Well, I'm into my third month here in Italy and of course it's still beautiful. However, the chronic inefficiency which faces you at every turn is a little wearing after a while. Some Italians seem to delight in making life difficult, like the inablity to queue, or acknowledge that someone was there before them and therefore should be served first. Another example happened last night when Livia, Anya's room mate had to leave for Pescara by bus. However, no-one had bothered to tell her that, unlike ALL the other buses departing from Perugia, the one she wanted left from the train station. Consequently, she missed the only bus to Pescara leaving yesterday and had to change her plans. What was worse though was the man in the ticket office laughing at her misfortune since she was obviously upset. Charming!!! The other thing that absolutely staggers me is the sanguine acceptance of the number of people who die here in industrial accidents. Since I arrived not a week has passed without a report on the news of at least one death - today in Molfetta alone five people were killed in a factory. No-one seems to think this is strange. Or even the fact that the mountains of rubbish still adorn the streets of Napoli and people were offended when the EU stepped in and told them to clean it up - not that it's happened yet, and it's only been 8 months or so.Then I remind myself that I am just a visitor and how Italy deals with such things is not my problem.
On the other hand, some things are fantastic. On Sunday a small group of us caught the train to
Spello so that we could walk the 8km Via degli Olivi to Assisi. The wildflowers were out, the sun was shining - it was glorious. We spent the afternoon wandering around Assisi marvelling at how well cared for it is - in contrast to the messy streets of Perugia - before catching the bus back. So some things make me realise how happy I am to be here despite the whinging. Besides, I'm off to Venice to meet up with Sharon on Thursday - stay tuned for news of our adventures!
On the other hand, some things are fantastic. On Sunday a small group of us caught the train to
Spello so that we could walk the 8km Via degli Olivi to Assisi. The wildflowers were out, the sun was shining - it was glorious. We spent the afternoon wandering around Assisi marvelling at how well cared for it is - in contrast to the messy streets of Perugia - before catching the bus back. So some things make me realise how happy I am to be here despite the whinging. Besides, I'm off to Venice to meet up with Sharon on Thursday - stay tuned for news of our adventures!
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