Initial Thoughts on Italy

I am surprised by the fact that I saw more of the Romans in Spain than I have so far in Italy. Then again, I have only been here 6 days, and at the 6 day mark in Spain I had only visited Madrid, where I visited exclusively Spanish and Moorish locations. Also, I had more time to plan for Spain, and now I am flying a little more completely by the seat of my pants. I attempt, with a level of success that is probably (and helpfully) impossible to measure, to plan as I go, picking destinations on gut impulse from a guide and from the armfuls of recommendations that always-helpful, always-informed hosts provide.

Here is a superficial observation: the beauty of the “average” Spaniard washed over me in waves of admiration and longing. Italians are lovely as well, but I don’t feel that animal attraction to vivacious, charismatic, confident, well-composed women and men alike that crashed upon my head and submerged me in exhilaration every time, as it seemed, that I spoke with or even passed a Spanish person.

Maybe this is partly a hereditary instinct, a subconscious distancing, since I am part-Italian but zero percent Spanish. I have seen more than a few bare-chested, florid Italian men, swollen and plastered with so much hair you could make velcro of them, and they remind me a bit of summer family gatherings of my childhood. This is less a reminder of my youth - although there are whispers here - but I have also seen numerous, lively female (and male) spirits tucked into leathery wallets of flesh that have sunbathed a few too many times.

I will get to Milano (which I loved) in my next post, but for the moment let me say that where Italy is killing it for me is by means of its land and architecture. Cinque Terre...but that is another post, too.

I think I am a bit more on guard here, and that may affect my interactions with people (or unwillingness to do so). I don’t have high school language lessons to fall back on. I am well and truly out of my depth. I now know about 10 words of Italian, which feels pretty good, and I am starting to pick up on pronunciation, but I can’t have a childish conversation like I could in Spanish. Sandwiching this stress is the apprehension of other countries I hope to visit which will be even further from the language family tree I know.

The food here is an even bigger challenge than it was in Spain. Believe the hype: Italy is all about pizza and fancy sandwiches. Well, and seafood. And those are three things I have a lot of trouble getting past my allergy sentries. I went to a restaurant for the first time yesterday, in Cinque Terre - a place I found online that was rated very highly for its allergy-friendliness - and the best they could do was dairy free, gluten free, crustacean free, but still contained soy. So….I have been eating a lot of oatmeal, fruit, eggs, and raw nuts. At least I found some goat milk at a grocery store the other day….