I had saved a blank page in my travel journal to add another sketch of Cinque Terre after I returned home, but later changed my mind and decided to do a page about all the things I learned about Italy during my trip. I had read lots of guidebooks before the trip and watched videos about the places I was planning to see, but nothing can really prepare you for the reality of a place. You just have to go and immerse yourself in the culture and muddle your way through. So here are some of the things I learned during 16 days in Italy…
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| Gel pen, ink, and watercolor in 10″ x 7″ Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook |
I still need a few more lines to fill in the bottom of the page. You could help jog my memory – have you traveled in Italy? What did you learn when you were there? What surprised you?
4 Comments
We spent a month in Italy last fall and traveled around independently by train. I noticed many more smokers than we have these days and very few overly obese people. A very fat person was usually an American or a Brit. My hubby is gluten-free, too, and he was pleasantly surprised that he had little trouble. Overall, we absolutely loved it and wondered why it took us so long to visit a place so important to our history and culture.
I saw my first kiwi fields in northern Italy which surprised me. Always thought they grew in southern warmer places.
Sounds very much like France, drinking coffee is like a ritual for French people. When my husband went to Paris on business his host never had breakfast at home he always left early & called in a café/bar & stood at the bar to drink his coffee ( which is always cheaper ) Lovely page, beautifully written, very informative & a million miles away from American style of drinking coffee or anything for that matter. When I visited my brother in New Orleans, I couldn't get over how everyone seemed to have a drink in their hand whilst walking around.
Love your list of what you learned in Italy! I would like to add that the Italians have a wonderful custom called "la passeggiata" when they take their evening stroll and stop and visit with all their neighbors. (I think you mentioned it in one of your posts.) Also, an Italian smile is a language of its own.