Something so very Italian...

I forgot to mention something that is so very Italian: the Passigiatta !!

On Sunday afternoons (mainly) & on public holiday afternoons, families & friends will dress up in their Sunday best & head to the local Piazza. There, they will meet at the local café for a coffee, a drop of the local, a shot of grappa; they will meet to discuss what’s been happening at home; they will meet to discuss how much they hate the Prodi government; they will meet for a general chin-wag...and...they will meet to check out everyone else doing exactly the same thing.

After the coffee, they will wander the streets together (gelato in hand) to window shop & browse the latest fashions, games, books, CDs...all the while, checking out everyone else doing the same thing.

If you thought being under-dressed in Milan was bad enough, try being under-dressed in Turin during the Passigiatta !!

It’s just one of those things that makes me laugh everytime I see it (& make me feel very under-dressed at the same time).