What many countries are lacking is culture and what many people are lacking in style! However having recently "Rom-ed' I realized again to what extend the Italian are lucky. Apart from the fact that they seem to wear sun glasses even at night and have mobiles phones that never stop ... They have a great ancient culture which doesnt stop to surprise me. Rome is a city that is soo rich of culture that makes a Big Mac look like a low calorie burger.
Everywhere you look there is something that dates back many years before moi and are huge in size and importance. The best thing to do when walking around is taking a digital camera and shoot from the hip, but not only on eye level but also higher and lower, be surprised!
At first the struggle is there in terms of the temperature (almost 40) but another part of the Italian experience is the F&B industy, eg pasta and sparkling water. It has become an art to transform a simple pasta dish into an experience culinaire and you rarely have a bad meal.
Even the sparkling water is light of taste but yet with a bite that makes you feel 'Bueno' again.
Of course than there is the favourite of all favourites the Espresso and this time I managed to visit the Temple of Grounded Beans, the best espresso shop in town, Tazza d'Oro!
Treat your body to a dose of the Italian doping called Espresso for 90 eurocents. Hello! Is anybody paying attention here??? We have been drinking, crap espresso's here on the Cote d'Azur in a price range of 3 to 10 euros! Wake up and smell the coffee, would be an appropriate statement! Let me describe the process; enter the Tazza d'Oro shop, nothing fancy but you can smell the respect to the God of Coffeebeans right at the doorstep. Go straight to the till, buy an espresso or cappucinno (1 euro, no kidding), walking towards the sweaty waiters behind their counters, handover your ticket and wait for your coffee that will rock your socks off.
Dont forget that you need to fully enjoy it on by drinking it standing up at the counter, observing all the types of customers of all types of background. Does an espresso unites us? Does it bring world peace? I don't think so but by God is tastes good!
And it doesnt stop there, cos the Italian have mastered another thing to ...Elegance. Who ever and when and where ever you look, people are paying attention to their looks, Italian design in cars and decoration are wellknown but clothing is obviously the other important one.
They wear there clothes with grace and style, even a simple police mens uniform shirt is tailored. It just seems that the rich Italian culture and history have made them proud people that cherish their back ground and are not shy in embracing it and enjoying life to the fullest, cos tomorrow could the last! A wise lesson, a great tradition and a beautiful place to be part of for a short number of days.
Let's just celebrate it all by wearing an Armani suite and sunglasses, over a good pasta meal with some italian ice cream as dessert and of course the espresso to finish it off. You can park your Ferrari just around the Via della Corso ....
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