The above photo is one of my favorite photos that I've ever taken in the history of all time. And then add on some more years. I realize the quality and hell even the clarity is greatly lacking. But I love it. I love the colors. I love where I was geographically speaking, which happens to be a cafe in a square in Anacapri on the island of Capri in Italy. I love that I was sipping on some fantastic red wine. I love that the ocean was so close I could almost hear the waves. I love that there was great music playing. And of course I love the food.
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Cafes are such an integral part of any visit to Europe, and Italy in particular. In my very limited experience. What is so great about it you may ask? Well I shall answer the call.
- The surroundings. The umbrellas lining a piazza. The round-bulb string lights glowing during the night. The view itself. Maybe the Pantheon or the Piazza Navona or the Trevi Fountain. There are so many options. If you're looking for cheaper prices and fewer Americans don't chose any of the ones I listed above. Go somewhere off the beaten path to find that.
- People watching. Italians in particular are fun to watch. Their hand motions. Their animated way of speaking. The language itself is, well, romantic. Obviously.
- Resting your tired dogs after a day of walking. I prefer walking a city when exploring. You see and smell and hear things otherwise missed. If something catches your eye you can just stop or detour and check it out. But it can get exhausting. And sometimes a break is necessary.
- Enjoying a glass or two or three of the vino rosso della casa. It's almost a food group.
- Reading. Just a few sentences here and there. There is a lot going on around you after all.
- And then of course the food. The antipasto. Then the primo and the secondo. Followed of course by the dolce. Here you will find no pressure to rush through your meal or to even order one at all. But you should. Just because you're in Italy.
Enjoy yourself. Soak it all in. Let some hours pass right on by you as you just sit and listen to the babble of a piazza. Kinnnnnnd of my happy place.
Oh. And espresso. Can't forget that. The extra punch to get you back out into the world.
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Silly as this may be this video still makes me smile. I could sit in that very seat all day long and enjoy myself immensely. In fact we did exactly that on at least three occasions in that week. And anyone wondering what my resting "bitch face" looks like here you go. This would be a crowded and under construction Piazza Navona, taken by Amber on our girls trip to Rome in 2006:
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