Why hello, gentle readers of the Maura-living-in-Italy blog. I figured it was time for a little update since it has been very long from the last installment of my adventures over here. With work in full swing, it has become difficult for me to do much exploring, and even more difficult to find the energy to write about them.
I was reading an article on obesity in Italy and it stated that the Neapolitan region has the highest obesity rate in the country. Here, the women like to wear their t-shirts tight and their jeans even tighter. I have never seen so many "muffin-tops" so proudly displayed in my life. The greatest delight of the locals is people-watching. They proudly promenade down the Via Napoli at dusk, watching and being watched, judging, staring, pointing, discussing, all while wearing their spandex and espadrilles. An odd combination, but here, it is the norm. And don't trust J.Crew catalogs that say Italian style blah blah blah. When I wear my J. Crew sundresses and sandals, I stand out like a sore thumb. Now, I can't completely fault J. Crew; I stand out being a giant amongst the little Italian ladies, with my blue eyes and long dark blond hair. The looks I get are very calculating. One too many Italian mamas gives me a nasty look as if saying, "where did you come from and maybe you should just go back."
On a contrary note, Rome is glorious. The ancient heritage of class and luxury is displayed the moment you arrive in the train station. Amid the masses of tourists, the women are beautiful and the men are actually (gasp) taller than I am! (well, some anyways). I went to Rome last week with my friend Brian and we took the self guided Rick Steves tour. Armed with my trusty guidebook, and Brian's downloaded Rick Steves' audio tours, we bought the Roma Pass, rode the Metro around to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, all the way up to the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. As we walked down vine encrusted vias and passed by tiny restaurants, I realized that I was supposed to be stationed in Rome, not Naples. Now if only the Navy will get onboard and move the hospital up there my life will be perfect.
My most recent adventure was bringing myself to the Caserta Palace. Built in 1752, it was Charles Bourbon's response to Versailles. The palace is breathtaking in scope and beauty, used in the filming of many movies including Star Wars Episode I. I rented a car to get there, and discovered only after I was driving the open road that I actually hate the roads around here. That decision was mainly made after I was driving into oncoming traffic following the GPS...and then had to back my out of that apparent one way street. The Italian driver in the car facing me kept giving the "stupid American woman" face to me as I was struggling to keep my cool and still find the palace.
Note to self: if it looks like the GPS is taking you into oncoming traffic, trust your gut and let the darn GPS recalculate a different route.
Hopefully next week will bring more, and hopefully safer, adventures!
