We are back home. It is going to take me a few days to process all the pictures I took of the Corteo delle Dame and the Corteo Storico. Wow! It was amazing – the costumes and flags, and pageantry simply beautiful. And we had two perfect days with which to view it all. I hope to have pictures to show in a day or two.
Being back, there are things I miss already, the many things that draw us to Italy and make spending time there, and particularly in Orvieto, so rich and wonderful.
- I miss . . . “alora”, “ascolta”, “aspeta”, the beautiful Italian language with all its vowel ending words and the sing-song of it on the street.
- I miss . . . the pleasant crush of people during the “passeggiata” – the daily evening walk.
- I miss . . . the people on the streets, the life in the streets made possible by the absence of cars.
- I miss . . . $1 cappuccino just 200 feet from our front door.
- I miss . . . an even better $1.20 cappuccino 3 minutes walk further.
- I miss . . . the swallows barreling past our bedroom windows, having more fun than is legal.
- I miss . . . Garbielle’s incredibly soft, delicate, light pasta with whatever delicious sauce he has made that day.
- I miss . . . the peeling of the bells.
- I miss . . . all the new friends we made who traveled with us this spring – and all the friends who have traveled with us in the past.
- I miss . . . our picnic lunches with the freshest of ingredients.
- I miss . . . the background noise made by children at our picnics.
- I miss . . . the quiet when the children go in.
- I miss . . . the quiet at night.
- I miss . . . the intimate spaces created by the narrow streets.
- I miss . . . the lively interchange of the market.
- I miss . . . sitting at Scarponi’s having coffee and watching people at the market.
- I miss . . . having coffee with Cristian and Alberto at the Blue Bar.
- I miss . . . cooking with Lorenzo and Velia.
- I miss . . . our conversations with Alberto and his enlightening us about Italy.
- I miss . . . buying food at the market, tastes of cheese or salami, the free bottle of wine given to enjoy the cheese with.
- I miss . . . Italian pizza.
- I miss . . . the views, the wine, the conversation, the inspiration from Palazzone – both the vineyard and the inn.
- I miss . . . great house wine at ridiculously low prices.
- I miss . . . fresh, fresh food.
- I miss . . . the layers of history, food, culture all spread before us every day.
- I miss . . . the richness of detail everywhere.
- I miss . . . the artful life Italians live.
I guess what I miss most, what draws us to Italy, what makes us savor it is the fact that it is a people-centered life. Money is not the driver. It is the interchange between people. Sure, money, politics, advertising are all there. But, Italians are at their happiest when they are face-to-face with others, and, they make time for it. The getting together for coffee throughout the day, the long mid-day break to be with family, the endless conversations taking place on the street – little clumps of people. It is so rich.
Do I idealize? I don’t think so. We see it. We experience it. Those who travel with us do as well. It is great inspiration.
And now, I look forward to returning in September. Ciao!
“Beel” – you sure hit all the things I miss, especially the cappuccini. Your posts have been so great. I have really enjoyed them and find myself smiling a very satisfied smile to have experienced so much.