Jurnal de expat

Besides Austria, Italy (and Tuscany in particular) is the place I have visited most for my holidays. Is it the pasta? Maybe. Is it the endless hills filled with vine and wineries? Sure. Is it the typical architecture of the cities with small cobble stone streets and faint orange roofs? Why not. But most of all is the life in Tuscany in its entirety. Everything oozes with relaxation from the two hours coffee break on the terrace of a restaurant to the slow and steady pace a FIAT 500 takes cuts through the windy roads bordered with green and blue. Is like time forgot Tuscany existed and now this part of Italy exists in this side loop picture perfect of the universe. I like to come back to places I have been before (Montepulciano, Sienna, Montalcino), somehow they are still appealing. But I discover new things every time. Is like watching a great movie or play several times – with each take new clues appear before your eyes and the puzzle fragments fill in more of the image.

Felul in care arata Roma astazi ma face sa ma gandesc la caderea imperiului Roman. Monumentele sunt uriase, chiar si pentru standardele zilelor noastre. Pantheonul, Templul lui Hadrian, Colosseum sau Coloana lui Traian iti impun respectul prin dimensiune dar si prin priceperea cu care au fost ridicate acum aproape 2000 de ani. N-am avut aceeasi senzatie la New York unde am trait un an de zile printre muntii de otel si sticla – acolo mai degraba era claustrofobie. De ce cadere? Cetatea eterna e acum murdara si schilodita de grafitti. Asa de murdar cum nici Parisul nu e – pentru mine unul dintre standardele in murdarie urbana (Bucuresti e de abia pe locul patru, dupa toate orasele enumerate mai sus). La tot pasul te impiedici pe strada de sticle goale, ambalaje de pizza, mucuri de tigara, servetele uzate etc etc etc. In plus, caldura de afara iti astupa narile cu miros greu de gunoi si de fecale. Ziduri de magazine, stalpi, banci pline cu mazgaleli colorate contrasteaza puternic