When in Italy
Italy - ah - get a dictionary - find all the adjectives - positive and negative - line them all up beside each other like dominos - and that pretty much tells you how it was.
First week and the Eurogate workshop were challenging confronting and unbelievable. Lake Como and the surrounding villages were like a fairytale with sledgehammer beauty. I uttered many a Bellismo upon my arrival. How embarrassment to have such a limited vocabulary. he he he. The language barrier really posed a challenge as I simply couldn't communicate with anyone and that bothered me no end. I realise that that is my THING - I need to communicate comprehensively and I couldn't charm impress or amuse anyone in English. So it was SI - GRAZIE - and lots of smiling. The flashing of cleavage also helped much. :-)
I detoxed from Diet Coke - 19 days fog free - yeah!!! So my first few days in Como were migraine and nausea filled but it was worth it! Everything closes in Italy from midday until 4pm for the traditional midday gluttinous pig out. 2nd day - I ran out of panadol at 12.30pm and freaked out that I couldn't find a Farmaccia that was open. By 4pm I was in a bad state - I no longer attempted to be polite in Italian - the chemist took one look at me - Hair askew, eyes hanging down to my kneed and in unstylish dishevellment - I very slowly and firmly said MAL DE TESTA COMPRESSOH PER FAVORE getting louder with each word. He rambled something back in fast Italian and all I could do was grab his shirt and repeat myself dramatically. He grabbed a box of something and escorted me out the door. He he he!!! I mustve looked a fright. I took 3 pills and slept for 16 hours missing my first bit of the workshop. chemical haze.................yeah...........
Every person I met in Como was a significant actor in my particular illusion matrix - I met spiritual healers, practitioners, speakers, trainers, actors, alchemists, magicians, witches, artists and enlightened beings. What a parada!
The second week was in Tuscany in a tiny isolated village - could have been the Himalayas it was so high and so removed from reality. Vellano is one of the 10 Castelli and over 1600 years old. I was submerged in the culture traditions customs and of course the Pasqua Easter festivals. It was brilliant. I loved being part of the community and totally existed on the kindness of strangers. I felt alive aligned and in tune with nature. Most of the old nonnas practice pagan craft so that was enlightening I tell you!!! My villa was inhabited by the ghost of the previous owner - a villager that was killed by the nazis in 1945. He wasnt malevolent just interested in getting my attention. Only 500 people living in the village and over each entrance door hung the freemasons symbol. Very interesting stuff happening in that place.
Third week in Florence was jam packed. I know that city back to front now. It has become my home town. They speak a little English there so it was easier. By the time I left the village however My Italian was markedly improved. However its not the words. It's the mythology the attitude the culture and the philosophy with their communication. It would take a lifetime to really communicate in their level. My hotel room in Florence opened up to a terrace which faced the Duomo one street away. Florence oozes Art Beauty History Language Culture from every pore. I was in heaven. Took a Chianti Winery Tour with a small group of people. The tour guide I'm sure had alzeimhers and kept forgetting what she was describing. "Here is a 12th century - ah - er - um - oh look theres a deer - ah - er - um - one day I found some beautiful irises - ah - er - where are we again?" OMG - she got us lost in the middle of Tuscany for two hours. The driver was objecting and she just bullied him into taking some obscure dirt road up some gorgeous mountain arriving in some unknown ancient village. How funny! Missed my italian cooking class that night as it took forever just to get back on track again on the tour.
Only in Italy.
Tuscany was settled by the Etruscans who had Greek origins. Florence therefore embraced a Neo Platonic philosophy in the renaisance era. I realised that this is an ancient version of The Secret. Which by the way was talked about by every single person I met!!! In the Uffizzi, I saw many signs and symbols used in the art which was masonic, kabbalistic and even illuminati!!! In the 18th century every single artist, author, scientist and enterpreneur in the western world hung out in Florence. The energy there is incredible - like living The Secret every second. It seeps from every pore in that city and in the people's attitude to life. Florentines expect beauty and wealth and dont accept anything outside of this illusion.
Challenges - I really felt homesick and missed the company and closeness of my children. Not being able to communicate and speak was a great challenge for me! I didnt realise just how much I love to talk. However I got to know myself very well, did heaps of writing and really enjoyed my own company. Yet wherever I went the Italians made such a big deal of a woman eating alone in a ristorante. That was uncomfortable. "Una?" and quickly remove the other cutlery with dramatic effect - ugh - I ate in this magical little café in front of Palazzo Vecchio - near the statue of David - and this waiter just continued with "Ah that's right its just you" "No shes alone" "Only one here" the entire meal. No tip from me. Couldve slapped him! :-) Met heaps of people though, many girls travelling alone yet no guys travelling alone. In fact had only two conversations with 2 guys the entire trip. Really learned so very much, had quite a number of mystical experiences (I actually went to church on Easter Sunday), was invited to speak at heaps of seminars coming up (Italy and Ireland) and really had a wonderful time.
Not one awful thing happened. Not one. The energy was balanced the entire time. One old nonna is the Vellano village declared that I must be protected by invisible angels as I had nothing but good fortune every moment.
Was it the magic of Italy or my magical belief about being in Italy?
