Myrtle Claus
Italy. Dolce vita. Something to be jealous of, it seems. Quite a few guests who came to visit us in recent years confided to me that they want to have the courage to do what we did. Because this, while waving arms at the landscape, sun, cappuccino and lazy chairs on the balcony, is Real Life. One of them even exclaimed that we had nothing to complain about with 365 days a year vacation. Could life be more beautiful?!
Well, what do you do as a good hostess? You smile a little vaguely in response. Remember the proverb 'speech is silver and silence is gold'; there is nothing more annoying than the puncture of soap bubbles of great happiness. And it gives a better holiday feeling than the stories from our reality.
You also have to pay your bills in Italy
Because no matter how relaxed life in Italy may seem, the alarm clock just goes off early every day. Everyone has to get out of bed on time and on their way to school and work. A relaxed breakfast in a bar is an illusion, at least in our family.
You make appointments with friends for cozy lunches, outings or dinners. Groceries have to be fetched, with the question 'what shall we eat again tonight' nagging in the back of your mind. Gas, water and electricity are not free and bills have to be paid.
With an Italian sauce
We have quite a bit more sun than in the Netherlands, but that doesn't mean I walk around in an airy dress in winter. No, rather thickly dressed and still shivering from the cold. And sometimes you visit the hospital or find yourself in a graveyard because someone has been paged.
All in all, those 24 hours aren't always enough to do what you'd like to do. In fact, our Italian life is not so different from the Dutch life we once led. The everyday things there are the everyday things here. Topped with an Italian sauce, that is. But that doesn't always make you happy.
The myth broken
Now it may sound more negative this way than it is. Of course it also hits me from time to time, that feeling that is part of the good life. Suddenly I feel very happy and very rich with so much beauty around me, enjoying a glass of red wine in the shade of the pine trees with a view of beautiful hills and old olive trees.
But that Italy equals la dolce vitaI think that's a myth that only Dutch holidaymakers and my visit know how to enjoy. And I can be quite jealous of that!
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