This is a difficult post to write. It is about 8:30 in the morning here, and
Lisa and I are on a train returning to Rome.
We have one last night in Italy tonight, and tomorrow morning we fly out
of Rome to New York.
Before our trip, I had a preconceived notion that during our
time in Italy we would speak Italian every day, eat really well, make friends,
drink lots of wine, hang out by the beach, and have fun stories to tell. That happened. And more..
Tomorrow we are leaving Italy differently than when we
arrived on August 4th. We are leaving
Italy with a few extra pounds on our stomachs, new/revived friendships, good tans, and as cliché as it sounds…we’re
leaving with memories to last a lifetime. We also are leaving some things here. Our money…yeah, that’s gone. Lisa lost a ring
in the Adriatic, so that’s also staying here.
As for intangible things- we are leaving here countless moments of total
relaxation, tranquility, satisfaction and contentment with life. We can try to bring some of that back….but
according to me, it’s impossible.
For me, this trip has been a very refreshing and necessary
dosage of “life”. It’s easy to get
caught up with the monotony of the everyday routines and drudgery, as it is for
everyone. Most times a vacation is only
a week and for the first few days it is spent unwinding and the last few days
spent dreading returning to “reality”.
We’ve been fortunate enough to have a long enough vacation that we felt
totally immersed here. In fact, at one point Lisa turned to me and said,
“doesn’t it feel like we live here?”. We
became familiar with the people/towns/bars/cafes/piazzas in the places we
stayed.
The other day someone asked me what my favorite part of the
trip was. It’s impossible for me to pick
out one moment. But I will say that for
me, my favorite moments were spent by the sea.
The Ionian and Adriatic Seas are the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever
experienced. Not only do these beaches
have crystal clear water, dry air, and a soft breeze. They also are full of wonderful people and
families and surrounded by incredible restaurants and bars with the best food
I’ve eaten in my life. These beaches are
also located in towns that have incredibly rich history. Many of the small towns in Puglia (in
Salento) are composed of white stone buildings that originated from several
hundred years ago. Today we were in
Taranto, which is a city that is both Greek/Italian. In Salento there are many towns/cities that
have been influenced by Greece and as a result have Greek architecture, food,
and even the Greek language.
I’ve always loved that while in Italy, you are constantly
reminded of your place in the history of the world. I think it’s an important part of being human
to understand yourself in relationship with the evolution of civilizations and
cultures. While in Italy, and Croatia,
we were constantly reminded of the history of these countries by stories we
heard, buildings we saw, and streets we walked down.
I’m taking a deep breath in and exhaling a sigh as I look
out the windows on this train and say “arrivederci” to the beautiful country
landscapes of this country. In the towns
that we stayed in, the natural beauty of the beaches and towns were not
compromised by the restaurants/bars/festivals.
The settlement of people in these towns is less abrasive than it looks
in NJ/NY. During the summer months in
the south of Italy, there are many festivals honoring the patron saints of the
towns. There are lots of decorative
lights, vendors, and tourist attractions such as wine tasting and special
restaurant menus. But to me, it seems
like there is a harmony between the people, the city, and nature. This is because there is a sense of
relaxation and appreciation of family and company. For example, in Lecce there are always people
walking around the city- through the early morning hours. It is typical to see families walking around
the town around 11-12 at night. It’s
common to see a family at a restaurant for 2-3 hours eating dinner or lunch. It’s common to see kids playing in the
piazzas or on the beach .Then again, I also realize that these observations are
from afar and I have no idea what goes on in their own homes. I
haven’t seen one kid playing on an ipad/ipod and I haven’t seen one large TV in
my time in Italy. I guess people seem to
enjoy spending time with each other more.
If I saw a large TV, it was in a bar to play a soccer game…that’s it
though. I have to say that although I
really appreciate technology, it was refreshing getting a little break from the
imposing presence of technology near NY/NJ.
I understand this is not just an Italian thing, and I really
appreciate going to different states in the USA that are similar. Don’t get me wrong, I love NYC and I
absolutely love living in Hoboken.
However, it was a refreshing experience witnessing such a natural and
relaxed way of life here.
So, the concluding mantra for this blog and this trip is
APPRECIATION OF LIFE..la bella vita.
Taking one day at a time. One
moment at a time…. Not worrying so much about what you are SUPPOSED to do. Rather, reaching out at the quickly passing
moments of tranquility and contentment and holding onto them tightly. Seeing where life takes you…and not freaking
out if everything isn’t perfect. We
uttered the phrases “what’s happening?”,
“che cazzo” and “I don’t understand what’s going on….” multiple times a
day. Yet, the sensation of not knowing
what was to come made each experience so unique and fun. At certain times, this feeling was overwhelming….
Like when we were at a concert in Lecce with 150,000 people and a
medical/security staff that had no idea what the hell what was going on. Total
chaos. Overall though, it has been
incredibly liberating to just “go with the flow”. We called this.. “survival mode”. If either Lisa and I were alone we probably
would have lost our minds halfway through the trip. #PMT.
So, on the note of seeing what the future lies ahead and
taking one moment at a time…
A presto, Italia. See
you soon.
Alla prossimo. Until
next time.
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