The Draw of Italy
For me, the magic of Italy is in the people and their outlook. Italians are more focused on connection rather than power. There’s no better example of this than having dinner in Italy. In the States, restaurants try to get as many people in and out of their doors as possible. They pump out food and then bring you your check as soon as you’ve taken your last bite. It’s considered rude to stay once you’re done eating.
In Italy, restaurants often close between lunch and dinner, often not opening until 7PM. Once you get seated, your table is yours. No one is going to rush you out, or hint that you should get going by placing the check on the table “for when you’re ready”. They expect you to order multiple courses, some of which are usually shared with others at your table. Wine is expected. The amount of thought and care that goes into the food is incredible. Chefs know where each ingredient comes from, how each animal was raised. Quality matters over all else.
They want you to sit, eat, and enjoy yourself. There were two instances in Italy where we definitely would have felt like we had overstayed our welcome if we were back in the States, but in both cases, hosts encouraged us to stay so that we could continue to enjoy our evening.
In Florence, we took a cooking class that was hosted in a woman’s home. Francy invited us in, along with five others, to cook in her kitchen. With new friends from Italy, Sicily (arguably different than Italy), Madrid, Southern France, and Uraguay (but who were all living in Switzerland or Sweden - this gets confusing, right?). With our new United Nations of friends, we learned to make ravioli, tagliatelle, and gnocchi. We had such a great time cooking, drinking, and eating that we lost track of time. Francy had pulled out the limoncello, and I’m pretty sure we all finished the bottle. Finally, at 10:30PM (an hour and a half after the class was supposed to end), Francy lovingly kicked us out and directed us to a bar around the corner. The seven of us got drinks and stayed out later than I have in recent memory. I can’t say enough about how incredible these people were. I wish I could relive the entire experience. (Also, I highly recommend Francy’s cooking class if you’re headed to Florence anytime soon.)
In Siena, we met a couple who had been living in Lviv until just before the war. They had been on an extended road-trip, seeing sights and visiting friends throughout Europe, trying to make the best out of a horrible situation. We met at a wine tasting, and decided to get dinner together that evening. We asked the taxi driver to take us to his favorite spot. We had a great meal with the other couple and sat there talking for hours. After we had finished our meals and drinks, the waiter asked if we wanted anything else. Tanya, the wife, asked if it was ok if we just sat and talked. The waiter seemed almost offended that she asked and replied, “Of course, I just wanted to make sure that you had everything you wanted!” He then came back with limoncello for everyone and encouraged us to stay as long as we would like.
Italians value people and good experiences over profit and power. They sat you to feel welcomed in. We were in Florence for Easter, so we asked our airbnb host where we should eat dinner. He recommended a restaurant where he has eaten, in his words, “Every Sunday since I was born”. He immediately called the owner who knew him just by his first name and made a reservation for “due Americani” (two Americans). We were created with two glasses of celebratory Prosecco as we walked into the restaurant, and there were chocolate Easter eggs on each table. The owner of the restaurant came over to talk with us. He asked us what we planned to order, and convinced us to order different dishes just because it was going to go with our entree better (not because it was more expensive, which is what an American waiter would have done). We ended up just letting him order our meal for us. At the end of the meal, they brought us free biscotti and offered limoncello or grapa. All of this just because it was Easter. They didn’t even know us.
I think this is what draws me to Italy continually. It’s not really about how good the food is, or how beautiful the sights are (although the food is SO good, and the sights are incredible). It’s really the people and the culture. The value they see in each individual. The emphasis they put on enjoyment and connection.