Project Runaway

I knew that the day was going to come, but the reality was bittersweet. We left Lucca for Sorrento, then Greece, and next week we will be in Turkey. This stage of the ‘project’ is complete. This summer in Italy will be remembered as one of the most rewarding and memorable summers of my life. We met amazing people, saw some of the world’s greatest history, overindulged in amazing food, wine, culture, tried new experiences, and started our baby steps towards a happier and healthier family.

Nicole, our daughter, has now arrived from Canada and so a new chapter begins. I am sure there may be adjustments to be made by adding another element to our travelling family but I think that everyday we gain a wee bit more wisdom. 

I also made a huge decision, well for me it was, and with the help and hand-holding of Diana, I went to Firenze and had the talented Lapo cut all my hair off. I told him to think Mia Farrow when she was married to Frank Sinatra. My cute bob was far to complicated for the heat and humidity here and I grew so envious of the boys’ wash and go hair . So now I have a very short pixie cut. I tested it out at the beach yesterday and it was beyond liberating to just shake my head and then….do nothing! 

So, as our time winds down here and I sit watching my last sunset in Lucca here are some glimpses into the Italian way of life:

• Groceries stores are among my favorite experiences here. The produce section is filled with fresh local products. It is very rare to see  much imported produce and if you do it is usually fruit like bananas. You put on plastic gloves to handle your produce and you weigh everything yourself on custom scales with pictures identifying the fruit or veggie then a sticker prints with the price which you put on the bag. There is only one section with frozen food and it is tucked at the back of the store and is very small, and it only has frozen seafood and veggies. No pizza-pops, no Hungry Man Dinners here. The tellers sit on chairs and just have to scan the grocery items, no weighing, no remembering the code for zucchini vs zucchini flowers, and no packing groceries. Everyone packs their own and I am pleased to say most people use reusable bags.

• Most Italians love it when you take the time to speak their language. Many gently correct your pronunciation or the correctness of your phrasing. But often times I have noticed a strange occurrence where either Diana or myself, as the primary Italian speakers, have pronounced a word almost perfect, just slightly off, and the listener has had no idea what we have said. Then it usually takes several moments of awkwardness were you keep repeating it and slightly changing your inflection or you do a strange mime act trying to act the word out. For example, I went to buy a ceramic brush. In Italian it is called ceramica, pronounced CHEE-ramica, well I said CER-amica, CHE-ramica, SUR-amica. Blank looks. I was in the Hair salon supply store for crying out loud! The wall was full of brushes, to which I kept pointing to.  Finally I wrote it down in Italian. Ahhh, CHEE-ramica they say. 

• Italians do not know how to queue. But they are sneaky. You think there is a queue, you may even think you are at the front of the queue. You would be incorrect. A word of advice, do not be afraid to elbow past the little old Italian grandmothers, they are stronger and tougher than you would ever guess.

• Scooters rule here. They obey even less rules than cars, they split lanes, they ride down the centerline between opposing lanes and they all cut to the front for traffic lights. And like most here they do not obey the speed limits. Their sound is a constant cackling that you hear from one end of Italy to another. Having said all this, I can tell you I would definitely get one if I lived here.