This is Gubbio.  He presides over our koi pond and looms above St. Francis of Assisi, with whom it is said he once struck a deal many years ago in Italy.  If you look closely on his nose, you will see he has made a friend.  His total blackness is such a startling contrast against the all white stone of St. Francis whom I have pictured on another blog.  I love that there is always some type of creature or living thing thriving around him.  If it is not butterflies or bees it’s roses or ivy growing seemingly out of nowhere.  No wonder St. Francis of Assisi has been proclaimed Patron Saint of the Environment.  Hence why you see him so much in gardens, often portrayed with birds on his shoulders.  It tickles me when he is depicted with a weird looking dog.  That’s no dog; that’s a wolf.  I have blogged about St. Francis and the wolf before; if you do not know the story it is worth the read.  Anyway, around our house you will rarely find St. Francis without a wolf of some kind.  Someday I would love to have two huge stone wolves on either side of the front of our house, like you see people do often with lions.  English novelist Sarah Hall has said:

“We all have our preferences – some people go for birds – but for me, there’s just something about the wolf; the design of it is really aesthetically pleasing.”

Wolves are magnificent and, incredibly, STILL misunderstood creatures.  A visit to our house proves just how gentle, familial, and loving they really are.  There was another misunderstood wolf who redeemed himself and in the process became the stuff of legends.  On my list of places to go and see is a famous wolf — the wolf of Gubbio.