A Great Italian Movie...

Last week I have really felt like I was in the middle of a typical Italian movie; one where life is slow, all senses are being stimulated and relationships truly matter.

If you would have told me upfront that I would meet such a palette of inspiring, interesting people in this small southern Italian village, I would not have believed you! Good friends of my friend came over from Rome, all very nice, intelligent and wonderful people. There were two female teachers (university of Milan), one taking some sort of exam to become a professor. We all felt compassion when the one girl was so stressed out she couldn't eat or sleep and then, of course, we all celebrated with her when the exam was over! The other teacher has won a bronze medal in the Karate World Championships in 1991. Having an enormous passion for the USA, she was the first Italian I have ever heard speaking English with an American accent! The Americans from Utah (one of the most conservative states of the US!), other guests in the B&B, were so liberal and free spirit that we had great conversations and really good laughs. They are still traveling through Italy now with their Italian-American friend.

Two young people (actually from my home town in Holland; how crazy is that??) came over to the agriturismo to have lunch. Next day we were discovering Naples together, as if we had known each other for years already! Last but definitely not least, there was this wonderful German couple, both film producers. Very creative minds, a good sense of humor and great conversations again. She was like the blond version of me, to a point where it got really funny and sometimes even scary! :-). Naples is absolutely amazing and I was happy to finally see more of this beautiful city. It is hectic, dynamic, chaotic, historical, crazy and breathtaking, all at the same time. As I said before, all laws that apply in the rest of Italy do not apply in Naples! You will see whole families on one scooter (all without helmet of course...), policemen driving the police car while being on the phone (correct, forbidden in Italy as well) and people trying to sell you lottery tickets in the street with the help of a life parakeet picking out the lottery ticket for you for good luck...

Coming back by train from Naples, I picked up my Cinquecento (Fiat 500) from a parking lot in Salerno and drove my new friends to the place they were staying. Believe me, I felt like a true Italian. Traffic is crazy as I have said before, especially in the cities, but just do as the Italians do and you are fine! This meant just 'pushing' my small car in between a big line of cars. As a good Italian friend of mine always says: 'Everything fits in Italy!'. Now take that literally, because this means that if there are two lanes but you can fit 4 cars next to each other, the people in southern Italy will.

The best part of this last week however was of course staying with my friend. She and her boyfriend have made me feel very welcome and loved. We have had long, intense conversations in which she told me her life story, which is beyond any fantasy. Of course it wasn't all serious business! We also had great laughs, cocktails and meals together. It all felt so right, that I even decided to stay one extra day, enjoying live Neapolitan music, another delicious meal and good company on Saturday night. After the research I did on the area and the history, I now have all the ingredients to really start writing the novel. The end result will hopefully have a good balance between her life story, my personal experiences in life and my fantasy. Now I can start putting the pieces of the puzzle together and get into the right flow... Love, M.

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Contrasts & Chaos

Time to polish up my Italian language. Just 4 more days before I'm off to Bella Italia. For one week I will be a guest in the B&B of my friend who’s story inspired me to write my novel. It is just a 45 minute drive from Naples, if you take the shortest route. However, I prefer to take the longer route south-east and pass the high rise buildings of Naples, the Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum and Pompeii. This gives me the ‘true’ feeling of being back in Campania, my favorite region of Italy. From the highway you can get a glimpse at Vietri sul Mare, the gateway to the famous and spectacular Amalfi Coast, with its lovely blue and yellow majolica dome. After peeking at the coast, I will turn inland, to a small village with only a 1000 inhabitants, where I will spend the rest of the week.

I love contrasts. That is one of the reasons why I love Campania. From the moment I step out of the airport, there is something exciting. There is chaos, there is life, there is drama! There is a thrill... Laws that apply in the rest of Italy, simply don’t count here. Naples is a world on its own. Not specifically the best world, but it is different. And I happen to like ‘different’. And contrasts! The contrast between the city of Naples - with its total anarchy - and the island of Capri where everything seems to be totally in place and part of a film set, for example. The contrast of the spectacular cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, the rolling hills of the Cilento National Park and the forests of walnut and hazelnut trees in the provinces of Avellino and Benevento. Bellissima!

I will spend my week interviewing my friend, tasting the atmosphere of Campania again, getting even more inspired, taking pictures and enjoying the culture, the people and the food. Currently translating the almost 100 questions that popped into my head to ask my friend from Dutch into Italian - a challenge at itself. And in between making a scheme for my 12-year old son for that whole week, looking at houses with my mother in law and accompanying a school trip for a whole day, I need to pack somehow in the next few days! Now you understand why the chaos of Naples attracts me… it almost feels like home ☺ Love, M.