d-rm – Page 2 – Life to the Point of Tears

Monterosso

::cough:: :: cough, cough, cough:: “It’s totally not Covid.” I turn and see a girl about 17 or 18 talking to another girl about the same age. Monterosso is swarming with tourists, and I’m surprised how many are American. “It just felt like I had strep throat for a day or two ..” Girrrrl…. “…andContinue reading “Monterosso”

Sestri Levante

So I found out about this cool thing. If you type in the name of your train station along with “live departure” (for example, “Piacenza live departures”), the look for the Google search result from g2 (sample screenshot below left), and then scroll down, you can find live departures and platform assignments that look likeContinue reading “Sestri Levante”

Paris of Italy

Italians have magical skin. I’m talking about Italians in Italy specifically, not the diaspora. It’s smooth. It’s poreless. It’s even. It’s elastic. Why? My cousin and I had this conversation. Male or female, it doesn’t matter. I dare you to find me an Italian whose skin is anything less than deific. How do they doContinue reading “Paris of Italy”

End of the Southern Circuit

Here we are again. The Clown car on its final circuit. We checked out early and circled back to Pompeii to pick up the rest of the circus before heading back to Rome to return the rental car and spend one more night together. In the morning David and I will be catching the trainContinue reading “End of the Southern Circuit”

Selvaggio

“É più difficile guidare a Napoli che a Roma,” I said to the guy at the parking lot as I paid for our two day stay, after 20 minutes of living the chase scene from The French Connection. “Siiiii,” he replied, punching numbers into the credit card device. “É selvaggio.” I added: It’s savage. AtContinue reading “Selvaggio”

It’s Not a Party ‘Til Somebody Breaks Something

“I don’t see your mother behind us anymore.” I craned my neck around trying to see behind me, waiting for my mom’s car to appear from around a curve on the winding road through the hills between Puglia and Campania, but she didn’t show. I pulled out my phone and saw I had missed aContinue reading “It’s Not a Party ‘Til Somebody Breaks Something”

Family is Family is Family

“What is your name?” the stranger at the door asked eagerly in Italian. To say I was momentarily taken aback is an understatement. I answered the door thinking it was my mother returning from paying the morning street parking fee, and instead was greeted by a dapper grey-haired stranger asking personal information. Them the lightbulbContinue reading “Family is Family is Family”

Bienvenidos a Lecce

I didn’t expect to see prickly pear cactus in Italy. Would you have? It was a complete surprise to see large, abundant cactus growing amidst olive and fig trees. The closer we got to Lecce, the more Italy began to remind me of Mexico City. (At least, what I imagine Mexico City to be like,Continue reading “Bienvenidos a Lecce”

The Bucket List

I’m pretty sure we all have a bucket list. A few things I’ve had on there since I was young are left unchecked – step foot on Antarctica, visit the worlds of Moomintroll in Finland and Sinbad in Baghdad, see the jacaranda bloom in Mexico City, the cherry blossoms in Tokyo, and the fall leavesContinue reading “The Bucket List”

Ferrazzano

After waiting 3 hot, sweaty hours in line for our rental car (yes, THREE), we were ready for the three and a half hour drive to Ferrazzano. Oddly, I prefer to drive amidst the chaos in Italian cities and towns to driving on the autostrada or in the outskirts where it seems that the speedContinue reading “Ferrazzano”