Travels to the Other Side of Nowhere

Italy 2005

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Any trip to Italy is probably too short. Ours was no exception. With a mere 5 days to explore, we immersed ourselves in the culture and really packed it in. We could easily spend several months just eating our way through the country. The food and the wine are simply amazing.

The Italian language is surprisingly similar to Spanish. We communicated fairly well because of this. It's really a fun language to speak... the words are very musical and just roll off your tongue.

Here are a few general observations about the culture.

Italians drive very fast on very narrow roads. This goes for cars, motorcycles, and scooters. In Rome, the women on two wheels seem to drive even faster than the men.
Italian restaurants are quiet and subdued. We never experienced the loud boisterous meals for which Italians are renowned. Restaurants open late, but once they open, they fill up rapidly.
Italians are fit and trim. The majority of the men and women are tall and slender. In the city, both men and women dressed in elegant high fashion. Somehow, women walk the cobblestone streets in high-heeled shoes with extremely pointed toes. In the country, the attire is more casual; both sexes often sport trendy "bowling shoes" and hip huggers.
Italian children demonstrate exceptionally good manners and are very well-behaved. The parents do not cater to the children, but rather treat them as adults and readily incorporate them into conversations and activities.
Restrooms (or water closets) in public places are few and far between. Use them when you can.
Massive doors and shuttered windows are ubiquitous... and absolutely beautiful. One wanders through Italy in constant wonderment of what lies behind those doors. Outside the windows, potted flowers and lines of laundry are mandatory.
Every hilltop in Tuscany wears a castle surrounded by rolling hills of lush greenery.
Every small town seems deserted. We could not figure out where the people were, where they shop for everyday items, and what they do for a living.

The Slow Travel Italy website is jam-packed with great tips about visiting Italy... slow. The page called Instructions is especially helpful.

Come join us on our short tour. Guarantee we'll be back in Italy soon...

Each page contains a daily travelogue and accompanying photos. You can click on any photo to enlarge it, and we highly recommend that you take advantage of this feature to really see details of the photos. It is worth it. Enjoy!