This was originally titled The Kindness of Strangers Friends but my titles don’t allow for different font styles. Anyway, on to the post ……..
The Kindness of Friends
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Tag Archives: Italy
Meetings, Bloody Italian Meetings (or at least, meetings which involve more than one Italian)
Many things here are the same, well, almost the same, as in the UK. We are, generally, not so different at all. But it’s the little differences that count. Some of those things are really nice and some are more than a little frustrating.
It’s such a perfect day
There are moments when I am happy to be alive and, particularly, happy to be here, in Italy and, for that matter, in Milan.
Busking – who gets your money – the DJ or the Baroness?
Mantova, Saturday, 8th September.
We decide to have a drink at a bar. It’s very warm and we want to sit outside. As we walk towards the centre, we look up a side street, we see a bar with an empty table. It’s not an ideal position as there aren’t many people to watch walk by – it’s a quiet side street – and people-watching is one of our favourite pastimes. However, the beer’s the thing.
There’s Moaning and there’s Moaning.
Mantova, Saturday, 8th September.
We are staying in Residence in Centro, in Mantova, having got kicked out of our previous place (more later). The room is a small flat with its own kitchenette (we can do our own coffee in the morning) and the bedroom on a kind of landing, up some creaky wooden steps. All very nice – except for one problem. The series of ‘flats’ are in a converted outbuilding. The way they have been built means that you can hear a pin drop about 3 ‘flats’ along (not quite, but you get the idea).
Segovia is hot now
The second day. I must remember to tell the story of the late night dinner with the Mayor and the Chief of Police.
In the meantime, lunch with Valeria (an Italian working in Madrid but temporarily helping at the Festival) answered my question about twins.
The reason that the Italians treat the first twin who comes out as the youngest is because it was (obviously) the second one created! All makes sense now, doesn’t it?
The funny thing was that they assumed that this was the same rule all over the world! But then, I thought our ‘rule’ was the same. It’s a strange world.
She also added that it quite annoys her when people say something like ‘What’s it like to be a twin?’ How would she know what it’s like NOT to be one. It’s just one of those stupid questions people ask.
Here it was bloody freezing last night and this morning but quite warm now as the sun has been shining all day. The Spanish seem to take even longer over buying tickets than most people. It seems the event number and the number of tickets required is just too simple and there needs to be a half-hour conversation about it. Unfortunately, all in Spanish, so most of it goes completely over my head.
We are reckoning this afternoon may go a bit mental as people finish for the weekend in Madrid and come over to the Festival. Should make it fun.
Very nice place for a Festival, though.
In Conversation with Christopher Hitchens
Mantova, Festivaletteratura.- The last Sunday.
Peter Florence (Hay Festival) was there and we spent some pleasant hours with him on Friday and Saturday. He was doing a couple of the events, interviewing some people. But, from the moment that I looked at the site, Christopher Hitchens was the one event that I was not going to miss. It was just after lunch on the final day. Peter was going to be interviewing him (rather him than me). We hadn’t seen Peter since late on Saturday night (after my experience of playing chess with Boris). We got up late, wandered around town for a bit and, as we were travelling back to Milan later, decided that a proper lunch would be a good thing. We went to Griffone Bianco, our favourite restaurant in Mantova
Obviously it was busy – very busy. However, this year, M had bought us (with L from Hay and Juan Hose from Spain) a meal there on the Thursday night and when she was paying I went up to remonstrate with her about her paying the bill and was introduced to the guy behind the desk, who runs the place, and she was telling me they were great friends.
Autumn in Milan; our stuff is back
Everyone’s back now. The streets are crowded, the cars are louder and everywhere. And it’s the end of the summer.
Playing Chess with Boris Spassky
As with Hay Festival, there are events that defy expectations. Usually they are free. Such is one as I write this in Mantova.
Mantova buzzing
Just a short post to say that we are actually in Mantova at the Festivaletteratura.
The sun is shining; the food is exceptional; the people are nice; I’m playing chess with Boris Spassky tomorrow night! Oh yes, it’s true.