Vernazza, one of the five towns in Cinque Terre
My last post was sort of negative about Italy (it was one of those days) so I don’t want anyone reading this to go away with the impression that I don’t like living in Italy! That would just be not right.
There are many things to like about Italy, whether you live here or are just visiting. These are just a few I was thinking about today.
1. Italy is a beautiful country, almost everywhere you look, the view is just plain beautiful whether you are in a city, village or in the countryside or by the coast – I should say especially the coast. No matter where you come from, whether your own region or state is beautiful for its own views and landscapes – you’ll still be impressed with what you see in Italy.
2. The food, of course. There are few people I know who don’t actually love Italian food but most everyone does. No matter how good it is back home, when you come to Italy you’ll fall in love all over again with the taste and simplicity of most of its dishes, the extraordinary flavor bursting in your mouth and capturing all your senses. From pasta and pizza, there are endless variations to please all. Have you ever tried wild boar? Yum!
3. Life here is “slower” and I don’t mean that as in the slow, romantic way often portrayed in movies. I live in Florence, it isn’t a large city but it still is a city of over 300,000. The impression everywhere you go is that no one is in a great hurry to do things. The bank, the supermarket, the stores, the restaurants (let’s not even talk about the post office!) There is a sensation that there is time for everything and everyone and that you’d best take your time doing what you’re doing. It is a nice sensation, in general. As a visitor or as a resident, you adapt to this slower pace and even if your days are packed with visiting several museums, eating out and walking miles, at the end of the day you are happy to be in Italy.
4. Mozzarella di Bufala! It does not count as part of #2 because it just doesn’t. It is one very fresh ingredient, not a dish, even if I can eat it all by itself (of course, not a whole one). Yes, it is that good.
These were just some things that I thought of make living in Italy a pleasure, if I think of any others I’ll add them to the list.
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