Everyone in Italy wears Timberlands. I kid you not. Men, women, children…everyone. I even saw a baby with tiny, oompa loompa sized timberlands. I don’t think he was even at the age to walk but that didn’t seem to matter. I have no idea what the fascination is but they wear them anyway. Along with their love of industrial sized footwear, 9 out of 10 Italians have a dog. Big ones, small ones, fat ones, thin ones, all colors and breeds. I was attacked with puppy kisses by a golden retriever puppy yesterday and today I passed a pug, a golden, some labs and a lot of breeds I can’t even name. Not only do Italians love sex, food and wine but they LOVE dogs. Who knew?
After Rome, my dad (who is accompanying me until I get set up in Verona) and I went to visit a cousin in Terni. Terni is a beautiful little town in the Provence of Umbria and is so much calmer than Rome. I pride myself on being able to enjoy the hustle and bustle of a fast paced city like New York but every time I stepped out in Rome, I thought I was going to have a hernia. It’s gotten more crowded since I’ve been there last and everyone seems to be pretty cranky. It’s not your usual Italian laid-back-ness. It was frustration, “agida” and a whole lot of crazy. Anyway, Terni was a nice change. Dad and I took a long “passegiata” around town and were pleasantly surprised at how many families were outside enjoying the fresh air and each other’s company. We need more parks in the states and less TV’s. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching the most recent episode of GLEE or House as much as the next person but I wouldn’t mind more community parks where old men can play bocce ball and little kids can play. Our cousin, Anna, whom we were visiting, is probably one of the greatest cooks this world has ever known. However, I had to sing for my supper, so to speak. I was not allowed to speak English, only Italian. NO EXCUSES.
After a lovely visit in Terni we were on our way to Pesaro, a seaside town off of the Adriatic, to visit more cousins. Being the well-prepared person that I am, I packed far too much and the bags we had were HEAVY. I mean so heavy that I have some gargantuan biceps going on right now. Though I digress. Pesaro is really small compared to other places I’ve been. Last night our train got in around nine o’clock and the town was dead silent and covered in fog. It reminded me of one of those fables you hear as kids (or a bad slasher film, your pick). Dad and I took another “passegiata” this morning in order to work off all of the marvelous food we’ve been eating and to see the sights in the daytime. The houses here are gorgeous and the central piazza was filled with happy, cheery people going about their routines. People were actually taking time to stop and talk to one another instead of speeding off. It was great to see people interacting like that and the old men sitting around the square shooting the breeze just made me smile.
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