Traveling Italy – Third Part
A Three-Part Odyssey by Chelsea Weiss - July 30, 2005
 We left that night for our hotel, Fattoria di Vibio, which in fact wasn't a hotel at all. The Italians in the country highly value agriculture and have many places to stay that are set into the hills and completely secluded from urban life. The Fattoria was set on the highest hill, off a narrow winding road and was guarded by four, huge, white dogs. The dogs, an Italian breed, sat at their posts surrounding the Fattoria. My father late one night walked out of our villa to get a piece of chocolate from the Smart Car only to find one of the dogs viciously commanding him to turn around. The inns in the hillsides of Italy keep these dogs to protect their guests from the wild boars that run out of the woods at night.
The rented Smart Car, produced by Mercedes Benz, is a common vehicle in Italy that tops 45 miles per gallon and is an exciting death trap of a car. On the Autostrada, the major highway in Italy, one must be willing to travel about 90 miles per hour if in the left lane. Though I thought I may have seen my last days in the back of the Smart Car, stuffed in next to the luggage, it was able to wind along the hairpin turns and sped through the tunnels safely.
Allowing ourselves leisurely day trips through small towns we immersed ourselves into the Italian culture and attempted to blend in with the scenery. Almost all of the towns and cities we visited were built on hilltops, typically with parking lots at the bottom. We walked up and down the towns on cobblestone streets that wrapped around themselves like vines. In Derruta, the pottery capital of the world for over 1,000 years we saw innumerable pieces of "majolica" the Italian pottery that has even made its way into T.J. Maxx in the United States. North of Derruta lies Lago Trasimeno, an aqua colored lake that is only 18 feet deep and a popular place for flea markets. Young people stroll languidly around the perimeter all evening, stopping for a cappuccino or for a meal at one of the only pizza places we saw in Italy. Perugia was another college town, rich with art and sculpture. In Assisi, the main attraction is the Basilica of St. Francis. About 10 years ago the area suffered a huge earthquake which was apparent inside the cathedral where the cracks in the walls seemed ready to rip open. Todi, a smaller village, looked like a walled city that had grown out of the green hillside. In the more remote areas fewer people spoke English and our poor Italian gave way to broad hand gestures. When in doubt, if you need to speak to someone in English ask the teenagers who seemed to have become extremely comfortable with the language.
Aside from the bustling metropolis of Rome, the world seems to spin more slowly for the Italian countryside. Italy is built on religion, blood, waves of immigrants, romance, corruption, style, art, wine and phenomenal cuisine. Encircled in the shouting of Italian men, the smell from street-side kitchens, never-ending views, tradition and extravagance, Italy is a never-ending feast that begs to be devoured.
- Other articles from foreign visitors to Italy:
|
|
