Irish in Italy
The below essay was written roughly two years ago, a time when my freedom to travel and move about unrestricted was taken, if not for granted, certainly with a lightness of attitude quite enviable now. I, like many, long to return to countries that I fell in love with and now feel very far from. The opportunity will come again but for now I shall visit them vicariously and nostalgically through passionately and mostly naively written essays. I am not nor do I pretend to be an expert on Italian culture, we shall leave that to the capable hands of the Italians. Instead this essay features my observations and should probably be taken with a pinch of salt, or, in the spirit of things, a large glass of vino rosso! The country that gave us Commedia Dell’Arte, Opera, Olive oil and Wine; synonymous with the words ‘passion’ and ‘love’ yet simultaneously infamous for disorganization and chauvinism. Italy puzzles and enthralls many, including me. A lucky opportunity to travel around the coun