Ciao Italia

On Monday afternoon Trisha and I departed from Italy after six weeks of touring and working on farms. We had spent the previous four days living in Padua and exploring Venice on the side. A few hour train ride took us northeast where we stepped off in Goriza, Italy, and were then whisked off by our new host Tjasia to Slovenia, ten minutes away. Our current home-stay is actually about a half hour from the boarder and is located in an exquisitely beautiful valley. We are working at a bed and breakfast, helping to repair and restore the majority of its weathered windows and shudders. In this entry however, I do not want to focus on the new home-stay, but instead reflect on Italy and the highlights it held for me. So here I go.

My first delight was the very agreeable Italian people. I did not expect this at all. In fact, prior to our visit I assumed the majority of Italians were probably burned out on tourists and perhaps and not warm to strangers. I also assumed that like Spain, the people in service professions would be unsmiling and rather aloof when it came to tourists. Well, I was wrong. In both the north and especially the south of Italy, the vast majority of Italians we that encountered in cities and those introduced to us at our farmstays were extremely friendly. While walking in the small villages in La Marche or Tuscany and even in the shops in Rome and Naples, we were almost always greeted warmly and treated well. It is difficult to recall any experience in our six weeks that would refute this feeling

The next highlight was the Amalfi Coast and Capri. These two visits were a treats and definite bright spots in the trip. Although very touristy, the Amalfi Coast was spectacular and the villages and small cities lining the hillsides and overlooking the water were breathtaking. I think what really made this a highlight was the ease of getting around to all the towns. In one day we traveled to Sorento, Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello all by hoping on and off of local buses. It was so easy and we had a birds-eye view from the very narrow roads to the turquoise-green water below. The island of Capri was also no problem to reach by boat and provided us a “rich and famous” outing similar to the celebrities and rich Italians who frequent the place. The island’s expensive taste did not hinder our trip however, as we took to heart all of the advice we had received about bringing our picnic lunch, walking the town, and not spending the night on the island. We did purchase some gelato in the afternoon, and it actually wasn’t all that expensive.

Although maybe not a highlight, I really did love Trenitalia. The trains in Italy were hassle free, relatively cheap, and grew in charm value every time we used them because of this. I loved researching ahead of time online what time and connection would work best, then using the touch screen computer at the station to print our tickets. The stations were easy to navigate through and the trains almost always ran on time. What is interesting to note is that probably 75% of the tickets we purchased during our travels never got checked by anyone. It was sort of an honor system that you thing back on and wonder how much you could have saved if you left your integrity at home.

For many, pizza would make a great obvious favorites choice, as it is Italy. But at home I am normally not a big pizza connoisseur and really only enjoy a few slices now and then. I doubt this will change much when I get home either. In Italy however, the pizza was truly exceptional in its simplicity and most importantly, perfect crusts. I think it must have been the wood-fired ovens used by almost all pizza places that made the difference. The crusts were unlike any I have tasted before and though the toppings were simple and probably easy to replicate, it would be impossible to repeat those crusts. I typically ordered the pizza margarita, which is simply mozzarella, tomato, and a little basil.

Another special and unexpected highlight of Italy was the Tuscany region. Our farmstay near Arrezzo gave us a taste for this area and though we didn’t see Florence, we experienced the city of Siena, the countryside, and the small villages in between. I was especially fond of the countrysides, which were almost like paintings. The area of our farmstay was forested and green and was dotted with fields and other small farms throughout. Every direction was a feast for the eyes. While biking to town we often thought there couldn’t be another church or village quainter than the one we were in, but of course another would appear on the horizon. My favorite memory will be sitting in the backyard field in Peter and Lucie’s farm after a morning of hard work, shaded by the walnut tree, listening to the breeze blow through aspen-like trees, and watching the rolling hillsides in the distance.

Venice makes the list too. I had heard it was a magical place, read that is was magical place, and indeed after two steps out the door of the Venice train station, I could feel that magic. It felt like Disneyland for grownups. The thrill of walking down small corridors streets and anticipating what beautiful scene was around the corner did not fail to entertain us for the two days we toured there. I particularly loved the hundreds of bridges that linked each small part of the city and the boat traffic buzzing through each canal large and small. The days we visited were lucky ones since a crew race was taking place in Venice. We were able to witness the two and four person crew shells cruising under the bridges along with the boat taxis, canoes, and gondolas.

Although I have other favorites, I will include the Sistine Chapel as my concluding highlight. We were lucky to visit on a day with no lines to the chapel and minimal waits to enter any part of the Vatican. With our Ipods full of Rick Steves’s art commentary, the giant painting came alive in all its history, significance, and grandeur. We must have passed hundreds of paintings in the Vatican Museum as we made our way to the chapel, but I don’t think I could recall one of them. The Sistine Chapel though, like the Guernica in Spain, I believe will be etched in my brain for a long time to come.

I do have a few things I won’t miss about Italy. The first is suffering the worst allergies of my life, which I experienced in all regions. I’m not sure what grows there, but it ain’t so great. The second is Italian television, which offered little in the way of real entertainment and was mostly filled with boring game shows, infomercials, and shoddy talk shows. Even the Italians shared in the disdain. The final thing is Italian fashion, which I never really figured out. It seemed that the most important elements to this art were the shoes, sunglasses, and handbags. All needed to be designer and heavily marked with label names. In between these three elements, anything in the way of clothing was appropriate. However with out the shoes, sunglasses and handbag, it was obvious who was Italian and who was not. I was not, but enjoyed the people wearing the clothes nonetheless.

Italy was a special place for us during our year of travel. We only scratched the surface of all there is to do and see there, so we will have to return some day to further our adventures. In the meantime, we are thankful for the time we did get to spend and the people we met along the way.