La stagione e finita.....If we had one Euro for every time we've heard that in the last week we'd be able to stay here for a very long time! It means "the season is over" and it says a lot about Italians and their love affair with summer. Whenever we can't find something or something is closed we are greeted with "la stagione e finita". When the season ends here, it really ends!
We stood out immediately because we were so pale. Mind you not even after a long season down at the beach in January would any of us ever look like the Italians here. Their "abbronzatura" is everything and they work hard at it all summer long. Everyone from baby to 80 is a rich chocolate colour and there is very very little of the body that never sees the sun. There is no-one under 70 who isn't in a bikini so us tourists in a one piece really stand out. Mind you, i love that attitude. They are as obsessed about flaunting it as we are about needing to be stick thin to wear a bikini. I love seeing the "nonnas" on the beach in their bikinis, some look great by our anglo standards , but many have rolls of fat that they don't feel the need to hide. SO, after observing for the first week AND my 3 boys encouraging me , i went in search of a bikini.
First of all, this time of the year is like being at Lorne or Sorrento in March, everything is 70% off but the great stuff is gone. Not to be deterred, whilst the kids were at school and with the assistance of Glenn we went bikini shopping. When i asked the shop assistant I expected her to look at me incredulously but no such look and in fact came up with 2 or 3 options, which i just about gagged at. With further prodding from Glenn I tried a black spangly thing on and couldn't whip it off fast enough. Glenn was laughing loudly, i was blushing and the shop assistant genuinely could not see what the fuss was about. Needless to say I'm going to have to spend many more summers here to warm to the idea of getting out of a modest one piece!
Italians hate the sand (I barely tolerate it actually) and all sun bake on the rocks, the concrete steps and stone ledges. The boys have been amazed by them and thought that perhaps the rocks assisted their tans but no...they just hate it.
The boys both noticed this very early on...the way Italians dote on babies and very young children. Every day we witness babies being caressed, kissed, smiled at, patted, hugged and generally adored by every adult who comes into contact with them. This is not exclusive to the women but men too....Dad is carrying his baby and a mate walks up and greets the baby adoringly. Three generations of women are out for a "passegiata" (a stroll) and everyone of them is fixated on the one child. Is it any wonder that Italian children are incredibly precocious. We see them still up at 9 or 10 at night and this is every night of the week. The clothes the babies are in belong on an Italian runway.......there is more Gucci, Prada, Armani, etc on the under 5's than on an adult in Via Condotti in Rome (no target for these babies). In fact, last weekend tried to buy a gift for my newest nephew, Baby Harry, (son of Nella & David, born very prem on the 21st and now doing well) and I couldn't find anything that didn't have designer splashed all over it....way too embarrassing back home!
Enough of my observations.....
We are very much enjoying the easy lifestyle here and our biggest decision is where to eat at dinner. The boys are doing remarkably well at school , increasing their vocab, conversation and confidence every day.
It was quite a job but we have managed to hire a car for the weekend ( the SEASON IS OVER so there are no cars) and intend to do some exploring out of town. We've made friends with a street vendor and he keeps bringing homemade wine for Glenn to try. Last night, however he had some home made Grappa - pure alcohol and sheer poison. We are taking a different route tonight!
Found the only tennis club in town and the boys have had a lesson with the tennis coach there....quite hysterical really as Cosimo speaks no English and the boys just say SI to everything he says.
Rock dwellers
Closest thing to Airey's
We stood out immediately because we were so pale. Mind you not even after a long season down at the beach in January would any of us ever look like the Italians here. Their "abbronzatura" is everything and they work hard at it all summer long. Everyone from baby to 80 is a rich chocolate colour and there is very very little of the body that never sees the sun. There is no-one under 70 who isn't in a bikini so us tourists in a one piece really stand out. Mind you, i love that attitude. They are as obsessed about flaunting it as we are about needing to be stick thin to wear a bikini. I love seeing the "nonnas" on the beach in their bikinis, some look great by our anglo standards , but many have rolls of fat that they don't feel the need to hide. SO, after observing for the first week AND my 3 boys encouraging me , i went in search of a bikini.
First of all, this time of the year is like being at Lorne or Sorrento in March, everything is 70% off but the great stuff is gone. Not to be deterred, whilst the kids were at school and with the assistance of Glenn we went bikini shopping. When i asked the shop assistant I expected her to look at me incredulously but no such look and in fact came up with 2 or 3 options, which i just about gagged at. With further prodding from Glenn I tried a black spangly thing on and couldn't whip it off fast enough. Glenn was laughing loudly, i was blushing and the shop assistant genuinely could not see what the fuss was about. Needless to say I'm going to have to spend many more summers here to warm to the idea of getting out of a modest one piece!
Italians hate the sand (I barely tolerate it actually) and all sun bake on the rocks, the concrete steps and stone ledges. The boys have been amazed by them and thought that perhaps the rocks assisted their tans but no...they just hate it.
The boys both noticed this very early on...the way Italians dote on babies and very young children. Every day we witness babies being caressed, kissed, smiled at, patted, hugged and generally adored by every adult who comes into contact with them. This is not exclusive to the women but men too....Dad is carrying his baby and a mate walks up and greets the baby adoringly. Three generations of women are out for a "passegiata" (a stroll) and everyone of them is fixated on the one child. Is it any wonder that Italian children are incredibly precocious. We see them still up at 9 or 10 at night and this is every night of the week. The clothes the babies are in belong on an Italian runway.......there is more Gucci, Prada, Armani, etc on the under 5's than on an adult in Via Condotti in Rome (no target for these babies). In fact, last weekend tried to buy a gift for my newest nephew, Baby Harry, (son of Nella & David, born very prem on the 21st and now doing well) and I couldn't find anything that didn't have designer splashed all over it....way too embarrassing back home!
Enough of my observations.....
We are very much enjoying the easy lifestyle here and our biggest decision is where to eat at dinner. The boys are doing remarkably well at school , increasing their vocab, conversation and confidence every day.
It was quite a job but we have managed to hire a car for the weekend ( the SEASON IS OVER so there are no cars) and intend to do some exploring out of town. We've made friends with a street vendor and he keeps bringing homemade wine for Glenn to try. Last night, however he had some home made Grappa - pure alcohol and sheer poison. We are taking a different route tonight!
Found the only tennis club in town and the boys have had a lesson with the tennis coach there....quite hysterical really as Cosimo speaks no English and the boys just say SI to everything he says.
First day of School
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