole that she was attempting to sway. When the music ended suddenly, Bella stopped in time with the beat, bowing low in front of Gabe. Surrounding observers clapped.
"I haven't seen dancing like that since I was at a wacipi two years ago watching a fancy shawl dancer," Gabe whispered to Bella when she stood up. "Let's show them what two dancers can do."
After a while, Gabe asked, "Aren't your feet tired? You've been dancing barefoot all evening."
"I'm actually wearing dancing shoes. You just can't see them because I charmed them to be invisible. I think I deserve a drink for that." She drained the wineskin without any signs of guilt.
"Guess I'll get some more wine and we can dance again if you want. Don't run off with anyone," Gabe mock warned her. He smiled knowing that if someone tried to run off with Bella it would be the last time they tried that with anyone.
After Gabe came back they rested a bit and sipped their wine. Then the band played a slow song so couples could dance close while touring the perimeter of the amphitheatre. Gabe asked one of the performers if he could borrow his guitar. He sat down and played "Wild Horses" originally recorded by the Rolling Stones a few years earlier. He gave special emphasis to the chorus with "wild horses couldn't drag me away," as he sang directly at Bella. Everyone applauded when he finished his soulful rendition. They chanted "Encore, encore," but Gabe politely smiled and shook his head as he gave the guitar back to its owner. The fast dancing picked up again after that and a while later Gabe and Bella made their way back to their room.
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The next morning they ate a late breakfast of Italian pastries, assorted cheeses, and strong Italian roast coffee. They walked slowly around the village to see all of the ongoing art projects. Gabe asked frequent questions while Bella stood by and let the artists ogle her. She found that she enjoyed being a muse. In late afternoon, the couple packed up their things and reclaimed the motor bike sitting outside the village gates. Gabe wanted to head back to their base camp in the Roman hotel before setting out on more side trips.
They started down the mountain when Bella pulled her big trick. As they came to a curve above the road they would take back to Rome, the motor bike became airborne. It went off the road and drifted along, gliding down to the highway.
When they first left the road, Bella could feel Gabe's body tense as if he were trying to control the bike with his body. He tried to step on the brakes. Bella giggled uncontrollably. "Are you scared?" she asked as they calmly floated down.
"At first for about a second," he replied. "Then I remembered who I was with—a fun-loving witch who loves a good prank." His breath evened out as he relaxed. "I told myself to take it easy and enjoy the ride. I must admit I'm very impressed with what you did. That must have taken a lot of energy."
"Oh, it wasn't that difficult," Bella returned. "I only had to make it float down for a short time. Gravity helped. If I wanted the bike to fly, I'd have to do more complicated spells and take more time. I told you that you'd be surprised at what I can do."
"At least try to avoid giving me a heart attack," he replied.
The rest of the trip back to their base camp was uneventful. They spent the next two weeks in Italy taking short trips to many of the surrounding villages. When they were in the city, they spent time eating at different restaurants, especially enjoying the fresh seafood dishes, and sightseeing.
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During the times they were en suite, Gabe put his painting supplies to good use. He decided to do an informal work inspired by their time in Italy and Bella's new tattoo. This would be a more erotic piece compared to his other work. It was meant for his eyes only and would never be for sale. Bella insisted on modeling and it took all his willpower to paint when he really wanted to touch.
In the end, Bella was shown from the right side and back leaning forward against stone pillars, as if she were stretching for a run au naturel. The only bit of anything violating sa nudite was a tattoo of a fully opened burgundy rose on her right hip. Her hands were raised above her head and resting on the pillar. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. Her hair was upswept in a mass of curls that tumbled down, just touching her shoulders. Under her upraised right arm, one could get a clear side view of her breast. Gabe painted her elegant back down to her slender waist. Her right leg was tautly held at a slant, while her left leg was bent slightly with her toes gently touching the floor. When he was finished Bella cast portrait spells on the painting so the rose tattoo would slowly open and close.
"That has got to be one of my best paintings ever," Gabe declared. "It's certainly the most interesting. Too bad I won't show it to anyone." After they admired it from their bed for a while, he let Bella shrink it for their trip home.
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Meanwhile, back in London
Waiting for dinner, Cissy gazed out the drawing room window watching the leaves fall. Her father was reading the financial section of The Prophet and her mother was upstairs getting dressed for dinner. Cissy sat down with a bored sigh and picked up a week old copy of La Gazette du Sorcier. She casually thumbed through the paper translating the French to English for lack of something better to do. She stopped and stared at the last page.
"That's no 'mysterious beauty'," she mumbled. "Papa, where did Bellatrix go on holiday? Was it Italy?"
"Bellatrix is on holiday? I didn't notice she was gone," the elder Black replied. He turned the page.
Cissy rolled her eyes. "She's been gone for about ten days. It's been noticeably quiet. Anyway, look at this." Cissy held the paper under her father's nose. "Well?"
"Well what?" The elder Black kept looking at The Prophet. "This Gringott's Financial Report is almost useless because it's written by Goblins who have no respect for the English language. I don't know why they bother to put it in the paper."
"Don't you think this is Bella?" Cissy asked. "She's obviously causing a scandal again. She's gone to Italy and she's gotten a tattoo. She's always trying to get all of the attention for herself."
"Calm down, Cissy! I'm not even sure that's Bella. And why would she go to Italy and get a tattoo? That doesn't make sense. Put that rag down and see if dinner is ready. Your mother's holding things up again."
Cissy flounced out of the room to find her mother and check on the status of dinner. She mumbled to no one in particular, "I know that's a picture of Bella and I'm going to prove it."
A/N: Finally, another chapter. I must be the slowest updater in the history of fan fiction. I want to express many, many thanks to my beta Kerichi. Most of the foreign language terms in this chapter are self-explanatory but just to make sure there's no confusion here are the translations:
Wacipi= pow-wow;
en suite=in their hotel room;
au naturel=nude;
sa nudite=her nudity;
La Gazette du Sorcier=French version of The Prophet.
Wild Horses was recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1969 and released on their 1971 album Sticky Fingers. Gabe serenaded Bella with this song in the late 70s.