lockdown – JenandAlsbigItalianadventure

January 29, 2021

Reaching out to embrace the random

“Reaching out to embrace the random, reaching out to embrace whatever may come,”
Tool

Apologies for the radio silence over the last couple of weeks. For reasons I don’t want to go into on this blog we had to make an unexpected dash to the UK. This, as you all know, coincided with increasing covid infections and death rates both in the UK and Italy, leading to increased Covid restrictions. Suffice to say we have spent an awfully long time in quarantine in various locations and have been tested multiple times, all negative thankfully.

The day before our flight to the UK I learned that I had been successful in getting two new exam preparation courses in local schools from January. With everything else going on at the time it felt very far away and I was more concerned about making those involved aware of my need to be in the UK than allowing myself time to be pleased about them. Our already in Covid limbo life became more surreal in the UK and due to the covid situation we were not able to see any friends or leave the house much. However, we are back despite flight bans, cancellations, new restrictions and announcements from two different governments and not forgetting Brexit. Now it feels possible to start this year, albeit a little delayed. If covid has taught us anything it’s to be wary of thinking anything we plan is certain and to be grateful for what you have.

“What good is warmth of summer without the coldness of winter to make it sweeter?”
John Steinbeck

The immediate future is full of uncertainty including where we will live and work. For the time being we are forced to live in the present, which is no bad thing. I now have three courses to teach for 2 different language schools and 9 private students, which rose to include another 3 potential students this week, so my decision to go self-employed during this period seems to have been a good one but with Al still on cassa integrazione (furlough) it is not enough and it really can’t become enough to keep us here while restaurants remain closed or only partially open. We take each day as it comes, but we need to give some thought to what happens next and what we can do today to bring that closer.

It was always in the plan for me to return to work in Financial Services and to be honest I thought that the time would have come before now. I have made progress with the novel, although I haven’t finished it yet, a couple of other writing projects including this blog and I have built up a good reputation as an English teacher with an increasing number of students and courses. However, I have updated my CV and my Linked In profile and begun the search for a new role. Ideally, I will find one here in Italy or one that allows me to work remotely from here but all options are on the table.

I am proud of what we have achieved in taking the gamble, seizing the opportunity and coming here with a van full of belongings and a headful of dreams. Although 2020 and 2021 will not be the years that we hoped that they would be, we have grown (and not just the waistline) and embraced this experience, showing us what we are capable of, what we have and what we can do. Life has thrown some curve balls at all of us and it’s up to us what we do with them. I know that I have used this quote before but it feels as though it’s been the quote of the year.

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
Epitectus

To this end to make better use of his time while he is on furlough Al has set up a food blog to offer professional tips to home cooks and it can be found here.

We will be out of quarantine on the 1^{st of} February so stand by for more photos of the ever lovely Bologna and surroundings as we become able to visit them again, as well as further updates on what the next step in our adventure will be as events unfold before us.

December 3, 2020

Venice: Once in a lifetime

This week has been cold so to cheer us up Al created his version of the beautiful duck ragù with pappardelle, which we first enjoyed in Venice, and I decided it was time I wrote about our July trip there. As Venice is one of the world’s most visited destinations, there’s a good chance you’ve already been or were planning to go and/or already know quite a lot about it from various programmes and articles. If you wanted more information there are some excellent guides including the late Jan Morris’s book on Venice which is considered a classic or the Wikipedia entry is here and the official tourist site entry is here. I want to share our unique trip in this crazy year, give you an idea what it was like and what we experienced.

Last winter Venice suffered heavier than usual floods and lost a lot of its much relied on tourist income. The waters had barely receded and the buildings were just dried out when covid struck. We went in July when international flights, cancelled during lockdown, had not yet resumed and interregional travel bans had not long been lifted. People were emerging from lockdown but were rightly cautious. After our great experience in Liguria we decided to go to other places that could be reached by train and experience as much as we could, whilst using our, admittedly tight, budget to provide some much needed custom in areas trying to recover while being able to enjoy them at bargain prices without crowds. It seemed a silver lining to the otherwise unrelenting black cloud of Covid that has extended over much of the year and pervaded our daily lives.

Venice Santa Lucia station is on one of the islands that form Venice. You exit into a piazza on the Grand Canal itself and from there you can take one of the Vaporetti water buses which run on specific routes with advertised stops. Venice was built around the canals so the best way to enjoy it is from the water and the Vaporetti allow you to combine public transport with a boat trip along some of the most famous waterways and sites in the world.

We arrived at the station on a Monday around midday and stepped into a pretty empty city. Our Air B&B check in was not until 2 so we planned to have lunch somewhere close by. The Air B&B was on the far side of an island close to a Vaporetti stop. Our host had provided us with written instructions from the stop in Italian and we had foolishly put them through google translate which gave us a set of instructions that talked about foundations and fields and did not reflect where we were. Similarly, we found the provided google pin impossible to locate with the patchy signal available in the densely packed streets.

After a short but enjoyable trip down many alleys and lanes, where we lost our signal repeatedly or found ourselves on completely different streets from where google maps thought we were, we were able determine that the Italian word for foundation “fondatore” is also the name used in Venice for a row of buildings or section of buildings and that the word for field “campo” can mean any open area including squares with not an inch of grass. We had only to decipher the word for alley and we were all set with improved instructions that were, in the end, easy to follow. My advice is to forget google maps and get an old fashioned paper map and a sense of direction.

During our meandering we found a delightful restaurant called “Osteria Ca del Vento”, the owner was chatty and seemed glad of the custom. We had a delicious lunch where we enjoyed the local speciality duck ragù, all washed down with a lovely glass of wine. Once we had located our Airbnb and marvelled at its proximity to the canal, given its low price, we left our bags and went to see the sites.

We walked to Ponte Academia, and took the ferry to Piazza San Marco. Although we had already seen that there were much fewer people than usual, we had not been into any of the main areas except for the station, so nothing had really prepared us for Piazza San Marco. Everyone had seen the emptiness wrought on busy areas by this corona virus, like scenes from apocalyptical films, but to breathe it in, in one of the busiest places in Venice, was like nothing else.

Aside from crowds and crowds of tourists trying to take the usual iconic photos and selfies Piazza San Marco is also usually full of queues for the many museums and galleries: the Basilica, the Ducal palace, The Campanile di San Marco and several smaller galleries concentrated in the square. The Ducal palace and many other museums and galleries were only opening at the weekend so although we weren’t able to go inside them on this trip, the freedom we had to roam the canals and alleys without being pressed or crushed in the sheer volume of others more than made up for it.

We went to the Campanile di San Marco where there were no queues at all. We were able to walk straight in and take the lift to the top from where we were able to photograph views of the city spread out below us.

Views from (and in) the Campanile di San Marco

There is a point on the Grand Canal where you can photograph the Bridge of Sighs which runs between the Doge’s palace and the prison over a canal. Usually this is very crowded, three or four people deep rows full of desperate picture and selfie takers but on this occasion, it was almost deserted and we could take all the photos we wanted.

From Piazza San Marco we headed across town to meet our landlords. As mentioned previously, the owners of our apartment had been transferred to Venice from Bologna. We are on friendly terms and had arranged to meet them for an aperitivo on the Monday evening. Andrea had sent us a google pin of where to meet and some directions. We had developed a technique of heading in roughly the direction we wanted to go, but being prepared to have to back track when there was no bridge where we needed it, or for dead ends or other obstacles, whilst also taking sideways routes in order to move forward eventually, keeping the end direction in mind. Thus, by a rough zigzag and some additional time you can pretty much always get where you want to go and the journey is so beautiful along picturesque canals, over ornate bridges and down tiny alleys that you don’t mind at all.

On our way we stumbled on the famous Libreria Acqua Alta bookshop and had a look around. They are no stranger to floods and have an already established staircase of damaged books in a rear courtyard which you can climb to get a view of the canal behind. Inside the shop was a gondola full of books. We enjoyed nosing around the shelves and looking at all the books before we decided we better get on our way again.

Andrea and family live in a residential area and he told us that during the lockdown they had the whole city to themselves, with the children being able to play out all the time because there was no traffic of any kind. He took us to an area where the locals go to relax and to a canal side bar that had moored a barge to provide overflow seating. Covid restrictions meant that they were strict about numbers seated at tables, so as we could not find a table to accommodate all of us, we sat on the barge. Getting on and off was an adventure as the wake from other boats and movements of other people on board made the barge move. On the barge we drank spritz and ate cicchetti bites which you can buy in the bar for a low price) and talked in a mixture of English and Italian. Al wondered out loud how many people fell into the canal every year and Andrea said that only tourists fall into the canal and usually British ones!

As the sun set our stomachs needed more than cicchetti so Andrea and Nina gave us a restaurant recommendation, “Osteria alla Frasca” which sadly was not open that first night, but we found somewhere else nearby with a good local food selection. After filling up we drifted homewards, noting that the town after nine pm was quiet indeed and darker than we expected. We made our way back to our Air B&B eventually and without falling into any canals.

On Tuesday we tried to find a coffee place that Andrea had recommended for breakfast on our way to visit the fish market. We couldn’t find it at first and so we had coffee at another bar before we strolled around the market area. It’s a working market, not just a tourist attraction, so was quite lively, although not as busy as usual. I bought a new mask of Venetian lace from one of the stalls nearby, not one of the elaborate Venetian masks for which Venice is famed, but a much more functional anti-covid mask that wiley market holders had added to their repertoire. Shortly after we found the recommended coffee bar and enjoyed a lovely drink there before heading for lunch.

We met our Italian teacher, Elena in Southampton, but she’s from a town close to Venice and was on holiday from University, so we arranged to take her to lunch as a thank you for all her help. Her father had recommended a very traditional restaurant down a side street. Waiters were white aproned and formal. We ordered some typical dishes of the region and a bottle of local wine. There is a lot of seafood on the Venetian menu and this restaurant had a fish counter from where you could choose your fish to be cooked to order. I ordered the local scampi. Al had a squid ink dish and Elena had some local fried fish.

After lunch we decided to walk it off and trundled around the streets, Elena took us to some of her favourite places including where the Biennale is held. After a lot of walking we decided to go for aperitivo before dinner so we headed back to the area we had been the previous night, after which we left Elena with some friends and headed to the restaurant that had been recommended by Andrea and Nina and this time it was open. Al noticed that the menu said to ask about daily specials so he did. The waiter brought a selection of well-aged uncooked beef joints and steaks and we were able to pick the piece we wanted to have cooked. We also accepted the accompaniments suggested and were really glad we did because we had an excellent meal and one that we would not have thought to put together.

Next morning, we had decided to take the vaporetti out to Murano and Burano so we jumped on at the station where we had deposited our luggage. You can’t miss the Murano glass in Venetian shops as jewellery or vases and other objet d’art. It really is beautiful and rightly world famous. You can watch glass being made on Murano and buy some direct from the factories. We had a little stroll around and then took the next vaporetti to Burano. Burano is a working fishing village with brightly coloured houses. Householders often have heavily patterned curtains across their doors to allow them to have the door open in the heat, but not allow tourists to peer in. We had breakfast in a café before investigating the shops and the island itself.

On the way back from Burano we decided to get off at Piazza San Marco and go to the Basilica. The Basilica was closed for repairs, but you could still access the museum and roof, we waited in a queue of 3 people for approximately 2 minutes. The usual Covid entry requirements applied. From the museum you can see into the Basilica so we didn’t miss out on too much. One of the fascinating things about the Basilica is that it looks as though it’s been painted in gold, but on closer inspection you can see the whole interior is a series of linked mosaics of Murano glass.

After San Marco we took the ferry to Giudecca the island on the other side of the grand canal. We had been told it was usually a bit quieter than the rest of Venice and this proved to be true with few shops or restaurants open. We eventually found a waterfront place which sold sandwiches and arancini as well as some interesting craft beers so we decided to eat there. It was a lovely spot to watch the canal and afterwards we bought ice-creams with the plan to eat them as we were walking along. We were expecting a twenty minute wait for the next ferry, but almost as soon as we had the ice cream in hand, we saw the ferry pulling in. We needed to get to the station to catch our train home so we rushed onboard, masks on and ice cream melting. In the end we stood well away from everyone else, leant over the side of the boat, masks lifted to eat the ice cream as fast as possible while enjoying our final views in a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Venice as she is seldom seen, without her coating of people, before retrieving our luggage and heading home to Bologna.

November 19, 2020

Lockdown 2.0

Last Thursday when I went to the Meta (Sainsbury’s express equivalent) I had to join a socially distanced queue to get in and I had a flashback to the first lockdown.

It wasn’t the first reminder (Al has been on furlough for a few weeks now) and it won’t be the last. The numbers in Italy remain terrifyingly high and this weekend our region of Emilia Romagna moved from yellow to amber. There were new regional rules: the open air markets could open but with tighter restrictions on numbers and direction of flow (dedicated in and out areas) and some “non-essential” shops were closed. The gyms, museums and cinemas were already closed. Now only one person from a household can go to get groceries, with the familiar caveats for people who need to be accompanied and children. Interregional travel had been stopped with few exceptions, Language schools have been instructed to move to online teaching. You can’t do exercise in the city centre, but you can use the parks. So, we could still go anywhere we want within the region and could go out and have lunch which led to us feeling we were in an almost Lockdown 2.0 but not quite.

It had been a hard week. Al discovered, not unexpectedly, that his restaurant will not reopen after furlough. I am struggling to find students and now feel that I should really only teach online where possible. Luckily, the language school where I teach a couple of conversation classes has moved online so I can continue with those lessons. There is nothing yet to say I can’t continue to teach face to face, but I feel that more people will want online lessons. Friday was a day of tough conversations, soul searching and strategizing so we decided to treat ourselves to an Aperitivo at Mamalo Cafe which is just down the road. It’s quite pubby and local and we like it for that. We had the ubiquitous Spritz con Campari and were brought a plate of nibbles. The owner recognises us and although there hasn’t been much in the way of conversation, we feel welcome.

Saturday morning, we woke up to the realisation that Bologna city (comune) was bringing in tougher restrictions than the region. Bars and restaurants were to be closed except for takeaway starting from Sunday. Open air markets and non-essential shops were closed. Al had been planning to go to some restaurants with his CV, in case any of them needed staff, but now they were all being closed. It’s difficult not to feel downhearted and a little bit thwarted by life.

Our plan, such as it was, was to have this experience while I wrote my novel and Al learned different aspects of Italian cooking, then to return to the UK and start our own food business. It all feels very far away now and quite remote. The writing has not been easy and always seemed to be underscored by my own inability to prioritise what I love doing and practical considerations like earning enough money. The hospitality industry around the world, like so many other industries, has been decimated and while getting a new job for Al is the priority, starting a food business in the UK feels unlikely in the short term. I know, there has been a global pandemic and no one asked for this, no one’s lives are unchanged, but I am feeling self-indulgently down right now.

However, we are well. This experience, certainly since March, might not be what we had planned for this year, but it has meant we were able to have some amazing experiences in places that would usually have been out of our price range, or too full of tourists or both. We have taken advantage of the lack of tourists to see new parts of Italy and experience new things. It is unlikely that anyone will experience an empty St Marks square like that again. We are in an incredibly privileged position that has allowed us this once in a lifetime experience and to guard ourselves against the dramatic ups and downs that has been 2020 so far, its not done yet and I don’t want to be complacent, we are still in a good place, in a beautiful country.

Luckily for us our favourite central bar, Astral put up a post on Saturday to say that they were having a final opening between 3 and 6 that afternoon. We headed down there to support them and drink great beer and wine whilst being super careful about masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing. Astral has been our most regular spot, the guys that run it are knowledgeable and friendly and we feel very at home there. We don’t know how long it will be before we can go out to bars and restaurants again, but as they reminded us when we were there, Astral are still offering delivery for the duration.

So, the future won’t be the one we imagined, so what? It will be different that’s all. There will be new opportunities and options that we couldn’t have dreamed of before. If we keep moving forward with our eyes open who knows what will happen. We’re going to get through this lock down like we did the last one. The world will still turn. Life is going to be tough for everyone for a while, so we need to look after each other, keep our chin up and, when its time, head out into the world and be what happens next.

June 17, 2020

A Day out in Modena

This week we decided to use the recent lifting of regional movement restrictions and to take advantage of Al’s days off by going to Modena.

A very short description of Modena

Modena is a city in the region Emilia Romagna. There has been a settlement here since 187BC and the Duomo, which was built 1000 years ago, is included in the UNESCO world heritage site that can be explored in Grande Piazza. There is a long standing rivalry between Bologna and Modena as they used to be competing city states, typical of neighbouring cities and towns the world over. There was a series of battles known as the war of the Bucket (1325) when the opposing factions fought each other. The Modenese fighters took a bucket from Bologna as a trophy and it (or one meant to replicate it) is on display in the Torre della Ghirlandia to this day.

Modena is the home of Balsamic vinegar, but not the stuff you can buy from the supermarket in the UK, the product here is produced from grape must, thick and sweet and takes at least 12 years to ferment, using a centuries old process. You only need to use a tiny amount, let down with olive oil which is good news as even a small bottle will set you back, but it should last for years. Modena and the area immediately surrounding it has a large number of products of either DOP (products of a protected origin) or IGP (products with a protected region) meaning that you cannot buy the same product anywhere else. The city’s proximity to Bologna means that many of the regional dishes are the same, but there are some interesting variations to look out for.

Modena is also home to Lambrusco (sparkling red wine), Ferrari and Maserati cars as well as the world famous tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

How to get to Modena

Modena is about 38 km from Bologna and easily accessible by rail or car. On the train from Bologna it can take between 17 and 29 minutes depending on whether you get the slower regional train or the faster Freccia Rossa and the tickets are priced to reflect this. On this occasion we drove and chose to go via the slower, toll free roads, which are more picturesque. Like many Italian cities, the centre of Modena is covered by a ZTL (traffic limitation zone) where cars are either not permitted to enter at all or are extremely restricted. The fines for infringement of the ZTL are high and its possible to get more than one in a day so be careful if you are driving about. A brief amount of research meant that I was able to get a map of the Modena ZTL and find a free car park outside it. Modena is a compact city so parking outside the centre is not a problem. Our free car park was next to the stadium, from where it is a 10 minute pleasant walk to the Grande Piazza.

What to eat?

The Italian version of the tourist information site of Modena lists an ideal Modenese menu; starting with salumi (sliced cured meats), followed by tortelloni stuffed with pork, prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese). They also recommend Zampone or Cotechino, which are local types of cured sausage, but they are not for the faint hearted. They are true to the concept of nose to tail eating in that they contain some of the parts of the animal that we don’t usually, knowingly, consume. For my tastes they are too greasy and too gristly. Al, on the other hand, really likes them. After the sausages they recommend slices of Parmigiano Reggiano with a small quantity of local balsamic vinegar and all washed down with a bottle of the local Lambrusco. You may have heard of Lambrusco before and even have an opinion about it but I urge you to put that aside and try it in Modena. It’s a delicious sparkling ruby red wine and my friend Jess is particularly partial to a glass or two when she visits. The meal is finished with some local cherries or other fruits or something called Zuppa Inglese, a kind of firm custard, served with Amaretti biscuits.

As we were only having lunch we were not looking for a full set of courses and had a recommendation from a friend. Ristretto is found in a narrow alley a short distance from the Duomo. Although the weather forecast was bleak and the skies were grey, we opted to sit outside on one of the tables along the alley. The menu was short but it was still hard to choose. In the end we had passatelli with prosciutto crudo in a parmesan cream sauce. Passatelli is a pasta made from breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. We accompanied it with a glass of dry white wine. The meal was delicious and they are noted for their wine selection so I highly recommend eating there.

The unassuming entrance to Osteria Francescana

I couldn’t possibly talk about food without referencing Modena’s 3 Michelin starred restaurant, the Osteria Francescana, owned by Massimo Bottura. It has been listed in the top 5 at the World’s Best Restaurants since 2010. Al is a huge fan of Massimo Bottura, his approach to cooking and his focus on minimising waste and increasing sustainability and although I would like to say that we have eaten there, as yet, we have not been so fortunate. However, we did slope past to have a look at the outside. Eating here is a once in a lifetime event and you need to book a long time in advance i.e. they are currently booking for tables in January 2021. The 12 course tasting menu costs €290 with the wine pairing €190 on top. We were fortunate enough to eat in Thomas Keller’s French Laundry pop up in Harrods a couple of years ago so I’m sure that it would be worth it, but it’s just a little out of reach at the moment.

Fast Cars and Opera Stars

Ferrari’s are not made in Modena any more, the works having transferred operations to nearby Maranello, however there is the Museum of Enzo Ferrari, in the original factory, where they have a nice selection of cars for you to drool over and, for those who know about these things, a hall of engines. The trident of Maserati was modelled on the trident on the statue of Neptune in Bologna as Maseratis were made in Bologna for a while. It is interesting to think that the origins of motor racing and the Grand Prix were on the roads around here.

You can also visit the House of Luciano Pavarotti at the gates of the city. He lived in this house for the last 9 years of his life. He had a passion for horses and bred them here as well as holding an annual horse contest. Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit on this occasion.

I would highly recommend Modena for a weekend break or a day trip or even as a base to explore the wider region. It is very beautiful and an easy city to navigate on foot. There are plenty of cafes and bars for you to stop at when you need a break and interesting museums and churches to investigate.

Lion at the entrance to the Duomo on Grande Piazza

June 1, 2020

Ravenna

To celebrate being able to travel within the region and to get a change of scenery we decided to go to Ravenna, a small city in Emilia Romagna close to the Adriatic Sea, about an hour’s drive from Bologna. We wanted to get out and see other towns and the car needed to have a decent run before it was pressed back into commuter service this week.

Why Ravenna?

We chose Ravenna because we have a friend, Esther, who lives there that we have been threatening to visit for some time, before the lockdown made it impossible. It is believed to be more than 2000 years old and is the spot where Julius Caesar gathered his forces to cross the Rubicon. Eight of the churches form part of a UNESCO world heritage site regarding Early Christianity. It’s famous for the ornate mosaics that adorn several its building interiors and for being the location of Dante’s tomb. Although Museums and Galleries are now allowed to open, many in Ravenna had chosen not to, so we were not able to see inside many of these sites on this visit.

Out in the Countryside

On the way to Ravenna we chose to go off toll road so we could see more of the country. Once you get beyond the hills of Bologna (part of the Apennines) the land opens into a huge flat belt called the Po valley. You could see for miles. When you see open land like this it reminds you why hedgerows are such a distinctive feature of the British landscape. Here are scant hedges, walls or fences. There are some border ditches, but this may be as much for irrigation as land ownership demarcation. The land here is agricultural as you might expect from a flat plain. There were farms all along the route with groves of fruit trees or vineyards. The roads here are slower particularly when you go through towns, so our journey took an hour and a half.

Quiet streets

Ravenna is an incredibly beautiful city and despite the museums and galleries being closed we were perfectly happy walking around the streets, which were noticeably quiet and uncrowded. It meant we could take our time looking at whatever we wanted and taking photos. I didn’t think to record everything I was taking photos of so some of my images are not captioned. We assiduously practiced social distancing and wore our masks while we were walking around. We were very conscious that we did not want to risk getting the virus at this stage nor spreading it here. Esther is keen to travel to see her father who is back home in Holland as soon as possible so like us she did not want to take any chances.

Lunch

Obviously, we couldn’t possibly have visited without stopping to have lunch. Esther recommended a restaurant and we went to see if we would be able to get in. Ca’ de Ven is a lovely traditional enoteca, cantina and restaurant. We were able to get a table immediately because it was quiet. Our masked waiter led us in, past other masked staff some with full face shields. Inside diners sit at long wooden tables in a large hall with a vaulted ceiling. The tables, which would usually seat six comfortably were marked with where you were able to sit to maintain social distancing. We had a whole table to ourselves, two on one side with a chair between and one on the other. Al and Esther chose from the specials menu while I chose something traditional. I could have kicked myself afterwards because I have been craving fish for ages, but it’s quite expensive to buy in Bologna and this was the perfect place to have had some. Never mind, the meals were delicious as was the wine. Esther told us that this restaurant was usually busy with office staff on their lunch breaks and she was surprised to find it so empty on a weekday.

This has been in line with our experience of Bologna, things are opening back up, but many people are choosing to stay away. I think most people have dropped the eating and drinking out culture that is their usual mode and like us they are selecting maybe one or two venues a week to meet up with a small group of friends for a drink or a meal. The rest of the time remaining at home and keeping up with other protective measures.

The Beach

We decided to go home via the beach as we had not seen the sea in 5 months. It was trickier to get to than we had anticipated and necessitated driving through a foul smelling Industrial zone. Beaches here are still closed but were merely going to ease our minds with the sight of the swell, not planning on a dip. In our experience many Italian beaches have resorts where you need to pay for beach access or a sun lounger, there doesn’t seem to be very much in terms of the public access beaches we are used to in the UK. We parked up when we could see signs and walked along an access road though a lovely wood. At the end of the road there were two resorts, but with cordons across their entrances. There were, unsurprisingly, not many people around and most of those we saw were employees of the resort restaurants gearing up for evening service. The beach itself was sandy and seemed pleasant enough, but out to sea there were industrial buildings and rigs. Nonetheless, the waves pounded gently on the shore and together with the salt air gave us the familiar reassurance we were looking for, so we headed back to the car and home.

May 8, 2020

Sweet breath of freedom-ish

You will be pleased to know that this week sees a return to a more positive outlook. It finds us at the start of phase 2 of lockdown in Italy. This means exercise restrictions and park closures have been lifted. We are once again allowed to go out to exercise and we are fortunate enough to have a park on our doorstep.

A BBQ

I am not sure what it is but I just love eating al fresco. This might be because I was born in the summer and so quite a few birthdays have included eating outside over the years, however I don’t think that completely answers it. All the same BBQ and picnics are things that I am very likely to suggest in times of good weather, which we seem to be having at the moment. Usually I am put off by wasps or other creepy crawlies, but they don’t seem to be a problem in quite the same way here, which is absolutely fantastic. The weekend forecast looked good so we decided to have our first BBQ of the year on Saturday night. As usual Al cooked up a storm including making the burger buns as well as the burgers. I contributed some salads and we sat outside enjoying the view of the hill we would conquer on the Monday.

Gratitude

I am trying to stay positive and using meditation to help me deal with some of my feelings. I like the gratitude meditations because it’s good to be reminded of how much I have to be grateful for when things look bleak. At 8.30 on Sunday morning we were awoken by the apartment buzzer. It was the local police. There was a problem with the water and we needed to move our car so that the emergency team could access the pipes.

Al joined the other sleepy neighbours to move cars that have mostly not been started in two months and find another parking space in nearby streets. The percussion of street digging shortly afterwards ensured we gave up on going back to bed. With hindsight the words “water emergency” (albeit in Italian) and the plant machinery concert should have brought to mind the likely scenario. Needless to say, I was still amazed when I turned on the tap and nothing came out. For a fair amount of Sunday and again on Monday we were required to think about the fact that we did not have any water and make the necessary adjustments, giving us the opportunity to appreciate our usually constant supply and make sure we use it wisely. A timely reminder.

Out and about

One of the conditions of the lifting of restrictions is that you must wear a mask in shops and public areas. This was a problem as we didn’t have any and the ones I ordered (see pervious post) had not arrived yet. Al went to a pharmacy on Monday morning on the off chance and was able to get us some, which was a stroke of luck and one less thing to worry about.

It had been six weeks since we had been into the centre of Bologna. During this time our only trips out of the apartment had been solo expeditions to the local Meta (a small local supermarket similar to a Sainsbury’s express). This is the part of the routine that has the most terrifyingly apocalyptic feel; putting on the rucksack, gloving up, wrapping your face in a scarf, prepping to go out and take the risk of potentially, unwittingly, bringing the virus home. Now we were going to be able to go out for exercise too and that felt like real progress, but still also contained an element of fear and needing to be careful.

Villa Ghigi

One of the great things about this apartment is its location. We are 15 minutes walk from Piazza Maggiore, the heart of Bologna but also 5 minutes walk from the entrance to Villa Ghigi, gateway to the hills. We were excited about a much needed change in scenery and it was a no-brainer for us to head here on 4^th May, first day of lifted restrictions. The weather was glorious with blue skies and plenty of sun. We tramped up to the top of the nearest hill, from where you get a great view over Bologna.

It’s a beautiful time of year with many fruit trees in bloom of which there are a plentiful supply in the park. We were conscious that we hadn’t walked much for weeks, so we didn’t want to be over ambitious on our first outing. We used the main path up and then took a slightly different route down, including going past the Villa itself for the first time. There were other people out and about, but everyone was respecting social distancing. Being close to nature and in the noticeably fresh air was a great break from our routine and gave us a lot of optimism for what will come next.

One step at a time

Heartened by our Villa Ghigi experience and because of the new masks on Tuesday we decided to exercise by walking into Bologna. This was not quite as positive. We had, somehow, been under the impression that more stores would be open and there would be more people about. There were certainly some people about but it was quiet. There were short queues at the various food shops in Quadrilatero, but all other shops were closed. We had heard the market had re-opened so we headed for Mercato delle erbe. Unfortunately to access this you needed a mask and gloves, we had not brought gloves, so we went to some nearby supermarkets and pharmacies, but they were all sold out. As everything else was closed we decided to go back home, suitably chastened to remember that the restrictions were only just beginning to be lifted and we were not out of the Corona woods yet.

The bit at the end of He-Man where they give the moral of the story and all laugh with their hands on their hips.

All in all, it has been a good week. I have had my first BBQ of the year and exercised in Villa Ghigi. We now have masks so we can go out and enjoy the gradual lifting of restrictions. I’ve been reminded of natural beauty, being fortunate about where I live and the continuing talents of my husband. We have also been reminded that this will be a long road and we are only on the first step. It’s not time to run yet.

April 24, 2020

Liberation Day (Festa della Liberazione)

An annual public holiday also known as Anniversary of Italy’s Liberation (Anniversario della liberazione d’Italia) or Anniversary of the resistance (Anniversario della Resistenza) or sometimes just as 25^th April (25 Aprile). It celebrates the liberation of Italy from Nazi occupation during World War 2 and the victory of the resistance in Italy[1].

Bologna liberated itself on 21^st April 1945 and by the 1^st May most of northern Italy was liberated. The national date of 25^th April was decided in 1949. In a previous post I made a joke about reclaiming “Liberation Day” from Farage et al who had attempted to use it as a phrase for the day when Britain left the EU. I wanted to use it instead for the day when we are all free to leave our homes and see our friends etc. without worrying about spreading the virus. I had forgotten that Liberation day already existed in Italy and, more importantly in these days, that it is a national day of celebrating the fight against fascism.

The history bit

As usual I offer the caveat that all the information presented here has been researched (badly) by me, mostly from Wikipedia, and therefore any inaccuracies or misunderstandings are the result of my poor workmanship.

The Italian resistance[2] is a term used to cover all the many Italian different resistance groups who were fighting against 20 years of fascist rule in Italy and 5 years of war. They gained more prominence after the occupation by the Nazis. It is also an important date in Italian history because it led to Italy abolishing the monarchy and establishing itself formally as a republic. If you read my post about Italians and food you will know that this was not long into the existence of Italy as a unified country. The republic was declared to be founded on the struggle of the resistance (La Resistenza). The members of the resistance were also known as partisans (I partigiani) and many people see this conflict to liberate Italy as the Italian civil war.

While many of us have holidays and festive days dedicated to various battles and liberations, I don’t think there is anything quite like this Italian Liberation Day. Its connection to the resistance is a key part of the day, at least it is in Bologna. It is not a celebration of long past historic events; it is a living reminder of the continuing fight against fascism.

I have always had a soft spot for resistance fighters and partisans. I see them as the ultimate form of DIY; ordinary people organising themselves to fight against something, using whatever means they have at their disposal. I have read several books by and about resistance groups in the 2^nd World War and their invaluable contribution to the Allied victory. These people were willing to sacrifice their lives. They often lived in terrible conditions, supplied by supportive locals, having to remain mobile to avoid detection and capture. The casualty rate was high and Nazis were known to execute 10 civilians for every soldier killed, usually taken from nearby villages or POW camps. However, this move which was intended to discourage local support for resistance groups backfired as the resistance fighters were usually from the community and shared in their deprivations and hardships so it ended up reinforcing support against the common enemy. I think it’s great that this day is specifically remembered as both the liberation of Italy from Nazi occupation and the victory of the resistance against fascism. It reminds us that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. It reminds us of the power people have when working together towards a common goal. It reminds us we are strong enough and brave enough.

How soon is now

We were lucky enough to be in Bologna for Liberation Day last year. We had not been in Italy for long and had never heard of it. In the centre of the Bologna there is a formal wreath laying at the memorial plaque, however from my perspective the action is in Via Del Pratello and the surrounding streets. We have heard great reviews of the bars here but we tend to feel a teensy bit older than their usual customers. Sadly, Al was working, but we decided to go in his break to check out what was going on.

In Via Del Pratello Liberation day events are a cross between a street party, a political rally and a DIY festival. There is very much an anarchic homemade approach to banners and flags and stalls. Representatives from all manner of political and social groups are nestled alongside food drink and general market stalls. There are also impromptu looking stages that barely rise above the pavement where many bands seemed to play a punk polka. Last year it was really busy even though the weather was not great. There was one part of the street that we could not pass at all because it was so rammed with people. That’s hard to imagine at the moment, but at the time we were forced to divert into a couple of other streets to avoid the blockage.

It was a lot of fun and we were able to find a bar (there are formal and informal bars) with a shortish queue and get drinks in plastic cups so we could drink while walking along. I have been told that Liberation Day in Via Del Pratello can get very messy, but I haven’t heard anything about problems with drunkenness and violence. We were there between 3 and 5 so it was quite chilled and only just getting started.

While we enjoyed our brief glimpse into Liberation day we felt like voyeurs, tourists snapping a local festival, which we were. We wondered what it would be like to be in Via Del Pratello for the day, meeting up with friends and being part of the community. We had hoped that this year we would be able to take a more active role in festivities as we have now lived here for over a year. Sadly, the Corona Virus restrictions mean that there aren’t going to be any events this year. It’s still a National holiday so those businesses that were open will be closed, or on reduced hours, but there won’t be bands and stalls and bars in Via Del Pratello. However, we can take the means at our disposal and celebrate at home, making sure we still remember those who sacrificed their lives to free this country and to remember our role in maintaining our vigilance and standing up to fascism whenever we can.

[1] ‘Liberation Day (Italy)’ (En.wikipedia.org, 2020) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_Day_(Italy)> accessed 23 April 2020

[2] ‘Italian Resistance Movement’ (En.wikipedia.org, 2020) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_resistance_movement> accessed 23 April 2020

April 3, 2020

And the beat goes on…

What’s new pussycat

It had been hard to think what to write this week. Up until yesterday afternoon essentially everything was the same, I was working 2 jobs part time and learning how to teach online. A small amount of structure for my time and Al was keeping himself busy with cooking. However, the 1^st school called me to confirm it was going into temporary shut down, something that is inexplicably being referred to as “furlough” in the UK. I will get 80% of my contracted hours under the Italian insurance scheme, which is 7 hours a week. The 2^nd job is only for 3 hours on a Tuesday and is due to finish at the end of April. There is no news yet on what is happening with exams so I don’t know if there will be any invigilation work. To be honest I was expecting it, I thought the 1^st school might have been in trouble before the virus and now we aren’t going to be attracting new students. It’s disappointing, but we know we are not alone in facing work uncertainty at the moment.

Al cooked a Lemon drizzle cake to replace the chocolate cake we finished yesterday (see main picture with strawberries and tea). I don’t have any human weighing scales so I can’t confirm how much weight I might be putting on, but I know that I put half an inch back on my waist. We are still watching movies and TV series and although we have not started Tiger King yet, I feel it’s only a matter of time. We are reading books and listening to music. I subscribed to London Review of Books on a half price deal, just before this started and so I am building a mammoth book list for when this is over as well as loading my Kindle. We both have “at home” workout routines. We take it in turns to go to the shop and do bin runs as we’re not supposed to go out together. The weather has been sunny and cold this week. The sun cream turned up yesterday, hopefully the warm weather will follow.

The Future

I think it is probably natural to be looking to the future at the moment. It is difficult when we don’t know when this situation will end or how it will be brought to a conclusion. It’s hard to imagine that there will be a day when we are all let loose to return to our previous patterns of behaviour and scoot gleefully across the world again. Presumably restrictions of some sort or another will still be in place for some time to come and will depend on the downward trajectory of infection rates in various locations. The rate of new cases here has slowed but not yet started to come down. Our initial lockdown end date was today but this was extended to 14^th April, although I can’t see this ending before May.

However, I am entertaining myself by planning for something that I have decided to reclaim from the Brexit mess and that is “Liberation day” – when we are all able to move freely again and the Covid-19 virus is no longer posing an immediate threat to lives. I would contribute to hear some Big Ben bongs on that day, I can tell you. I’m saving up my last hair dye and deciding which of Bologna’s many fabulous restaurants and bars will be graced with my post quarantine presence first. I cordially invite you to join me in this and repurposing Liberation Day into a day of inclusive global celebration!

A little help from my friends

Something that I hope we will take forward once this is all over is this spirit of community and helping each other out. I have witnessed this firsthand here in Italy and I am gratified to see examples from the UK such as the overwhelming response to the UK Government volunteer request. We watched the Frank Turner benefit for The Joiners last night and hope to watch the one for The Railway Inn in Winchester next week. There are so many people performing or working on -line, which is great to see and be part of (even if it’s just in the audience). It had become all to easy to think that we lived in a selfish time when people were only looking out for themselves, but I think the response to this situation demonstrates more what is best about people. There are plenty of us that, when the chips are down, get together (not literally in these circumstances) and work out new solutions and ways of supporting each other and staying positive. My social media might be a bubble but its one filled with beautiful people doing awe inspiring things and helping each other. Many people and businesses are suffering right now, but if we all continue to do what we can and work together as a community we can help ensure as many as possible keep going. We are amazing when we work together.