san archangelo

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For all of you who put positive thoughts out for me to find my friend, cristian... it worked! yesterday afternoon i gat a call at the hostel from him. he came over to rimini with wife and baby girl(ciao emily) and took me to his village of san archangelo. yesterday happened to be "il fiesta del flur" and the whole town was out and about the town. they were all walking and taking and everywhere i went it was "ciao" and "bona sera" to me, a total stranger.

The first stop we made was at a gelatorria, icecream shop. The experiance was akin to the floor of the NYSE. People with tickets in their hands waving wildely to get the attention of one of the gelato girls. Total pandamonium. A stark contrast to the tranquility of the streets. but these people take their gelato seriously and after i had some, i know why. it was maybe the best ive ever had in my life. i say maybe because one must remove the "italy factor" where in everything tastes better when your in italyeither way it was awesome. Then we meander about the cobbled stone streets and looked at all the photos displayed around town of the town and its people through its many historical phases.

When we reached the highest point in town, overlooking the entire area, i stopped for a moment and just admired the simplistic beauty of the small town encircled by what must have been 8 magnificiant castle on the surrounding hills. It was an image i think only an american could truly appriciate as we have nothing like it in our country. the lifestyle here is infectious. you just want to drop everything and move here, to try and consume its aura. but this again is the "italian factor".

so on we went, and return to cristians house. he was able to contact another friend of ours, thomas, so we all met up for dinner at a local restarante. A "restarante tipico"(typical) as cristain called it. everything was, gelato tipico de italia, calle tipico de italia, wanting to show me how their lives really past. So we ate, and ate, and had wine, and ate some more. it was the italiano i thought to be tipico, with the "your so thin, eat, manga!" then the apertifo, and cigaretta.

so i said good night to thomas and his girl anna, and we agreed to meet on tuesday for drinks. I return to cristains house and stayed the night. we walked the streets near his home and talked of how things are and were in italy. Upon retiring for the evening, i was consumed by a sense of bliss one rarely has time for in the states. To be able to have these simple moments of contentment with your world around you. to be happy, for your own sake. I hope i can carry this feeling with me for my whole life to come.

and with that ill leave you for now. ill put the picture up in a few minutes. be sure to take a look, and maybe youlle get some idea of what i mean by "italian factor".

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Comments

[sara]

wow
"calle tipico" oh my god, i walked up and down that street so many times that summer, bobby, the picture freaked me out! hasnt changed at all. you should have taken pictures of his house. which room did you sleep in? i hope cristina is around, i told her so much about you. i cant believe you are there, this is surreal. thanks for going full circle. love, sara

[sara]

calle tipico
this is the second comment on more or less the same topic, i dont think the last one went through... bobby it cant be a coincidence that you took that picture of "calle tipico" standing at that exact spot. I have that scene imprinted in my soul. when i saw it i was instantly trasported there. i remember that exact view, the pink, yellow and beige buildings and the tower in the back. i looked up and saw it so many times over that summer with cristian and with cristina. things like this keep me from being a complete atheist. have some piadina (sp) for lunch one day, its a regional specialty.