Hello again friends! Well, lots of good news to report from our perch here in Italy. There have been promising reductions in the "r" factor here over the last few weeks (from 0.85 to 0.81, woo-hoo!); coupled with a lot of pressure from citizens and shopkeepers alike, the government is going to roll the dice and open things up quite a bit as of tomorrow (26 April), aka Celeste's birthday...it's time for our little Renaissance here!
We are super-excited to switch to a "zona gialla"! I know that sounds familiar—it seems like I celebrated the move to yellow back in December, but this time it feels like it might...last a little longer? It's quite an enhanced yellow—restaurants can stay open 'til 10:00—10:00 like a civilized Italian dinner! The caveat is all dining is "all'aperto;" outside. This will be feasible for most but not all ristorante, so it's a big change. Just as important, we can travel between yellow regions, so for the first time in months we can go to...well almost anywhere! Of course this is the stretch of the school year with no more breaks, so we'll have to make the most of lots of long weekends. First up is a quick trip to Liguria, and our favorite hotel and restaurant in Sanremo. Stay tuned for the travel stories to start coming fast-and-furious; we have about 10 weeks left before we repatriate; I promise we will make the most of it!
Everyone is pretty fired up—there's a lot of pent-up demand for meals out, travel, etc. just as the weather has finally turned the corner into a real spring. Today is a lesser-known national holiday here; Festa della Liberazione, which commemorates the end of the fascist regime and the occupation by Nazi Germany in World War II. On this day in 1945, a death sentence was declared on the Fascists; Mussolini was famously killed three days later.
l: Commemoration of Festa della Liberazione, Chieri; r: The "Bench Boys;" a bunch of retirees who have commandeered half the benches in Piazza Cavour for their daily chats
Speaking of pressure on the government to open things up, we happened upon this scene a couple of weeks ago at the Tuesday market in Piazza Europa. Food vendors have been allowed to operate at the market, but all of the other merchants (clothing, utensils, flowers) have been shut down for months. They were demonstrating at various markets, setting up their stalls with just tables, and no merchandise, protesting "tutti aperti o tutti chiusi" ("all open or all closed"). I am happy to report they are back in business as of this weekend!
A few posts ago, I mentioned one of the real highlights of our time here—meeting and spending time with our dear friends Rosalba and Piero, our local go-to couple for all things cultural and culinary, or any good old-fashioned Italian wisdom. I've been meaning to post a photo of this delightful couple—here's one from our recent secret day trip atop Monte dei Cappuccini, on the banks of the Po overlooking Torino. Behind them in the heart of Torino is the Mole Antonelliana, (arguably the most famous landmark in Torino, which we have yet to visit; definitely on the Torino bucket list for May).
Signs of Italian Wisdom
Speaking of Italian wisdom, there's a lot of it out there to absorb! Since we only understand 50% of the things we hear walking down the street, one way I have come to appreciate the Italian approach to life has been through signs. Last year, I started collecting photos of signs that we ran across—in bars, restaurants, just about anywhere—that intrigued us. Some of them we understood on the spot, others were explained to us, and still others I needed to translate after the fact. See if you can make sense out of any of these.
Part I: Bathroom Humor
Oddly enough my first encounter with Italian humor was in "il bagno." These first one is self-explanatory; less wisdom; more very descriptive bathroom indicator. How about the next two?
The center sign was found in the restroom of favorite casual lunch place "Coffee and Brunch". Hint: it was in the men's room. "Attention, we remind you that what you have in your hand is not a fire hydrant, and there is no fire on the ground." On the right: "Polite people turn off the water tap."
Part II: The Philosophy of Food and Wine
Left: "Since I read that drinking is bad, I have stopped...reading"
Right: From DaVinci himself—"however, I believe that a lot of happiness goes to those who are born where good wines are found."
Below: A creative way to list what's for sale (cioccolateria in LaMorra)
Part III: Raising Political Awareness
This large sign has been installed atop a construction site near the library in Chieri. It asks, very simply, "How Can You Not See It?" about climate change.
The subscript reads "Climate change is before our eyes and we can not ignore it."
I love this next sign, it's a timely message, a universal truth and warning. It is painted on the wall of a little shack in the parking lot at Piazza Dante, site of the Saturday market. It reads: "Who sleeps in democracy, wakes up in dictatorship."
Speaking of universal truths, here's a good one we found in a caffe in Barolo in the Langhe region: "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle."
Part IV: Life is Beautiful!
Below are three signs from Caffè Nazionale, featured in our last post. The ladies running this coffee bar for the past year have really changed the vibe in there—they've created a warm, welcoming environment; whenever Barbara and I go in there we notice another heartwarming "life is like a" message like those below!
Left: "Life is like a mirror; it smiles at you if you smile at it."
Center: "Dream as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die today."
Right: "Life is like a photo; if you smile it is better!"
On the left is the sign of a fantastic wine shop (Enoteca) in Chieri, Il Sogno nel Cassetto. It's on the ground floor of an old house from the 1400's in Piazza Mazzini. I walk past it many days when I take the bus to/from school. I first noticed the great quote on the sign, which reads "great is the luck of he who has a good bottle, a good book, and a good friend."
But I was even more intrigued by the name of the Enoteca, "Il Sogno nel Cassetto," and finally translated it—it simply means "the dream in the drawer," which can be interpreted to mean "a secret wish" or more pointedly, a "lifelong ambition."
Wow what a great expression! We all have at least one 'dream in a drawer,' right?
Interestingly, if you check the link to learn more about the Enoteca, the owner talks about his grandfather's own life philosophy, "beiv poc ma beiv bun," which may be the best advice of all, especially in these times:
"Drink little, but drink well!"
This expression epitomizes so much of what we have experienced here in Italy—keep it simple, value quality over quantity...it applies to everything, from a tiny-but-powerful cup of coffee, to a single annual vacation that lasts an entire month in one place.
Well, we've got 10 weeks to drink from this wonderful country, which means we're forced to "drink little"—so we promise we'll try to "drink well," and share it all with you! I hope you've enjoyed these little peeks of insight into Italian philosophy and culture. Stay safe and please let us know how you're doing; I look forward sharing a good bottle or a good book with each of you in the near future. Ciao amici!!