Well, apparently I’ve been working toward living in the wrong European country. Either that, or my Outer European is the dominant one here and my Inner European has learned to keep her damned mouth shut. Really, though, my favorite color is orange, so maybe there’s something to this…
Your Inner European is Dutch!
Open minded and tolerant.
You’re up for just about anything.
Who’s Your Inner European?
Of course, the other option is that it’s nigh to …
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Venice is one of those cities people will tell you that you “have to see” in your lifetime. I’m not one of those people. I love Venice, and if people ask me what to do or see there I tell them, but if you don’t have a burning desire to see Venice, that’s fine by me. There’s plenty of world to see out there without other people making “must see” lists for you. But I digress.
If you’re in Venice for a few days, do yourself a favor and get off the island. Visit the nearby smaller islands of Murano, Torcello and the subject of this little video, Burano. In my experience, it’s the middle one in terms of toursty-ness. Nearly everyone takes the short trip to Murano (home of famous glass blowing studios), and nearly no one visits the furthest-away Torcello (mostly nature reserve, so very sparsely populated, but with a beautiful church). Burano, famous for its multi-colored houses and lace-making, is midway between the other two in both distance from Venice and in the number of tourists who bother to visit.
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Even if you’re prepared for culture shock, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be any less, well, shocking. And, as we’re learning already, it begins even before you’ve left the comfort of home.
Take, for instance, the Italian tendency toward procrastination. It’s well-documented, and we’ve read about it - there’s a habit in Italy to get a week’s worth of work done in a few days right next to the deadline. But just knowing about it isn’t always helpful. In our case, we’re very much feeling the deadline of the husband’s impending joblessness, and …
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To completely bastardize a quote by Samuel Johnson, “When one is tired of Italy, one is tired of life.” However, I can see how even if one were happily ensconced in all things Italian, one might want to venture out and see new places now and again. And if you’re one of those people, try this adventure trip to Turkey on for size.
This 12-day tour of all the highlights of central and southern Turkey includes “horseback riding, rafting, trekking, cycling, and a 4-day cruise on an old world sailboat in the …
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I can’t imagine ever being mistaken for un’italiana, despite my dark hair - I just don’t carry off “the look” right. (I’d be willing to try harder if we moved there, of course, but that’s another story.) But apparently blondes in Italy are “considered exotic,” even if some of them are native Italians. This is an excerpt from a recent blog entry by guidebook author and tour guide Rick Steves:
Rome epitomizes the male-dominated Mediterranean world. Going to dinner with Chiara, a Roman guide and friend of mine who’s petite, blonde, and with a thin (almost cartoony) voice, I learned a lot. Chiara explained, “Italian men just can’t take a blonde seriously — especially one with a thin voice.” In fact, she refuses to guide Italian groups now that she knows American groups take her seriously. … “About 20 percent of Roman women are blonde like me, but we’re still considered exotic.”
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When people go to Italy, one of the things they’re usually expecting is great food. Yes, it’s the country of art and music and fashion and scenery - but there are scores of people every year who visit Italy simply to eat, and eat well. The good news is that, throughout most of the country, this is very easy to do - and on very little money. The even better news is that there’s a relatively new way to experience Italian food when it’s at its best - at home.
Home Food is an organization which began in Bologna (the heart of the food-centric Emilia-Romagna region) in April 2004 to both preserve local cooking traditions and also show off the best cuisine Italy has to offer. The program is designed to appeal to both visitors wanting to taste real Italian cooking and Italians who want to re-learn the cooking skills that may have been lost through the generations. And from all accounts, it’s succeeding wildly so far.
The way the program works is that you pay a membership fee (it’s much more expensive to be a member in Italy than it is as a tourist) to start and then you’re able to see what dinners are on the calendar for any given region of the country. You’ll pay an additional fee to the host of the meal, usually €30-50 depending on how fancy or how many courses it is, and you’ll go to someone’s home to eat. It could be the cozy dining room of a Rome apartment or the table-for-twenty salon of a Tuscan palazzo. What you’re guaranteed of getting, no matter where you are, is an Italian meal with food and recipes that are typical of that city and region as well as that time of year.
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One of the best ways to get to know a country is to get to know its festivals. While this often means braving crowds (something savvy tourists try to avoid), it also can mean seeing a city or region at its best. Some festivals are also mainly local events, drawing few tourists, so even if you’re one of thousands of attendees you still might be one of only a few who aren’t from the immediate area.
[Update: It appears that the guy behind the festival finder I glowingly reviewed here has begun a partnership with a different website, so the site has changed. I'm updating the links here, but the information may not all have moved yet.]
Italy gives the traveler countless opportunities to enjoy local festivals - it seems like some part of the country is in party mode at any given moment. There are the saint’s days, food-related celebrations, sporting events and more. Thankfully, there’s a great online Italian festival finder here - you can look them up based on the time of year or the region of the country, which is perfect for someone who’s visiting for a short and pre-determined amount of time.
Some highlights I found just by playing around…
You might think a category of festivals called “Self-Beaters” wouldn’t yield many results, but you’d be wrong. There are, count ‘em, six festivals that fall under this category. One of them is described thusly: “On Good Friday there is a solemn parade in homage to the Madonna that dates back to a horrific medieval period in which the men of the town parade about town hitting themselves with objects imbedded with glass and nettles while the townsfolk wail, sob and groan in sympathy. They make themselves bleed and many of them actually cause scarring injury to themselves. This pathetic ritual has remained almost intact since ancient times even through its existence is poorly justified. The self mutilation is followed by food (who could eat?) and merrymaking (including, probably, lots of drinking) all over town.”
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You might remember this video I posted awhile ago, courtesy of Jeff in Puglia, of his local pizzaiolo making a pie. In that video, we saw the formation of the dough into perfect rounds. Well, Jeff’s been back at the pizzeria, video camera in hand, and this time we get to see the application of the sauce and the cheese to that perfectly-formed dough.
Okay, I’m hungry now.
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Some Italian news snippets for your reading pleasure:
It’s not like we haven’t heard this before, but now it seems more true than ever - Venice Under Water in “Few Decades”
This is recycling at its best - Italy Invents “Apple Paper”
Palermo will get to take its Easter traditions back - Corleone Mafia Hood Ban Lifted
So, is this what makes the wine so good? - Second Ancient Whale Found in Italy
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As if there isn’t already enough to see in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, now bird enthusiasts have another reason to become Italy enthusiasts as well:
A pair of falcons have chosen an unusual home to nest and bring up their young - the top of Florence cathedral.
A webcam has been set up to follow the peregrine falcons … Bird lovers and others can follow the birds’ movements in the run-up to the appearance of the first additions to their family, expected towards the middle of this month.
So if you’re into falcons or …
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