Buon Giorno Italy

“Do you want to go to Venice while you visit us in Germany? We can get cheap plane tickets from Ryanair and stay there a few days. I can go with you on a little vacation,” our friend Luise said. She is a mother of two lil ones, and said her kind husband was sweet enough to stay at home while she came with Dom and me.

YES!

Rome and Florence were two of our stops during a whirlwind Europe tour with my dad after I graduated high school. I never forgot eating gelato that was so smooth and creamy it was like silk.  The perfect cappuccinos sold every five feet on each avenue. And the classic aroma of Italian pizza made with fresh from the market ingredients.

I told Dom how excited I was to eat all of the above again, and his tan face looked a little green just thinking about it. He is lactose-intolerant, and milk and cheese laden Italian delights aren’t meant for stomachs like his. But there would be a plethora of photo ops, so he could handle it.

Italy was one of our few stops where we didn’t know anyone there, or have any connections. The closest we came was Luise, who was from Europe, and had been to Venice one time. She was our guide who directed us with her little paper map through the maze of alleys by the canals. The brick paths seemed to lead nowhere, but she always landed us exactly where we needed to be.

I had never been to a city with no cars, or motorcycles, or buses, just boats, water buses, and water taxis. It felt like a magical deserted island, and Dom loved how the sound of the water splashing and flowing was the city’s beat and rhythm.

When we were walking on one of the many bridges around the city, we saw some gondoliers hawking their services. One of them came over to us in his black and white striped sweater, and black pants, flashed a huge Italian smile and offered us a ride in his boat.

The price was a little high, so we walked on over the bridge. Then the other gondolier friend followed and gave us his suave smile, winked his dark brown eyes, and offered us a lower price than his friend.

We took him up on his offer, and he lead us to his gondola, his pride and joy.

 

It was our first real interaction with a Venetian during our trip other with the outgoing servers and shop owners. I was hungry to learn about Venice from Luciano our hired local friend for 40 minutes.

Luciano was born and raised on these winding waterways. He told us in a slightly concerned voice how he has watched the water rise up the brick walls one meter since he was a kid. And it keeps rising.

He has always wanted to be a gondolier since he was young, and is proud of his highly regarded position on the Venice waters. The boat we were in was his very own, and from saying, “buon giorno ” to every other gondola man we paddled past I assume he has had his job awhile.

While he had short conversations in Italian full of laughter and smiles with his other strong, striped friends I wondered what he was saying: maybe where he was going for an espresso after our ride, or about the funny old lady in the boat next to us. I felt like we were his guests along for the ride.

Dom asked him if he goes to the gym, and he pushed his oar hard into the water, smiled that Italian smile and said, “This is my gym.” He said that gondolas have also been used as funeral boats, wedding boats, taxi boats, and of course now as tour boats.

As he paddled in a tight inlet, I asked him where was the best place to get pizza in Venice. Immediately he said, Muro, they have the best. He told us exactly how to get there and already my mouth was watering for dinner.

After we paid him and said farewell, we wished we could have joined him as he left his boat for a break at a nearby cafe with his friends he had chatted with on the waters.

Dom loved learning from Luciano about the relaxed, fun and laid-back personality of Italy.

Verona

Venice isn’t too big. We completed our tour that day and felt that we could probably see another city the next day. Luise and I chose Verona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet.

I didn’t think it could top Venice. But it certainly tied.

We felt like we were transported back to AD 30 when we walked around the rows and rows of dusty, steep seats in the Verona Arena.

Then we zoomed back to 2011 when we ambled down the shopping streets full of Italian designer stores that smelled new and fresh with warm inviting air pouring out onto the shivering shoppers.

We flipped back to the Renaissance when we went to Casa di Giulietta (Juliet’s house). It was the most popular spot in Verona with tourists swarming the courtyard in front of the house with the famous balcony where Juliet called down to her lover.

Ahh, but my favorite part of Verona was when we climbed the hill that overlooked the city. Other tourists were too lazy that day to climb up, or perhaps it was a hidden secret garden of sorts. I loved smelling the refreshing forest air and gazing over the humble, peaceful city—in awe that I visited it with my dear friend and my very own Thai Romeo.

We all fell in love with Italy: the laid-back feel to the whole country, the scent of espresso around every corner, drinking at least three perfect cappuccinos with Luise a day, Dom having a million scenic photo shots to chose from, gaping at the rainbow of gelato flavors and smiling with glee in every bite.

Italy was a great idea Luise.

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