Postcards from Europe – Ten Years Later (Part Two: Italy)
Ten years is a long time. As I reread my Postcards from Europe book for its special tenth anniversary edition, it was fun to consider how the lives of its real-life cast of characters and their home towns have changed since 1999.
Here’s the latest from Italy:
Venice continues to lose real residents while gaining tourists. Asians are famously buying up and running the shops and locals now admit that no restaurant can survive without being “touristy.” Sexy Piero is no longer quite the playboy. He’s grown a full head of hair, but his voice is as sonorous as ever, and — with his partner Robbie — still seems to get great joy out of running their wonderful Hotel Guerrato.
My buddies Roberto and Manfredo are well. Their conversation was the greatest fiction of this book. All the sentiments and quotes were true — but taken from isolated times with them and they never actually got together until after this book was published. Roberto is the hardest-working guide in Siena and a big help with any projects I have in Tuscany. Manfredo burned out of the hotel business and has gone on to other things.
My Roman friends, Stefano and Paola, who contributed the sweetest romance to this book, are sadly no longer married. Stefano is still my Rome buddy and with each year, his hotel gets better.
Gene, my original travel partner back on the high-school grad trip, remains a key collaborator — co-authoring many guidebooks with me and contributing mightily to our teaching program at Europe through the Back Door.
In Vernazza, Monica and Massimo are happily married with a lovely child and Grandma still makes the pasta at the family restaurant. Vittorio (which is a pseudonym because of my portrayal of him as a playboy) is now too old to effortlessly sweep tourist women off their feet. His story saddens me as my guidebook lets many business owners repeat the sentiment of Sr. Sorriso (who said, “Rick Steves make me a rich man”). Vittorio still shuttles around from restaurant to restaurant, serving anchovies but never really getting a piece of the pie.
Paolo Sorriso passed away. His wife was long my only real enemy in Europe. I believe it was because of my candid listing of their humble pension; she was just filled with anger for me. She spooked me. She demanded to be out of my guidebook (even though she already was). Villages are small and for years I walked quickly past her door. Just last year, their children took over the family business, we sorted through our problems, and Pension Sorriso is back in my listings.
While Vittorio seems to be out of the game, Ivo — while gradually morphing into a grizzled old Italian man — still holds court at Riomaggiore’s Bar Centrale. Each year, when I pass through, he’s the master of hedonistic ceremonies in his Cinque Terre town.
When I consider all the places I work, I am frustrated by not having good local contacts and friends in some countries. I travel there year after year … and just don’t make the right connections. But in Italy, being connected comes easily. Hmmmm. I think I just stumbled into one of the reasons I like Italy so much. Its people are the low-hanging fruit of European travel.
Rick Sorry to hear about Stefano and Paola not being married now………… I really enjoyed their part of your shows. I ate fish at the Filetti di Baccala restaurant off Camp Di Fiori. Interesting experience…………… Had a drink from a nearby “nasone†too……………. Love Postcards book. Got it as soon as it came out and I’ll purchase II as well. Keep on travelling……………Cheerio…………….
Sorry to hear about Stefano and Paola too. I also enjoyed them in your book and your shows. They seemed like the perfect couple. Glad to see you keep in touch with your myriads of friends “over there.”
I have so many beautiful memories of my 7 visits to Venice, I can’t help but share a few of them. === There’s nothing new to say about Venice. Come to think of it, it would be a sad day indeed if there should be something new to say about this ancient Jewel. === Just for fun, ignore the signs and wander, wander, wander. There are no “wrong†turns, dead-ends are interesting, and we don’t remember any place in Venice that wasn’t worth the walk. === I just looked at the Journal entries for our earlier visits to Venice. Each day, each year, was priceless, but if I wrote a description for 1995 it would be the same as in previous years. Our seven visits were each so stunning and unique, but so familiar and ingratiating, and that’s why Venice is such a favorite. === More than once we have snuck into a construction site to see an almost completely new building being built within the ancient walls. Tradition and government insist that the exterior not be disturbed. One time while I was taking video of the work being done, the workmen dropped their tools, and sang at the top of their voices. === I was told that Senior citizens are “three metal†people. Silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, and lead in their fanny. Residents of Venice must do a lot of walking, but they also eat and drink a lot. After a party, Venetians don’t worry about a ticket for drunk driving. If they fall into a canal, they hope to quickly become sober.
Venice is a fascinating city of 117 islands, surrounded by 177 canals, that are crossed by 400 bridges, with hundreds of ancient buildings. All assembled with the look of an artificial, tragicomic city. === Try to imagine Venician buildings lining streets filled with autos. Try to imagine the boat-filled canals in Venice, replacing the streets in other cities. Your imagination will sputter and misfire! === Just a couple of short Venetian blocks north of St. Mark’s, beyond the Clock Tower, we found some very famous Golden Arches, and even more important, clean restrooms. An order of Fries cost less than public restrooms for two. === Sometimes a basket, lowered from an upper-story window, is treated as a mailbox by the postman who blows a whistle to announce his arrival. A basket is used to exchange fruit and vegetables for money lowered by the housewife on an upper floor, to the marketer in his little boat, far below. One time we watched a basket being lowered with no sign of anyone at street level. Imagine our surprise when a small dog got out of the basket, did his business, got back in the basket for the ride home, provided by his mistress. === The most amazing thing is, during our seven visits, we have seen hundreds of clothes lines strung across the canals. They were filled with thousands of items of clothing, but we have never seen even one piece that had fallen into a canal. Venice must have the world’s greatest clothespins.
Thanks Jim for your comments on Venice. I have been To Europe twice for a total of six weeks, 1 of them being in Italy. I did not get to Venice but thanks to your comments I wont make that mistake on my next trip to Italy. I loved Rome and Florence but my favorite place in Italy so far is Assisi. It was phenominal and downright peaceful. I look forward to seeing Venice. I enjoy your posts very much
Terry D ==== Sorry, this is the third post, but no competation for Rick. No restaurants are mentioned, we never stayed in any hotel, ever. But at http://www.travel-tidbits.com/tidbits/cat_italy.shtml There are 128 pages of photos and stories of Italy. After 112 wonderful nights in 63 different places during eight trips to Italy, beautiful Italy, we don’t remember anything that wasn’t a few hundred, or even a couple of thousand years old.
I need a vaca to Italy!
Cant wait to read the new edition… Quick note- your last comment about “low hanging fruit” is a rather interesting choice of words… While Im sure we all know you mean they are the easiest to befriend – it may sound differently to an Italian (maybe this is the kind of comment the old lady didnt like! hah)!
You must be ecstatic that the euro to dollar is 1.34
Now is not the time for knee jerk blaming. Blame doesn’t get you much. The old saying: “It’s not how bad you screw up, it’s how well you recover”, comes to mind.
Rik: When you do an update on France I hope you let us know how the Jungs of Colmar are doing. My husband and I stayed with them April of 2004 where we had a studio with kitchen. It was a memorable experience.They are kind, friendly people who by the way make an excellent gewurztraminer and we found them because of your recommendation. PS We even enjoyed their big loveable Alsatian dog.The Millers, Santa Rosa CA
I guess Europe is victim to some of the same changes here in our country. People always said that Italy never changes, but I saw a big diffrence from 2002 to 2008. Lots of immigration all around Europe.
Rick you may want to wait a year to publish the book as it seems like the EU is unraveling and we might see the return of nationalism..wouldn’t that be some headline. It took 100 years to bring the EU to fruition and the point it is at and maybe a few months to its demise as it was antipated to perform.Seems like it is every country for itself right now in this time of financial crisis…. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/06/business/euro.php
We stayed at Hotel Rita in Pasteum last week Luigi was a wonderful host gave us your discount and spoilt us Even served us lunch by the pool.Mama cooked and daughter Rita loved to chat They met us at the station and took us to another town to get a train when we left We wish we could return Two great grandmother wanderers who have just had a month of fun in Europe