It's 10:00 on Christmas morning, and it's raining in Rapallo. Last night I had a lovely dinner at Trattoria Genovaise. I ordered an appetizer of fagioli--large white beans, bigger than cannellini, drizzled with olio d'olivo, and surrounded by tomato slices, radiccio, sliced onions and arugula. Then had a first course of raviolli with pignoli sauce--a mild, smooth white sauce made from pine nuts and cream. I got about a third of the way through, and finished with a caffe'. There were only a couple other tables when I was there at about 8 or 9, but the staff were getting ready for more customers--there was a large cake with large candles in the adjoining dining room, and they were changing the table cloths from the usual gold ones to red ones... what a difference in eating times and customs from the US! Restaurants don't open for dinner until 19:00 at the earliest, but usually 20:00.
This morning I slept until 8:00 and went to the first floor (1st piano-which is the second floor in the states) to the breakfast room--a lovely room with full windows looking out to the bay, rimmed by a broad promenade that is lined with palm trees. Breakfast was a broad range of cakes, fruit, cheeses, cereal, yogurt, croissants, stuffed dates and figs, sliced meats and more... typical for a full breakfast in a nice hotel. There was american coffee brewed, but the gal minding the tables made me a delicious cappucino, then another one. I read a bit of my new book by Nan Ellin--Integral Urbanism, and looked out at the rain, wondering about my plans to walk to my cousin's house for lunch later... I am in my room under the covers, watching an Italian mass with lovely music on tv, reading up on the NY times and Google news, and feeling pretty lucky to be here, and to have this life while there is so much turmoil and sadness in the world.
Rapallo is a beautiful city, but i have heard that it is a symbol for growth and sprawl--Italian style. The fellow I was talking to in Vernazza said that they use the word Rapallazione (sp?) to symblolize a city with undesirable growth patterns. My cousin complained about the traffic, and how difficult it is to drive around Rapallo these days... so I guess as a tourist my glasses are rose colored, as I delight in the promenade along the bay, the green hills that are filled with large, elegant homes and mansions, the winding roads up into the steep hillsides where my aunt lives, and where most of the land is terraced and cultivated in olives and grapes and vegetables and citrus trees. On the other hand, there are ugly blocky drab apartment buildings interspersed between the older, gracious buildings--one is outside my window and truly mars the view. Next to this hotel, also visible from my window, is an old abandoned hotel with splintered green shutters hanging from their hinges, and open windows showing dirty abandoned interior... I noticed more than one abandoned hotel on the promenade as I was walking here from the stazione yesterday, and wonder why this is so--in a wealthy town that is a traditional popular destination for Italians and other Europeans from northern countries. It is jammed in the summer, and still busy in winter because of its location on the Italian Riviera... perhaps nearby S. Margherita, Portofino, and Camogli, with their more intact older development are more popular with tourists?
It's time to leave my comfortable nest and venture out--the rain has stopped and the clouds are clearing--perhaps it will turn into a lovely day with blue skies... I'll walk the mile or two to my cousin's for pranzo di Natale--she said that it won't be anything special, but I am ready for those home made ravioli!
Ciao e buon Natale e auguri!
This morning I slept until 8:00 and went to the first floor (1st piano-which is the second floor in the states) to the breakfast room--a lovely room with full windows looking out to the bay, rimmed by a broad promenade that is lined with palm trees. Breakfast was a broad range of cakes, fruit, cheeses, cereal, yogurt, croissants, stuffed dates and figs, sliced meats and more... typical for a full breakfast in a nice hotel. There was american coffee brewed, but the gal minding the tables made me a delicious cappucino, then another one. I read a bit of my new book by Nan Ellin--Integral Urbanism, and looked out at the rain, wondering about my plans to walk to my cousin's house for lunch later... I am in my room under the covers, watching an Italian mass with lovely music on tv, reading up on the NY times and Google news, and feeling pretty lucky to be here, and to have this life while there is so much turmoil and sadness in the world.
Rapallo is a beautiful city, but i have heard that it is a symbol for growth and sprawl--Italian style. The fellow I was talking to in Vernazza said that they use the word Rapallazione (sp?) to symblolize a city with undesirable growth patterns. My cousin complained about the traffic, and how difficult it is to drive around Rapallo these days... so I guess as a tourist my glasses are rose colored, as I delight in the promenade along the bay, the green hills that are filled with large, elegant homes and mansions, the winding roads up into the steep hillsides where my aunt lives, and where most of the land is terraced and cultivated in olives and grapes and vegetables and citrus trees. On the other hand, there are ugly blocky drab apartment buildings interspersed between the older, gracious buildings--one is outside my window and truly mars the view. Next to this hotel, also visible from my window, is an old abandoned hotel with splintered green shutters hanging from their hinges, and open windows showing dirty abandoned interior... I noticed more than one abandoned hotel on the promenade as I was walking here from the stazione yesterday, and wonder why this is so--in a wealthy town that is a traditional popular destination for Italians and other Europeans from northern countries. It is jammed in the summer, and still busy in winter because of its location on the Italian Riviera... perhaps nearby S. Margherita, Portofino, and Camogli, with their more intact older development are more popular with tourists?
It's time to leave my comfortable nest and venture out--the rain has stopped and the clouds are clearing--perhaps it will turn into a lovely day with blue skies... I'll walk the mile or two to my cousin's for pranzo di Natale--she said that it won't be anything special, but I am ready for those home made ravioli!
Ciao e buon Natale e auguri!
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