Vietri . . .

. . . to Amalfi

Today, Mrs. B and I took a road trip from Napoli to Vietri to Amalfi, then back over the mountains to Napoli.

Looking uphill, we saw views like these:

Downhill views looked like this:

Our smiles looked like this:

We had lunch in a very nice ristorante in Ravello, well up the hill from Amalfi. Even though the tourist season is almost over, we sat next to a family from Inverness, Scotland, one from Allen, TX, and two from Boston, MA. The rest of the room was filled with Italiani.

The drive was fine, notwithstanding the narrow, winding roads. The only distraction was the never-ending whine of motorcycles. They treat these mountain roads like their own private grand prix.

Next season, we plan to go back and stay for a couple of days.

Buon Day . . .

. . . or Good Giorno?

I don't really feel that I have progressed enough with my Italiano lessons. However, I have come to the point where I speak neither Italiano or Inglese, but rather Inglesiano or Italiese.

English words mixed with whatever proper Italiano I can remember. My employees think it's progress. What do you think?

Lezioni di Italiano . . .

. . . are kicking my butt.

I'm not being parochial here, being a lifelong English speaker, but why should ALL nouns have a gender?

Bambino (baby boy) and Bambina (baby girl) make perfect sense. So do amico (male friend) and amica (female friend). Even better, because Italians can say in one word where it takes us two.

Mela (apple) is OK because there was Eve, the garden, and all that.

Macchina (automobile) and barca (boat) make a little sense. We sometimes refer to our cars as "the old girl," and all ships are called "she."

But, please explain why penna should be feminine. It's a thing, not a she. Worse yet, you pluralize it by replacing the a with an e, and have penne for more than one pen. But make sure you pronounce the nn double consonant. Pen-nah, if you please. Yesterday, I asked my professoressa di italiano for a pen. Hai una penna? Had I said, hai un pene, she would have denied, with righteous indignation, possessing that particular piece of equipment.

Another double consonant trap is set by anno (year). Mio bambino ha un anno (my baby boy is one year old) is perfect. Mio bambino ha un ano is anatomically correct, but should not be said in polite company.

Non ho nessuno comprensione.

Stating . . .

. . . the obvious

John Kerry, worrying about some democrats turning away from Obama, said, "We have an electorate that doesn't always pay that much attention to what's going on so people are influenced by a simple slogan rather than the facts or the truth or what's happening."

John, don't you realize that is precisely what elected Barry in the first place?

Good questions . . .

. . . easy answer

In 2009, as unemployment soared under Obama, the U.S. government issued 1.131 million green cards, 808,000 of them for immigrants of working age, the fourth highest number of foreign workers brought into this country in history.

Why, with 25 million Americans unemployed or underemployed, are we importing a million foreign workers? Why are we not sending the illegals back, as President Eisenhower did, and imposing a moratorium on new immigration, as FDR did, to save American jobs for American workers?

- Patrick J. Buchanan

Because the party in power relies on the Hispanic vote to stay in power. And, a significant proportion of the Hispanic vote believes that ANY action on immigration (legal or illegal) is racist.

Any more questions?

Sometimes, I wonder . . .

. . . about bureacrats

Belay that - it's not true. I always wonder about bureacrats.

Even though I technically qualify as one.

Today, we had an urgent - and by urgent, I mean a "get it here right now" - data request from our minders in Washington.

D.C., that is.

The urgent request, you ask?

Please review this list of facilities and advise us:

a. If they are still in service, and,

b. Why are they not on the register of historic places?

Perhaps that someone in Dee Cee should have noticed:

a. That we are in freakin' Italy, not the U.S., so these facilities would not be eligible for the register,

b. That Italy has shoes older than our entire country.

Dullards.

They give us all a bad name.

An offer . . .

. . . I couldn't refuse.

Two of my direct report local nationals had planned a trip to begin negotiations on a rather large lease that must be renegotiated by March next. They asked if I would like to come along.

Friday. Nice day. Road trip. Why not?

Good choice.

The meeting was held at Signore and Signora G's casa at the lease site. This is not their main home - just a get-away place in the hills. Some get-away! Although rather small and attached to some of the maintenance and storage buildings at the lease site, it was amazingly elegant on the inside. Arches and vaults and marble and tiles. Antique furniture filled every room.

It wasn't so much a meeting as a visit. It was pleasant conversation followed by a little business followed by pleasant conversation and espresso on the terrazza.

Signore and Signora G are both from old-line Napoli familes, and were perfect hosts. Elegant is the only description I can muster. They even listened patiently while I tried to answer some of their questions about me and my family in my fractured Italiano.

It took me back to the times when I was very young and in the homes of my grandparents and their friends. It was a totally different world.

Oh, and I don't drink coffee, but I absolutely would not have refused that cup of espresso. I was prepared to grit my teeth and get it over with, but it wasn't half bad. Not that I intend to be a coffee drinker. That was my first drink of coffee in 49 years and I don't intend to make it a regular event.