Once upon a time

Thinking of Italy, one comes up with images of pealing church bells on every corner, wide Italian mammas rolling out an infinitude of pizza and pasta, throngs of noisy vespas zipping through the narrow streets, gondoliers singing romantic songs from as the paddle the canals of Venice, and short, dark, and handsome Italian men flattering American girls.

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but unfortunately, this Italy does not exist. Or so I thought. Last weekend Eric and Anna came to visit me in Bologna, and it was the closest I think I'll ever get to that Italy we all dream about.

First, the weather. After being rainy and cold for a week, the sun came out as soon as they set foot in Bologna on Friday. We went out for real Bolognese that night, and while we were waiting to get into the restaurant, this Italian guy bought Anna and I each a red rose. Maybe because we were dressed like twins for the Carnevale party we were going to afterward? Maybe because Italy loves these guys.

The next morning, before going to Ravenna for the day, we made pasta for breakfast, Spaghetti alla Carabonara, which is kind of like bacon and eggs...and pasta. This sumptuous meal fulfilled Anna's lifelong dream of eating pasta for breakfast, but unfortunately made us a little behind schedule for our trip. After a nearly disastrous encounter involving a decision not to buy bus tickets and the entrance on the bus of the man who checks bus tickets, we sprinted out through the doors and arrived, breathless, at the train station, about three minutes too late. However, this was not the rain on our parade. We went across the street to the AB gelateria (See "Bologna la Golosa") and my new friend was working.

After apologizing for the lack of options of gelato flavors (because they were just making it fresh), he gave each us multiple mini cones of tastes until, when it came time to actually buy some, we had eaten...more than we needed, let's say. But of course that didn't stop us. Thus armed with the freshest gelato of the day, we didn't miss the next train. Ravenna was lovely, and I found out that I still remember how to get around from my trip there in September!

Sunday we dedicated to Carnevale in Venice. Venice is predisposed to being crowed, seeing as it is on islands and has very tight walkways, but there were so many people there that day that I was sure the entire city was going to sink, masks and all. Speaking of masks, they were fantastiche. The city was an explosion of color and sound, swarming with people in masks and street musicians, confetti in the air and covering every inch of walkway. After a long, winding route to Piazza San Marco, we caught the end of the costume contest, an event I can only describe as unforgettable. Pictures are coming soon.

All fairy tales come to an end, however, and while Eric and Anna lived happily ever after, Maria needed to get back to Bologna. Without my good luck charms, I ended up missing two trains because they were so full there was no possible way to fit another body on, and finally ended up on one without heat. Ah, the real Italy. I knew you were around here somewhere.

Signed,

the Sengenblogger