It’s Romantic

I was talking with a student last night and we’ve decided that everything in Italy is romantic. Because all you have to do is add “in Italy” to the end of any sentence.

Getting groceries… in Italy.

Going for a walk… in Italy.

Making coffee… in Italy.

Eating dinner… in Italy

Let’s take for example going out for pizza in Italy.

We leave the convent at 6:30pm. After walking down five flights of stairs we are greeted by Antonella and another nun at the desk. “Ciao Ciao Ciao” we say as we leave.

We walk out the door and the sun is a glow over the buildings. Turning everything a hint of orange.

We walk by the soccer stadium where men are playing a game of pickup. Cheers and shouts fill the air as someone has just scored a goal.

The streets and the town are coming alive. It’s Saturday night and families and couples are out walking together.

We stop at the pizza shop, just a door in the wall with the sign above saying,“Pizzeria.” As we stand outside waiting to place our order time begins to slow down. The boys across the street are juggling the soccer ball and I think how football is not just a sport for them, it’s a way of life. Deeper than anything I can imagine. You are born into your team.

I walk into the shop and I smile at the woman behind the counter. I try to say the Italian translation of my order that I have been practicing outside for the last 5 minutes. I stumble out my words but she understands we both smile and laugh because I tried.

Margarita pizza is handed to me in a box. I open it immediately to get a good look and take in the smell. Can a pizza be dreamy? Well this one was.

We walk back to convent and the next few moments play out like a scene I would write in a novel. Eating our pizza as a picnic on the terrace at sunset in Italy.

It’s romantic.