Remembering Padua, Italy

I was out feeding my birds this morning (yes, my birds now...even though I don't have them caged, the relationship has become special, exclusive - I feed them, they entertain and make me happy - a fair relationship) and the cloud cover made me think of Italy, of Padua.

The picture on my blog was taken in an open air market the morning I arrived in Padua. It wasn't necessarily the nicest market I'd been to, but it absolutely was the most exciting. That day was similar to today. I stopped at a fruit stand first. I remembered being struck by the gloss of the skin of the berries. I'd never seen such deep, intense colors on berries like that - and glossy. Beautiful, untreated and organic. I was stunned too, by the variety. I'm not used to this. I'm used to seeing the usual two suspects at my supermarket. I was stupified. I found myself taking picture after picture of these beautiful berries...in the heart of Padua.

I was in Italy to study the language -at this point, my vocabulary was still limited. I had a million questions crashing into each other in my head, but I couldn't get them to leave my lips - so I took pictures instead. The vendor and I could only smile at each other after "buon giorno." He'd smile, I'd smile back. In the early part of my stay in Italy, I had plenty of smiles - they work wonders in a pinch. But he knew. After enough pictures, and I was done, I couldn't wait to say it: "arrivederci!" After several 'arrivederci's and ciao's - I was off. I'm not usually very good with good-bye's, but in Italian, a good-bye can sound so sweet.

The cheese shop was also amazing; small and quaint with character and personality busting out of every nook and cranny. The cheese monger inviting me in, tantalizing me with a piece of cheese (looked to me like Fontina) at the end of a cheese fork. Being on a budget I was afraid I'd get myself in trouble if I set one foot in there - buying more than I needed, all that my eyes were taking in, and more than my stomach could handle. So I waved at him from the door...'buon giorno' and dreamed of Fontina with bread and vino for lunch. And that was exactly what I had - cheese, bread and vino, followed by coffee and the sound of lilting Italian conversations all around me.

I was so excited by the slower pace - but I like slow! (it was after all August, when many Italians themselves are on holiday), the aromas, the sounds. I felt like I had the place to myself - at least it's what it felt like, Like Italy was there just for me...silly, blissfully contented me.

After spending most of the day in the market, it was on to find music. I was on a mission - which is always part of my travels: finding food ideas and music to bring back. I bring back music from every place I've ever visited, in CD's or in my memory. The music gives me a sound-track, helps me create places I can escape to, and replay them when I need to once I'm back home.

I also take music with me to leave behind. When I befriend the locals, and once I'm being invited to houses for dinner and celebrations (I'm so fortunate that this invariably happens, with the exception of London - not my best holiday - but there was a bright spot in Stratford Upon Avon, but that's another story) I share music and leave what my hosts enjoyed - I like leaving memories as well as bringing some back.

But back to Padua. Padua has one of the oldest universities in existence, the first law school to award a dottore di giurizprudenza - juris doctor degree – to a woman, and the first, and still operating, coffee house - of course it was smartly placed within walking distance of the several other universities in the central part of the city. Padua was also the home of Francesco Petrarch, inventor of the Italian Sonnet form and Mr. Shakespeare's counterpart. If you’ve ever read romantic Italian literature, or sonnets of unattainable love, then you no doubt know Petrarch. These things say a lot about Padua – a city ages ahead of the curve.

On the one hand, I'm happy that Padua wasn't infested with tourists like, say Venice or Verona - even in August. Padua was, and is, a cultural center. Unless you’re due for your annual pilgrims visit to la Basilica di Sant' Antonio, or checking out historic universities, law schools, old coffee houses, art (collection of works by Giotto) is your idea of getting your world rocked, your not likely to make your way to this Veneto gem. On the other hand, I wish more people could enjoy what Padua does have to offer - which is a lot.

It just occurred to me that I've been in the birth place of both Petrarch and Shakespeare - have probably walked on paths they walked, touched buildings they touched, picked up stones they tossed (okay, okay, highly improbable, but this is my daydream) stood in the very spot they stood in when each looked to the heavens and prayed, 'please, just one good line, one true sentence...it doesn't even have to be a beginning, or even an end - just one good line...'

Feeding my birds this morning, enjoying the quiet of the day, brought all this back. I think this is what that guy, the one who said the thing about '...two birds with one stone' really meant.