I must admit, that you really could just come to Italy for the food alone. It fabulous, filling, lush, rich, decadent, simple….any kind of meal you want, you can get, better than you ever imagined, in Italy. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when I’m not wishing for some cheesey-filleds from Padrones. And so, this is how I find myself; torn between two worlds. There are things about Italy that I love, but there are certainly things about America that I miss. I want both worlds, but I guess you just can’t always get what you want.
Things I love about Italy that you can’t get in the US of A:
-The coffee. You won’t taste anything like it anywhere else in the world.
-The fresh food markets, which are actually all over Europe. They have fresh local food for dirt cheap….big grocery stores with frozen foods just can’t compete.
-The ‘oldness’ of everything around you, everywhere you go. There’s something magical and overwhelming about walking on and in history at all times.
-Cobble stone streets. They’re actually kind of dangerous, because the rocks stick up and move, but they’re cool looking.
-GELATO
-The windows here are so cool. We don’t have screens; we have shutters!!!! Like you imagine in old-fashioned houses, except all the windows here are like that!!!! Every morning I wake up and open the shutters, stick my torso out the window to look at the sky, and smile.
-The Duomo. I love this magnificent beauty and make a point to go and see it daily.
-Hearing about 17 trillion different languages every time you step out your door. Sometimes this makes me feel stupid, but it’s also really beautiful to my ears, and has really motivated me to work on my French. It’s just really cool living around so many different cultures. And we get them all where our apartment is located.
-Being around and mixed in with tons of people everywhere you walk. I love people watching, I love getting lost in big crowds. I know I can do this in America, but there aren’t as many languages or goofy tourists in the mix. Sometimes it’s overwhelming with all the tourists being here now, but it’s also really fun to watch them!
-Um, in Florence, everyone walks in the middle of the street. I’m completely used to just strolling in roads where cars go nowadays. This is going to be a huge adjustment to make when I get back to the states and is probably going to endanger me at some point.
- The ability to walk to where ever to get whatever you need. I love walking all the time. I LOVE not needing a car, ever.
-How fabulous and well dressed everyone is all the time no matter what the day.
-All of the stupendous, beautiful, interesting, (sometimes) decrepit architecture and buildings.
-Beaver-Rats! Yes, I actually really enjoy watching these little critters and am going to miss them!
Things I love about the US of A that you can’t get in Italy:
-the ability to get food from a store after 8 pm. I love all the fresh food markets, but sometimes I’d like to be able to run into a store and get some Ben & Jerry’s at 10 pm if I feel like it.
-People aren’t constantly cat-calling and whistling at you everywhere you go!!!!! I’m looking forward to hanging out with some nice, funny, down to earth American boys this summer, who don’t act like I’m some sort of animal.
-Cheesey-filleds. Fred Frances knows what I’m talking about (mostly because he had to call Pedrones every other night this fall to order me some so I’d shut up about wanting them).
-People in lines. Italians apparently don’t know how to make lines. I’m being serious here. I read an article that they had line-making practices in Beijing before the Olympics this last summer. The Italians should think about doing that too…..This is not a whole Europe thing, its only in Italy.
-Organization. You guys think the American government is unorganized and all over the place. You have no idea how organized it actually is. In Italy, phone numbers can be however many digits long, because there is no set length for them. I already told you about the line issue. Those are just small parts of an over all unorganized painting that is Italy. Who knows about Italian customs and mail….
-Using toilettes that don’t run on mechanical grinders, whatever those are.
-Not constantly being around pre, early and high renaissance art. OH MY GOSH I SAID THAT! Yes I know that that’s a terrible thing to say. I love it and appreciate the beauty of all of it, but sometimes it can become daunting and overwhelming, seeing that stuff all the time. Oh man was it nice to be in Paris and see art that had nothing to do with Madonna and Child and was made in the 1900s. Or the 1800’s. Or just post Renaissance. I like to see the painter’s hand in the work, you know?
-Um, I miss people speaking American. I love the different languages, but sometimes I long to hear people saying things that I can understand.
-My friends, family and my poochies! That’s cliché, but it’s the truth. They’re the most important part of my life.
Ciao!
Em
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