A Senigallia Sunset

I Almost Cried

We explored more than I had expected this summer since our original goal was to immerse ourselves in the day to day life of a small Italian town. Most excursions were clumped together in day trips such as Assisi, Urbino, Gubbio, Loreto with our good friends Phil and Sue Anne who stayed with us for a memorable week. We also visited Serra de Conti, Jesi, San Giminanno, and the Le Grotte Frasassi, each held its own magic. We did manage to fit in Cinque Terre, which was at the top of my "must see" list in Italy for two glorious days. The five towns were isolated and cut off from the world until 100 years ago and tourism did not exist until the 1960's. These jewels are perched on incredibly steep mountains that literally fall into the sea, it's history speaks of hardship and a determined people to tame the most difficult of terrains by terrace farming. Now it is a paradise for hikers. Jim and I set out from Loreto to Monterosso al Mare, it was only 4 miles but the assent is about 1,000 ft up and then 1,000 ft down. For those 3.5 hours we were entirely captivated by the beauty and wonder of nature, it was the most magnificent hike I have ever done.

Our son Eric and Aya, his girlfriend, visited from Japan and they wanted to see was Venice, so we went. Yes it was crowded, no it did not smell, and yes I think it is the most romantic place on earth. Wish we were there with about 1/10 of the people but eating our picnic lunch of prosciutto, tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese with Italian bread on the steps in St. Marks Square was priceless. Another great side trip was Perugia with our daughter Beth and her girlfriend Aaryn, what a treat, literally chocolate everywhere.

Winding down and starting to count the days until we return home, Jim started thinking about Florence. The last time we were there was 12 years ago (literally for 6 hours), I had gotten unexpectedly sick so the visit was cut short. We went, our new motto is "never to put off what you don't have too". Found a reasonable hotel right next to the Ponte Viccchio (thank you Karen Brown) with a view of the Duomo. Our main goal was to get to the Uffizi, we were ready to embrace the masters of Renaissance Italy. We decided to jump into a guided tour which whisked us up to the front of the line. The guide, in a very logical and informative way, moved us from one master to the other with wonderful details of the life and times of Florence as well as of the artist and artwork itself. Anyone who has ever wanted to see Michelangelo, Donatello, Da Vinci, Della Robbia or Botticelli up front and personal has got to experience this museam which by the way is the oldest in Europe. I could not say I had a favorite Rennissance artist until I entered the room with Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus" and "Primavera", I almost cried. They were enormous and took my breath away they were just that beautiful! The artist was sensitive, seductive, innocent and telling a story all at the same time. I think I could have stayed there all day. Lucky for us there was a special exhibit of Caravaggio's work and his students as well so we stayed in the museum until our heads started spinning. The Duomo had Jim glued to its facade later that day and he only pryed himself away to then attach himself to the doors of the Baptistery. We of course saw Michelangelo's "David" in all his splendor. I will attempt to put up some of the photo's but it will just give a glimpse of the genius of the time. I never came close to crying looking at my Jansen's.

Its a Small World

Did you ever go to an Italian restaurant and when you got your espresso it was about a thimble full of coffee? Jim estimates about 10 cups here adds up to one in the US. Gelato, the Italian version of ice cream is made with milk not cream, it has less calories per scoop but here you get much less of it. A double scoop here is about 1/2 the size of a single in the US. and the spoon is what we would use for a baby, so small. Soft drinks are in small bottles, no super sizing exists. There are also very small bathing suits for both men and women on mostly lean bodies. But in this small world everyone is always eating. Italians do not exercise in the same frantic and obsessive way we do, how do I know you might ask. Well... we joined the local Gym and go every day, Jim and I work out for at least an hour like Americans do, we push and are focused, the Italians work out too, in between talking and socializing. Seigallia's gym is small and opens mostly from 9-12:15 then reopens mostly from 4-9. but some days only 5-7 and not on Sundays. Of course no one told us they were closing for vacation last week and only found out when we saw a note taped to the door that could have said "gone fishin". Its August and the whole country goes on vacation. The eating part..... O.K. 3 meals and no snacking and except for lunch its small meals. Portions are small and fruit is always included at the end. After "dinner' its almost mandatory to go out and walk, everyone does. Wine is like water here. We go go to the local cubby hole of a store that's only open Saturday mornings unless the shop owner feels like working. We get a gallon of local wine for about $12.00. It seems everyone is drinking wine at every meal but I have yet to see "drinking" as a pastime or social event without food. In fact if you order a beer or wine without something to eat, they bring you small bowls of things to munch on. It just unheard of to drink without eating in Italy. Gas is expensive at almost $6.00 a gallon, Italians have very small cars to conserve on gas. Its no wonder we cannot import these cars because if your not small you just don't fit into them! We are discovering this small world and it makes sense, Jim keeps talking about doing more research on smallness so right now there is about a 50% chance he is coming home, we'll see.

No One Walks Alone

In this country that is as technologically as advanced as the US with the use of computers, i-pads, cell phones and every other bit of equipment, there is one distinct difference. I have yet to see someone excuse themselves in a restaurant to take a call, and I have never seen anyone talk on their cell in a restaurant. No anouncements need to be made in any public venues to turn off phones and rarely is someone talking while walking down the street. The greeting "pronto" is "hello" in Italian so its easy to recognize since its only used to answer the phone. Everyone has a cell phone, I have seen them used at the beach and in a outdoor cafe occasionally, but the calls are quick to the point and people do not linger. Most of all when talking they are considerate of others. I have not seen texting at all, i-phones are here but most Italians use a simple cell phone no fancy computer attached. In the US we text constantly, and often have a cell phone attached to our ear while excusing ourselves "just take this call" or text while driving, eating or in the midst of a group activity. Its become normal for us to check our e-mail, the weather, have our "apps" send us messages we feel obliged to view the moment they are sent and "naturally" we have respond to text messages within minutes if possible. Its that little "ping" sound that signals an urgency we seems to respond too. Why has this phenomenon not made its way across the Atlantic? We figured it out..... in Italy what makes the phone thing so different is the joy of the group dynamic. Everywhere you look people are congregated, there seems to be no one that walks alone. Everyone is talking and engaged with the group or person they are with. It would seem totally rude to be with others and have a private conversation, it is just so contrary to the Italian sense of inclusion. So we realize we have been blessed without the constant ringing of cell phones or annoying people talking so loud on a cell you are included in a one sided conversation without your consent. Here if you want to have a conversation just start talking to someone, believe it or not they will answer even if they don't understand a word you are saying.

Rotunda A Mare

Senigallia has a brilliant piece of architecture that is a community center and gathering space built on a pier suspended above the water. It is the only one of its kind in Italy. Jim and I heard an icredible free classical piano concert in the interior performance/gallery space which probably holds tops 200 people. The exterior is magnificent with a elegant promanade that leads to the structure from the street as well as the gentle curved pedestrian walkways that surround it. There is always an event of some sort at the Rotunda, as I said it is a community center. It is very difficult to find a time when the Rotunda is quite but we got lucky one evening so I took some fun photo's to share and to remember the beautiful sunset. Senigallia is an old Roman fortress that was built between two rivers that emptied into the sea. The ancient connection is still there and the Rotunda is an unmistakable tribute to the people's love affair with the sea, in Senigallia it literally feeds them. The fishing boats come in about 7 am and if you get up early enough you can get your fish for the day while they are still flapping. There are little stands for the fisherman to sell their wares on the pier and I discovered this is one of the hot spots in the early morning. Anyone who knows me realizes going to a fish market at 7 am is a challenge but I just had to see this slice of life and yes, I did. I am working up to scaling and cleaning but just not there yet so no crawly or flapping sea things in paper bags for me from the fishermen. Jim has a relationship with the fish lady at the end of the pier she will at least clean out the inside but charges a little more. Valerie (we are on a first name basis) takes over when the fishermen leave at 7:30 and she is open until 11:30. She is also very helpful in telling us how to cook things we have no idea what to do with. We have been so thankful for people like her who we will miss for those small bits of kindness we have found here. Still trying to figure out where we will find fresh fish back home.... any ideas?

O.K. I Just Love it All

As Jim and I took our daily 5 mile walk along the Adriatic beach in Senigallia we were discussing how this culture is almost communal and how much sense it makes. I love it that everyone mingles, it is very social, people do things together all the time. It it natural to be inclusive not exclusive even to strangers. I have not heard anyone yell or get impatient. We have not seen pushing, cutting lines, trying to get ahead or going first. In fact we both commented on how we have not really seen scowls, sad faces or worry. Even on the Autostrada where you can go as fast as your car can move there is a courtesy, I have never heard a car horn honk or flash lights to get you to move. Patience is expected in Italy and being on time is a flexible term. As we have crisscrossed this country I made an observation that most people live in apartements. Even all the new construction I have seen is large buildings that would hold at least 6-8 units, not huge buildings but two story rectangles usually close or in a town or village. Suburbs as we know them do not exist here. Italian people need to congregate and talk..., they all talk alot... with lots of hand motions but not with the bravado, obnoxious, demanding or the self-importance that is truly an American signature. One of the women we have gotten to know said Italians think of Americans as fat and loud with lots of money. I think that is a fair assessment compared to Italians.

So here are the top 10 things I like about Italy

Food is incredible

People are very friendly and considerate

Living and working are more balanced

Italians always look impeccable and are georgous

Language is easily approached

Italians are passionate and expressive but not obnoxious

Ecologically conscious

Family oriented

Incredibly beautiful country with magnificent art old and new everywhere.

So I came to the conclusion I love it all, the only thing missing is that all the people I love are not here with me.... except Jim

Run Around Sue, In Italy!

If you like the Lindy hop, Sha-Na-Na, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Wanda Jackson, original Pompador haircuts and lots of official memorbaila from the 40's and 50's believe it or not Senigalia Italy is the place to be. From the 1st to the 9th of August this town hosts the most incredible party (for 10 years running) if you are into this genre. Vendors with all kinds of vintage cloths, shoes, tatoo parlors and the seedy side of this era with hard core as well as the soft fun 50's air head stuff is all here. From everywhere people flock to Senigallia and the party begins in the morning and except of course for "siesta" it goes until 4 am. Jim and I have taken dance lessons every night since it started (in Italian) and have really improved our "flips and turns". Everyone is dressed and it feels like "Grease" but of course everyone speaks Italian, it is a hoot. If you really are interested go to www.summerjamboree.com Jim has his Hawaian shirt pressesd and ready to go and I am sporting my Marilyn Monroe dress and we are styling in Italy. If you see any postings of my pin up photo's, its not really me just an alien who took over my body for a few crazy months in Italy.

What is this ?

Jim and I noticed the large rotunda in town was being set up with folding tables for 6, blue on one side, red on the other and a few that had half and half down the middle. Since there are events going on constantly we didn't pay much attention but it looked like a huge outside wedding was going to take place. The next day we were walking past the rotunda and it was teaming with people, I mean packed, lucky for us we run into one of the three people we've met in Senigallia. So Jim says "Paoula what is this"? She explained, "once a year all the surrounding towns bring their best food (gastronomica tipica) item and prepare it in this huge portable kitchen in back of the square. Its sort of like a food competition. Paoula asked if we wanted to join her and her friends and we did. So under the stars we sat and had the best meal ever on paper plates. Jim had tagliatelle ai frutti di mare, I had Goncchi all'anatra we shared a side of caponata and salad. Jim won a local game of smashing the walnut as it rolls down hill with a mallet (sponsored by two Italians in monk costumes), they were impressed with the Americano and of course what is the prize? A Panini, which we had for breakfast the next morning. So if you are visiting the Marche area of Italy the festival is called cucinedeborgo and is held in different towns all over the region during the summer so the Italians can do what they do best, cook and eat together. By the way the blue tables were for fish, the red for meat but all serve pasta.

Yes, I actually made that risotto pictured here with our friends Sue Anne and Phil who visited. Jim is so Italian now he is speaking with his hands!