Italian Spring
September 10th 2007 11:31
When I was growing up in Switzerland, I remember a story a friend once told me. We used to play on a pond that froze over in the winter, dancing over the ice like clumsy Princesses and she told me of a man who had rowed out one night, pushing through the cold water with old oars. When he’d reached the middle of that pond, he heard what sounded like the earth opening up under him, a groaning of indescribable pain and tenderness. He froze in fear and looked down to see the water had frozen, suddenly and him, alone in the middle of a lake that had locked him in. He sat alone that whole night, out in that stillness with only the echo of that cry to stay with him. Even as a child, I wondered what he must have thought to himself, what fears whispered to him, what hope must have looked like to him during that long, cold night.
Maybe it’s the weather here in Sydney but with the change of guard, the tentative steps of Spring coming to my front door, I can’t help thinking of Italy.
Italy, where even the light is warmer and the air you breathe stays with a traveller long after you return home.
The first place I visited in Italy was Milan. Situated in the north of Italy, from Switzerland it was a short train ride over the border. The first impressions of Milan are somewhat disappointing. It’s the city of commerce and industry but after I spent a few days milling around, I began to appreciate the Milan I unearthed, past the throngs of bad traffic and dour faced Italians.
The busiest and most accessible parts of Milan are around the Piazza del Duomo, Via Manzoni and also via Dante.
Maybe it’s the weather here in Sydney but with the change of guard, the tentative steps of Spring coming to my front door, I can’t help thinking of Italy.
Italy, where even the light is warmer and the air you breathe stays with a traveller long after you return home.
The first place I visited in Italy was Milan. Situated in the north of Italy, from Switzerland it was a short train ride over the border. The first impressions of Milan are somewhat disappointing. It’s the city of commerce and industry but after I spent a few days milling around, I began to appreciate the Milan I unearthed, past the throngs of bad traffic and dour faced Italians.
The busiest and most accessible parts of Milan are around the Piazza del Duomo, Via Manzoni and also via Dante.
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