Renée
New Year's Eve started great, with that doppiozero. The sun was shining, the wine was flowing and more and more people came. Happiness is often a snapshot and this was one of them.
I remember looking around me with a smile that didn't seem to leave my face.
The sky was so blue and it was so warm in the sun. The wine was so delicious and everyone was so cheerful and happy.
I remember my best friend sitting a few feet away from me with a glass of wine in her hand. I remember how happy she looked and how happy that made me.
She just sat there, surrounded by all those Italians, enjoying herself, not understanding at all, being completely ridiculously happy.
The square
When it started to cool down a bit, the first people headed home to get ready for the evening. In Lecce, during New Year's Eve there is a big party with artists in the square, Piazza Sant'Oronzo.
Almost everyone you talk to goes there. The square is being prepared for the party days in advance and looks beautiful.
Yet we did not go. We had already bought tickets months in advance for a party in Galatina where a good friend of ours organized a dinner plus party for a very large group of people.
In retrospect, it was not the best choice we could have made, because two days before New Years I got a call from my best friend from Rome that he and some other colleagues would come to Lecce to work over New Years at How Much Enough.
Where are you?
Back to Doppiozero. It cooled down and we slowly move inside. Then I got a call. 'Dove sei, Vi? Doppiozero?'
I turned and saw my best friend from Rome standing there. I screamed, looked at my best friend and she pushed me out. 'Go!'
I ran to him and jumped into his arms. I think that moment was perhaps the best moment of the holiday. I couldn't believe my luck and I introduced myself to his colleagues, because I didn't know them yet.
After we had all eaten, we bought a bottle of wine and went with the Romans to watch the last sunset of 2015 on their roof terrace.
Sunset
There we were. Finally the four of us remained, under a blanket and all with a glass of wine in hand to watch a beautiful sunset. I have only laughed with tears in my eyes of bliss.
The boys tried to persuade us to stay in Lecce, but we decided to go to our own apartment anyway, pack our little suitcases and head for Galatina by smart.
Cold
For convenience, we also booked a room in Galatina, in the hotel near the dinner and party venue. When we arrived at the hotel it was again a case of 'thick walls and forgetting to turn on the heating'. We were dressed in our clothes under the covers in no time with blow dryers on our faces to keep us warm.
It seemed like the room refused to heat up so I decided to take a hot shower and then use all the hot water. oops.
Before there was hot water again and we were both looking for an outfit, we got a call that everyone was waiting for us at dinner.
Fortunately it wasn't too cold and we could walk to the restaurant in dress, heels and without tights, and it was so beautiful and busy!
Food, drink, champagne
The restaurant consisted of two floors full of tables, all occupied. We were served a bizarre number of courses. I can't remember a moment when there was an empty plate in front of me.
We sat at the table with about fifteen people. All Italian and welcoming. We ate, we drank. There was a countdown and the champagne was opened.
There were no fireworks, which was crazy. I hadn't really thought about that and that was quite a loss, but the singing, dancing crowd and the rousing music more than made up for it.
The biggest difference between New Year's Eve in the Netherlands or in Italy was the attention that the Italians had paid to their outfits. Each and every one of them looked insanely beautiful. You don't see that anymore in the Netherlands.
That with a cocktail in our hand, with bare legs dancing to the music of Tiziano Ferro Welcoming 2016, no one could take that away from us.
And believe me when I say I would love to do it again this year!
Comments