Sciare in Italia
“It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away.” - I love U2, especially this song, especially this line. Very simple, but as many simple things do, it rings true-a reminder; I love to wake up early and play this track. One such day was Saturday. I woke up early to join the Verona ski club for a day of fun in the Alps.
In the afternoon, I skied with an Italian from Napoli named Davide. 28 years old, he has taught himself English and German and has spent time in many countries of the western hemisphere. We spoke a lot on culture and politics and I gained insights into Italy. I will outline these and others in a later entry when the mood strikes me.
Not many slopes were open due to the unseasonably warm weather, but those that were provided a wonderful afternoon. I forgot how much I enjoy skiing. That afternoon, I tried a new kind of drink that the Italians call a “bombardino”. It is a mixture of rum and an egg liqueur (real eggs) served hot with a layer of cream on top. You drink it with a small spoon. Really tasty and it warms you right up from the cold. However this was only a small taste of what was to come.
It was explained to me that I could go home at 5:00pm when the slopes close, or I could stay later and ski in the night with the lights with the club and have a big Italian dinner at a restaurant on the mountain. At least this is what my Italian allowed me to comprehend.
Originally I had imagined ski slopes illuminated by electronic lighting similar to some places in the states. What I realized later however is that we were to ski with real flaming torches to the restaurant! It was indescribable! Both in terms of excitement (you could see these small towns in a mountain valley below-a former battleground during one of the world wars) and danger (I think I almost lit myself on fire a few times).
At the restaurant we had a beautiful coursed Italian meal, and it was so warm and friendly that in the moment I had forgotten this was a club of strangers but rather I believed this was a large family of 40 . This was truly an Italian experience like no other. After dinner, we pushed the long tables aside and danced with some Italian super-pop/hip-hop. Another thing that surprises me is that in Italy, the “elderly” are so active and young at heart. The 5 year olds danced, the 50 year olds danced and so did everyone between.
There were a few very beautiful Italian girls around, but being deathly afraid of of their fathers and being slightly unable to speak, I stuck to dancing with the older crowd. But my luck was getting better, and by the end of the evening they approached me and invited me to dinner and the discothèque this week. I’m excited to be venturing away slowly from the crowd of Americans and exposing myself to more Italian people and culture.
A Day in Verona.
In the afternoon, I skied with an Italian from Napoli named Davide. 28 years old, he has taught himself English and German and has spent time in many countries of the western hemisphere. We spoke a lot on culture and politics and I gained insights into Italy. I will outline these and others in a later entry when the mood strikes me.
Not many slopes were open due to the unseasonably warm weather, but those that were provided a wonderful afternoon. I forgot how much I enjoy skiing. That afternoon, I tried a new kind of drink that the Italians call a “bombardino”. It is a mixture of rum and an egg liqueur (real eggs) served hot with a layer of cream on top. You drink it with a small spoon. Really tasty and it warms you right up from the cold. However this was only a small taste of what was to come.
It was explained to me that I could go home at 5:00pm when the slopes close, or I could stay later and ski in the night with the lights with the club and have a big Italian dinner at a restaurant on the mountain. At least this is what my Italian allowed me to comprehend.
Originally I had imagined ski slopes illuminated by electronic lighting similar to some places in the states. What I realized later however is that we were to ski with real flaming torches to the restaurant! It was indescribable! Both in terms of excitement (you could see these small towns in a mountain valley below-a former battleground during one of the world wars) and danger (I think I almost lit myself on fire a few times).
At the restaurant we had a beautiful coursed Italian meal, and it was so warm and friendly that in the moment I had forgotten this was a club of strangers but rather I believed this was a large family of 40 . This was truly an Italian experience like no other. After dinner, we pushed the long tables aside and danced with some Italian super-pop/hip-hop. Another thing that surprises me is that in Italy, the “elderly” are so active and young at heart. The 5 year olds danced, the 50 year olds danced and so did everyone between.
There were a few very beautiful Italian girls around, but being deathly afraid of of their fathers and being slightly unable to speak, I stuck to dancing with the older crowd. But my luck was getting better, and by the end of the evening they approached me and invited me to dinner and the discothèque this week. I’m excited to be venturing away slowly from the crowd of Americans and exposing myself to more Italian people and culture.
A Day in Verona.