Tuesday, March 5, 2013

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).

39 comments:

  1. Hey GF, I have never been to Italy yet, but I believe it could be the place that I belong, since I love all Italian foods, all Italian shoes, and Florence and Rome, which are spectacular. Love you mum's Gucci bag - I sadly cannot say I inherited one of those fine things!

    Ciao Bella!

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    1. FANTASTICO Well Wendy, except for Florence and Rome, you can get most things Italian pretty authentically right in NYC ;-) And you've inherited so many lovely bits.

      Buon divertimento!

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  2. I've already told WMM that I am planning on spending my 50th in Italy. It just seems like the perfect romantic vacation (except for the bloat from eating too much). I do love to travel and prefer new and exciting locations. The only cities I can go back to are NYC, Chicago, and Charleston. Otherwise, show me something different!

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    1. TANTI AUGURI! Well BB that will be a trip. We were intended to go to Italy for our 10th anniversary (both the hubs and I have been but never together - and he's done Venice, lucky sod, but I haven't). Diverted latest due to worthwhile family drama. But at the rate we're going, I may not get back to the unseen bits until my 50th. With you on variety being the spice of life, new not repeats! (Although will happily return to particularly London or, "in a pinch" Paris - England and France, not Ontario - anytime I can get my mitts on a ticket.)

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  3. Morning GF, nice topic! The first Italians I met were the parents of one of my best friends in secondary school. This is how I came across the wonder that is Nutella - to my young Scottish sweet tooth, not only the best thing since sliced bread, but also the best thing ON sliced bread! Anne used to go to Italy every summer with her parents and she often brought me a gift back. My favourite was a beautiful cognac leather belt - I still have it, although it's a bit snug-fitting now. She moved to Italy with her parents when they retired and I have visited her a few times there - she and her family live in the house that her dad built during those vacations in the 70s, in a lovely mountain village, and she has a wonderful life.

    My own heritage is Ukrainian, but unfortunately I don't have any ties there - my dad died when I was young, and he did not speak often of his homeland anyway (he lived through the famine and the war there). However, I do think that this gave me an awareness of other countries and started my interest in travel and other cultures. I married a man who grew up in Italy and Africa and I love hearing his stories of his childhood.

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    1. Patricia, that's two days running of wonderful travel vignettes. THANK YOU for sharing. I love the idea of returning to one's family turf (if it was Italian) and I'm also an Anne. Just how could I forget Nutella *smacks forehead*?!

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  5. I think I lived in Japan in a previous life. I love everything Japanese: the culture, food, architecture, fashion, art, literature (Haruki Murakami, anyone?), I could go on. I love the juxtaposition of the new (bustling Tokyo) & the old (peaceful shrines outside Tokyo). I've furnished my home Japanese/Balinese style so it's like living having a piece of Japan everyday.

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    1. Marie, you would have loved the Guggenheim - huge show of the Japanese art movement Gutai!

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    2. Marie, I admire but don't have much of a Japanese bent, except for the food (ditto Indonesian rijsttafel) and the gardens. But I totally support bringing the feel of your adopted place home with you and surrounding yourself with that sense of place (recipes, clothes, interiors...) Early in my career I was fortunate to spend three weeks working with touring Japanese cookbook and lifestyle author Harumi Kurihara (somewhat Japan's answer to Martha Stewart) and she really inspired me with her scarves, small but perfectly presented gifts, origami, gracefulness, SPF diligence etc. etc.

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    3. WMM, you "did the goog", so cool.

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    4. Was glad to finally get there! Off for coffee with ema, then the met, then tory burch!

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  6. I love Italy - the art, the architecture, the food, the fashio (shoes in particular), the language, the sheer history! I pretty much love it all! I pretty much love Europe in general. It takes me back to wonderful childhood memories.

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    1. A, thanks for sharing the love! And don't they make great shoes *drool*.

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    2. All their leather good are incredible. The shoes are definitely Devine.

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  7. France is my rightful home as well it should be as my family is French. If only I could speak to my people while actually in France! I think I'm speaking French but it must be coming out as gibberish!
    My only experience with Italy was not very positive, driving through the countryside on a bus to Rome in order to catch a plane back home (Icelandic Volcano Travel Fiasco 2010). One thing is certain, the service station washrooms in France are FAR superior to the ones in Italy. I won't say any more about it.

    It is on the list and Florence is #1, I'd love to go!

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    1. Dani, it was the BUS dearest. (And yes, I agree motorway services can make or break any road trip.) Here's to your do-over and Fiorenze! Italy is just around the corner from the French Riviera (from Menton you can walk right across the border, but some of it is a bit "Niagara Falls" tacky & tat.) If you do a longer sabbatical, I know/ hear there are lots of crossings with good stuff on either side, so you can have a bit of both baguette and pasta - and even more great wine.

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    2. I lived in Menton for 6 months while I was in college (took a break) - I lived and worked on a huge sailboat. Used to walk or bike across the border all the time into Italy. It was a very long time ago and not tacky yet. Will think about my true cultural home and get back to you soon.

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    3. Florence is a must see! David! The de Medici palace and gardens and the bruschetta is to die for:). Now I am hungry.

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  9. I love, love, your bag, GF.

    Great post and an interesting question.

    Let me tell you, Switzerland is not my cultural home of the heart.

    As a life-long francophile, and as they say in Quebec, an allophone, I am drawn to France. But, since I moved here I've had more, shall we say, realistic, encounters with the country and the culture and am less enamoured of it than I used to be.

    I do love being in Italy, and because I have Italian family, a lot of it feels familiar and "just right."

    There's a lot about Europe that is wonderful, but it's also pretty homogenous and at times quite sexist and conservative. I increasingly think that Canada is really where it's at.

    I'm also drawn to New Zealand, though I've never been there. There have been several very influential Kiwis in my life, and I feel a connection to the place. Oddly enough, we were out with an old and very well-travelled friend the other night, and he said we should move to NZ next.

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    1. Abby, that's very true, a lot of "outmoded" attitudes, politics and prejudices still survive. That's one of my challenges with parts of South America too. New Zealand has always intrigued me because of the scenery, the citizens' outlook (at least the transplanted ones) and the scale. It seems like a nice size to live (and islands) vs. AUS and the interior which in many ways to me is another Canada in my head iykwim. Wide open spaces but a challenge to get around a lot of it. But somehow "down under" and Asia seem a lot farther away to family and friends.
      Do you set a rough time frame for you two to relocate or just take it as it comes?

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    2. GF, yes, NZ is way too far away. I think Canadians and Kiwis have some cultural experiences in common, in terms of being "next door" to a much more dominant country.

      I know what you mean about Australia. It is the next-biggest country after Canada.

      Nope, we have no time-frame. We never intended to be so international, really. But when we met, we lived in different places, so that was the first big move. Then this opportunity arose, and we both harboured Euro-living dreams, so we took it. I think I'd like to go back to Canada next, honestly. But this has been a difficult move and we're just starting to feel settled, so I don't want to go anywhere soon!

      I know you've moved a lot, did you have time frames? And are you feeling more settled now or still plotting the next move?

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    3. Abby, most of my moving was when I was a kid - something like 11 times between 5 and 20. Most of that was on a changing timeline from my parent's work. But also back-and-forth to some of the same/ nearby spots so not as "manic" as it sounds. We have lived 4 places in the past decade, but all across Canada. It took me a while to feel at home where we are now. But it is good to have roots, connections, neighbours. We'd both like at least one more "exotic" spot before 2020. But there are a lot more people and factors to consider as one gets older it seems. Anyway, my Dad always says, "every place is what you make it." I believe that too.

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  10. Right now, I'm feeling very at home in Los Angeles and can't quite imagine living anywhere else. Perhaps the Provence area of France or Tuscany? I feel very at home in both places and the climate in Provence is lovely. I've never been to Tuscany in the winter - so I'm not sure about that? I do love London, and it is probably my favorite city to visit, even more so than Paris. I certainly buy the most in London!

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    1. Kathy, good for you. It's lovely to find/ have that contentment. Definitely different to test a favourite place in the off season. (I tell my in-laws that; they love our summer-fall, but certain they couldn't stick the winter outside of Christmas week.) My DH not-so-secretly fears the chance of moving back to London in terms of my purchasing pattern. But vacation living is pretty different than everyday life.

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  11. I love traveling to italy,its about four to five hours from heidelberg to the border.Most women there are petite and wear heels,so it feels very natural for me.


    I am always torn where i want to live,since i have both german and american citizenship.Ultimatly i think my place to be is atlanta.

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    1. Yes Ina, we definitely need somewhere to take our heels! IMO one of the best features of Europe is the ability to be in a considerably different country/ region with just a short drive or inexpensive flight, or the train network. However, Atlanta has also grown and evolved so much since the '96 Olympics and, for the region at least, has a pretty temperate climate. Can totally see the appeal, even if you aren't a fan of peach pie like I am ;-) Agreed, "where" choices can be very tough. But it always good to have options too.

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    2. I had a really good visit to Atlanta last week; attended a party at a lovely house in Buckhead as part of my meeting. I'm a northerner though, I think.

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    3. Lane, how nice to be able to include a house party on your trip. Entirely different perspective on a place than hotels no matter how lovely, or conferences, regardless of how productive.

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  12. Oh yes, I also love Italy, and have very fond memories from my visit there oh so many years ago. I would love to be able to go back and visit some time. My DH has never been, but I do think he would enjoy it.

    As far as a place I have felt 'at home', it would have to be England. From the moment I set foot off the plane back at the age of 19, I just felt as if I belonged, and that I was finally where I should be. Unfortunately, life did not turn out as I had planned, but if it was at all possible to go back there to live, I absolutely would!

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    1. Well, FFM those are both great picks. At some point in the future, it could be great to have trips in either place with your DH and/or boys and make new memories along with showing them what you loved. And even if that's not where your future travel plans roll out, I think any kind of trips, big and small, encourage a sense of curiousity, self-reliance and independence that are wonderful values to have and share as well as making us "richer" people. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. I feel kinship with Italy. I visited Rome & Florence etc and the towns where some of my family is from and met the ones who still live there, it was really cool. I don't think I have any souvenirs from my visits, I wasn't into that then (now could kick myself of course).

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    1. Cate, kinship is such a good word and neat that you were able to connect with some of your Italian roots that way.

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  14. WMM, thanks for the shoutout on Gutai, did not know it was ongoing. Guggenheim & the Neue are my favorites in NYC. Hope you are having a blast. I was envious of your day's agenda: Ema, the Met, Tory! If I wasn't working today, I would have gatecrashed your meeting with Ema. I'm such a fan of both your blogs. Enjoy the rest of your trip, "snow" ahead nothwithstanding.

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    1. Yes WMM, with Marie, hoping the last full day of your getaway is not snarled up by incoming weather. At least you have good boots - and a Canadian constitution.

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  15. Thank you for the kind words, you made me blush (and no worries your Italian and knoweledge of the country is perfect). I read this post early this morning and meant to come back but I had quite a busy day. I was so lucky to finally met our lovely "maitresse des lieux" and her equally lovely husband. She will tell you more and will post some pics when she gets back, I am sure!

    Well I can tell you that right now I am not very proud of my Italian roots (I am talking about the elections. Here's something that you will agree one can't like of Italy: its politicians. Enough said!)
    Otherwise, more than France that sort of happened to me, I always felt a connection with Greece. I studied ancient Greek as part of my curriculum and for years I was completely fascinated with the country. I travelled extensively to Greece with my parents when I was young and I have some of my best memories in Pylos (for everyone who knows where it it).
    Looking forward to the next post!

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    1. Hi Ema, it's so funny that this post ended up on the day you actually met our WMM. I haven't been to Greece yet, but my husband spent quite a bit of time there when he was younger too, so I am curious to go, eventually. Did going there with your parents influence you to study ancient Greek when you were older?

      I am also very much looking forward to your eventual posts about Jordan, including what you end up wearing in such hot weather! Off to look up Pylos now - learning a lot about new places today :-)

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    2. Oh, and did you hear, she got a pair of TB shoes. We have to be very happy for that ;-)

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Kindness is a virtue...