La dolce vita!

Ciao. Tutto bene?

 N.B. In case you are still a bit morning bleary-eyed, don’t worry, this blog hasn’t been taken over by EU spammers.  And a quick but sincere “Mi dispiace,” to the polished, frankly funny and multi-cultural Ema from My Closet… for (m)any and all errors, inaccuracies and misconceptions, entirely mine. First up, because WMM, our Queen of the Hill is right in the heart of it, melting her little town blues away and searching for those vagabond shoes, I <3 NY for visits. It’s a nice short trip from my corner. I even lived there for a blip in my youth. But it doesn’t come in tippy top on my must-go list. 

 In today’s global village, there can be a lot of variations to that age old, on the road query, “Where are you from?”  Where we live, where we were born, where our family, memories or roots are, how we got our “accents”.  But I believe we also have homes of heart and soul.  A place, a region, a nation, a type of setting, that may be far where from where our everyday or B&M are. Yet, the moment we get to know it, or return to it, we just feel we belong.  An adopted and beloved “country”, if you will.

 I haven’t been to my imaginary passport place much lately.  But it has been in the news plenty of late for matters economic, papal and political.  Since that comes with a backdrop of familiar spots, it’s bittersweet – agrodolce.  I also know well, it’s very different to visit a place than to reside there.

Yes, one is likely to romanticize one’s first Roman Holiday; it’s just that kind of country.  There are many corners of the boot I haven’t had a chance to scoot around yet. I met one of their prime ministers, far from his home turf, and that was *inside voice* slightly scary, in a pancake make-up (his) kind of way. I might manage to make their language come less trippingly off my tongue by the time I am an OAP.  But as soon as I dare to even think that, I get ear-fulled with another regional dialect. Regardless, there isn’t much about their national ethos I don’t admire or adore (except maybe the labyrinth bureaucracy).  Here, I want to absorb, not just explore.   And the more I see, the more I want to know. JulieStyles recently commented to WMM on this blog that a big part of the joy of travel is the anticipation and planning. I couldn’t agree more.  For fun, here’s just a tiny bit of my particular why.

THE ART: You already know what the Mona Lisa, the Pieta and the Vetruvian Man look like. I’ll just leave you with this little detail of Titian’s Judith and invite you to fill in your own blank canvas or sculpture garden. Because, according to the most recent UNESCO survey, 40 percent of the world’s art was “Made in Italy”.

THE FOOD & DRINK: Merende, antipasti, focacce e pizze, bruschetta e crostini, pasta, risotto, polenta, insalate, contorni, condimenti, dolci.  From the seaside of Campagnia  where cliffs plunge to cobalt seas, to the aged farmhouses of Puglia, and thronging city alleys, Italians always have a reason to gather around the table, debate recipes and share wonderful food and drink together.  Every meal is somehow an occasion. And from the cheese to the spaghetti to the wine and tiramisu, the world has to say grazie mille. (Please pardon the made at home, not Nonna’s photo.)

THE ARCHITECTURE: We could all marvel at the Colosseum, Milan’s Gothic Cathedral or the dome on Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence) which is the largest brick structure of its kind in the world.  But it seems simplest to remind you that those lovely top rounded windows and arches seen in so many older homes and public buildings are called Palladian – one of the many details of Italianate structure that surround us worldwide.

THE WHEELS: This is the country of the Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini,  the Vespa and most commonly, and I think notably, the Fiat (Giardiniera, Lusso and Berlina among others).  For now, all I have the 2013 brochure and a similar Dutch version of this pre-WWII advert (which says, “SOPHISTICATED! FAST! RELIABLE!”)  I will let you know when I claim the keys to my modern Cinquecento.

THE FASHION: Again, I should probably just start a running list – with Valentino, Cavalli, Trussardi, Moschino, Pucci, Missoni, Prada, Armani, Bulgari, Brioni, Fendi, Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Agnona, Camerino, Ferragamo, oh and of course, Max Mara.  Ahem, there are always all J. Crew’s “secret” mills and factories too.   Even if you don’t give a fig about labels ending in i or a, we can still admire the painstakingly fine craftsmanship still practiced here.  WMM is always sharing her treasure chests with us.  So, in truth, my original affection and curiousity for multo things Italian comes from one of my few personal heirlooms and most prized possessions, a circa 1960 Gucci bag that was brought back from Rome for my mother, to Old Barns, Nova Scotia. (Google Map that if you must.) Rest assured, in the true spirit of La Dolce Vita, this pocketbook has been to many a Miller Time.  (If I was going to “blame” some foreign influence other than my mother for my national fixation, it would have to be Henry James.)

DO TELL: Where’s your second, cultural home of the heart?  What place always makes you go pitter pat a little faster?  What do you love most, or least, about your travels? What “souvenirs” do you bring back from a trip?  Do you have a favourite slice of Italy, actual or imported? Tomorrow, we are back to something of regularly scheduled programming with Style Question Wednesday.  “Stay safe and arrivederci!” (said not with a Brad Pitt in Inglorious Basterds accent).