Simple Restaurant in Arezzo suddenly favoured by the Multis

Monday 24^th August

 Friday  last – one the Multis suggested a cultural outing. That’s right. So much for naughty Robert Nevil lobbing accusations of philistinism. Have you seen his comments? But I do often wonder myself: is shopping more fun? Museums are all very well, but nothing is for sale and they don’t even say what the things are worth.

 It is an important question – can the rich take any pleasure in an experience that only costs 10 euros?

 Well, they did. We whirled over to Arezzo to see the Piero della Francescas. Lady Newell, 80, mother of Elsa Hodgeman, the art critic, was my passenger. Marvellous. Mahogany voice. Keeps up stream of amusing talk as we bowl along. The War comes up of course. All the upheaval caused. Evacuation, loss of servants; I tell her about my grandparents’ house being requisitioned, my grandfather having no work. Comfortable middle class mode of life finito.

 Is this why, even today, the poor little rich gays of our generation feel that we are only just clinging on? Is this why are we driven to accumulate capital? Even Val, despite advanced alcoholism, has capital, you know – rather more than most.

 Approaching Arezzo, Lady Newell suddenly: ‘I can’t bear Arezzo. I can’t think why we’re here.’ It turns out she’s never seen the Pieros. In 1976 I parted wretchedly from Anthony Mottram at Arezzo Station after three weeks in that crazy Molino I told you about – there it was just the two of us.

 The Multis continued paradoxical.  Restaurant with white table cloths and waiters in trendy floor-length aprons rejected on account of cutlery on outside tables in fancy boxes as if from shop. Instead we forge into divine cellar full of old junk, the aim to have the cheapest red wine. This is not straightforward: first of all we have a bottle but one of the Multis suspects this is not the cheapest. He wants it in a jug. This is eventually achieved, although he says he saw the wine being poured from bottle into jug behind the counter.

 Into the Pieros. Elsa Hodgeman gives an illuminating commentary. One of the Multis points out a soldier in the battle scene who knows he is being watched by the artist. The other Multi, in his lethal, casual way, says afterwards, ‘Well, you know, I was thinking: how much longer do we have to stay here?’ But I don’t believe him. Lady Newell delighted although she thought  Piero might have bothered to get the perspective right in one or two cases.

 On the way back we stop at the Prada Factory Shop at Montevarchi and buy. So there was shopping after all.

 To me this was the perfect day. Lady Newell was scathing about the shop. But without shopping there is no renewal. There would only be decay. And we would be contributing nothing ourselves. The Multis made their millions by their own efforts out of nothing.  Piero della Francesca is all very well but he went and did it all himself. If only he had left a few gaps for us to fill in.

Pudding enjoyed by one of the Multis in Arezzo at surprisingly simple restaurant