Siena

So I'm sitting in the middle of the piazza in Siena just enjoying sunshine. There really hasn't been any bad days since I got to Italy...well, except for the pouring rain in Varenna on the second official tour group day but I'd had three days before that to enjoy the Italian sunshine. Then there was the snow in the Dolomites but that was really a direct result of the rain in Varenna and it was gorgeous sunshine in the snow and Italian Alps. Honestly, I have no complaints.
Siena is a college town in the Tuscany region in Italy. The main piazza is the gathering place for the young and old alike. There is no auto traffic here. The residents and guests are encouraged to just sit and take in the sunshine and ambiance. I brought a roll and pear that I'd taken from our breakfast spread this morning. Since my budget is very tight (I can feel it strangling me daily), I try to sneak a little snack for the road if I can. A couple of the hotels have had weak breakfasts lacking in substance but this current hotel was definitely packing everything I needed for a budget lunch. Last night we had one of our included "feasts" but tonight our meal is on our own. With only about 7 euro left in my pocket until tomorrow, I'm a little picky about where I spend my money. Tomorrow I will definitely treat myself to that gelato I've been craving since Verona.
I do so love the Italians. The only flaw I can see so far is their flat-tasting Diet Coke. Otherwise, I have compiled a list of why I love Italy:
They drive on the American side of the road and their cars are left hand driving (like America).
You can live here without ever having to own a car. Walk everywhere, buy a bicycle, take a cab, take the bus, take the train...or have a friend who has a car and loves road trips.
You can go from the north end of Italy and drive to the south end of Italy in one day and see a different type of country every step of the way. From the German country of the Dolomites to the wine country of Tuscany, it's almost like being somewhere else, not Italy. Flat areas with farm land (much like eastern Washington), industrial areas, boat-building areas (like Bremerton), rolling hills (like East Tennessee), entire towns built into the mountains (like nowhere I've ever seen) with expansive ocean views. Castles, towers, arenas, cathedrals, art, sculptures... you'd never find these things in the United States.
The language alone is something to experience. It's almost lyrical. I had no idea how wonderful it would be to actually immerse myself in it. They answer their phones with "Pronto". They say goodbye with not one "Ciao" but several at once. The kiss on each cheek. The words that have more than one meaning: "Allora" can mean "and so" "then" or "well" and is used alot in conversation. I kept hearing it in the television programs I watched and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it meant (it's not in my language book) but my tour guide, Stephanie, used it a lot and explained it didn't just mean "and so". When I pass anyone speaking italian, I just smile. I will miss this most of all.
Italians love to talk, and they talk fast. And it takes them more than just a couple of words to explain something we would find simple to explain. Our bus broke down at a rest stop outside of Pisa and when we asked our bus driver later what was wrong with it, he couldn't just say "starter" or "alternator" (which I'm not even sure they have a word for that). He speaks very little english so he tried to have Stephanie translate for him and he couldn't explain it simply. One of the men in our tour told him to just say "It was broken and we fixed it" to make it simpler but he couldn't do it. To the Italians, nothing is explained simply.
The food. Oh my gosh. I thought I knew what to expect but I definitely didn't. The fish is cooked to perfection. Not a dry meat in the house (at least at the restaurants we ate at). The pizza. *sigh* I've had pizza with anchovies twice since arriving in Italy and I will definitely be eating it again tomorrow, if not tonight. I can just buy a slice, after all. And let us not forget the gelato. But meals are an event in Italy. No one rushes to eat their dinner or breakfast. Unless you are drinking coffee. Italians have coffee bars everywhere. Literally, you order your coffee from the cash register, you take your receipt to the barista, she/he makes your coffee, and you drink it either at the bar or at a tall table (with no chairs) and then you leave. But do not go to a restaurant just to drink. They will make you stand at the bar. You only sit in a restaurant if you are ordering food. Then you can sit for hours chatting over coffee or drinks or dessert. No one shoves a bill in front of you here, making you feel as though they are in a hurry to fill up your seat. You can just sit. Then you actually have to ask your wait person for the bill. And you will wait a little longer to have them bring it. One of my tour mates actually said "It takes you as long to get your bill as it does to get your meal". No hurry here. Sit back and relax. Don't get lunch if you have an appointment in an hour. You will be late. No drive thru. Give yourself a couple of hours.
The other reason meals are an event? There is no spend-all-day-cooking -then-dinner-is-gone-in-15-minutes. First comes anti-pasto. (Before pasta). Meat, cheese, etc. Then you have pasta,then meat and potatoes (if you are in the inner-regions of Italy), or fish. THEN salad. Then dessert. By the time you are done with dinner, you are done. You cannot fit another bit of food in your stomach. You will not starve. We have been lucky enough to have our "feasts" in family owned restaurants that love to spoil us. The food just keeps arriving in front of us. We think we have eaten the last bite and then another course arrives. And the wine. And the after dinner drink. Start walking. You've just gained about 5 pounds.
The fashion: Italians are very fashionable. And they don't care about what people think. Scarves (scarpe) are very big here, even on men, even when it's warm out. Boots in any weather. Hair styles on women? Big and curly. I am so jealous. And the women are thin. Not the stereotypical large italian women with brown eyes and dark hair. Thin. If you see a large woman (in bad clothing) she is probably American. Since they walk so much and eat their dinners so slowly, they do not get fat. They are in no hurry.
The architecture. There is so much history here. The amazing art. So much to learn! So much to take in. I feel as though there is still so much I want to see and hear about. I know I have missed more than I have seen.
I wish I had a never-ending budget to just travel around Italy and immerse myself in the culture and history. I wish I was a famous writer who could get paid to travel throughout Italy and write about what I experience. I know this has been done a million times over but surely, not with my personal take on it all.