Italy is like a living contradiction when it comes to it's buildings, infrastructure and roads. I mean...I'll try and explain it the best I can and if you've been there and experienced the life and travelling yourself you may know what I'm talking about but the Italians are a funny bunch.
They tend not to care, are a little bashful and nonchalant about how things work.
Take the roads for example. Organised chaos is one way to explain it, but strangely enough - it works. They drive and park pretty much as they please. They angle park in-between other cars or park on the side-walk - and no one cares. In Melbourne it would turn us all into road-raging lunatics.
They stop in a narrow strip of road because they've seen their friend or relative and stop for a chat. Who cares that there are five other cars behind them....
They over-take around blind corners, speed and yes, my kids sat on my knee in the back seat on occasion - because that's what you do.
Then there's the buildings, and yes, these buildings have been standing for centuries even before our little baby faced Australia was discovered. I get that they are dripping in so much history, that they just don't really care (or is it that they just stop noticing??)
Take this little quaint derelict building near my hubby's Nonnas house....gorgeous or what! And if we had a building like that here in Australia we'd be erecting a fence, slapping a heritage listing on it quick smart and charging people $15 just to take a look. I got to touch it, walk around it, AND, when I stuck my camera in the window and blindly snapped away - what did I find?
Bread still in the old oven! What.... did someone just walk out and forget that they were baking??? There goes those nonchalant Italians again!
But amoungst all the pot holes in the road and the untidy parts of town is beauty....just natural, quaint, raw beauty. And I loved it....
And they can building some amazing bridges. Yes, the ones that care more about living hard than working hard, somehow effortlessly come up with the goods.
Like I said.....contradiction at every turn!
Just like Malta! They are all so relaxed & easy going! Things that would cause roadrage here don't bother them at all! Like double parking - thy'l block your driway or garage then leave a sign on their car with theirmobile or what shop they're in so you can find them if you need to leave! ha!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful chaos!
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I love that - slap a heritage sign and charge $15 entry. So true. We buy a national trust membership each time we go to england - there it is worth it; here in australia there is so little to go and see:0
ReplyDeleteDear Brenda,
ReplyDeleteJust read all your posts about Italy and enjoying every photo and every word. Thanks for making us visit italy through your blog.
Welcome back to blogland. You were terribly missed. xx
Oh, I'm loving these posts! It's reminding me of my trip to Italy more than 10 years ago (gosh, I HAVE to get back there soon!), and it's all so true what you say.
ReplyDeleteI came home thinking Australia had NO history in comparison to Europe. I was so besotted by the old buildings (and who leaves break in their oven???) Obviously, not you or I...
xx
Totally get what you're saying here, Bren. I was amazed at the contradiction between the higgledy piggledy houses in some areas (have they ever heard of an engineering degree) and the amazing monoliths, bridges and, erm, colosseums in other parts. That's Italia for you! x
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