Dearest readers,
I’m writing to you from Italy—in our four-story cottage overlooking this charming little fishing village on the coast. It’s been dreamy, the whole thing, From the pasta and gelato in Florence to the long walks through Venice, and finally, the restful views in this pretty little town.
The honeymoon has been lovely, but while Italy is romantic and perfect and beautiful in every way, it’s come with countless anti-romantic moments—such as accidentally thanking Italians in French, losing “shin splints” in translation and convincing someone my tibia was split in half, and don’t even get me started on avoiding the word “laxative” in an Italian pharmacy. . .
Austin and I arrived in Florence going on thirty hours of no sleep. You could say I was irritable and exhausted and very hungry. (Not to worry; I ate pasta for breakfast the next day, accompanied by wine. I wanted so badly to love Italian wine, but maybe I’m just a coffee girl through and through?)
Speaking of coffee, we strove for a coffee-and-pastry breakfast every morning in Florence and discovered the many cultural differences while ordering coffee. What do you mean vanilla iced lattes don’t exist here? All is well. Perhaps a cappuccino?
On the second try, Austin’s coffee was delivered to our table, only to find that a caramel latte is drastically different than the ones we find in America. My cappuccino, though, was—let me try this in Italian—sorprendente. (Amazing. Flat out amazing. Dare I say that Italian coffee is better than their wine? Don’t hate me….)
Anyway, by the time we made our way to Venice, I was pretty comfortable speaking the little Italian I knew, which was just “yes” and “thank you.” I absolutely ordered every meal in English, only to follow up with “Grazie,” feeling pretty sophisticated and proud that I hadn’t messed up and thanked them in French or Spanish. Now, when they responded to me in full-on Italian, and I stood under their gaze like a deer in headlight? I quickly pleaded, “English, English!”
Maybe I’m not as sophisticated as I think—Italy’s anti-romantics have proven that to me, especially the moment I got on a bus in Lerici and found that perhaps the NYC subway atmosphere exists on all public transportation. But let’s turn this column around and let me explain the way Italy looked outside of the awkward moments of M. M. Cochran.
Some beautiful things I mentally noted while under the Tuscan sun:
People kiss here—a lot. Locals and travelers alike. There is kissing here, and kissing passionately like no one is around.
There is wine starting at nine in the morning, and though I do not love the taste of alcohol, I love the poetics of someone sitting at a café with a glass of wine and a croissant.
I’ve seen several beautiful women here—hair flowing in the wind, long coats over hoodies—managing to carry a sense of elegance and refinement no matter where they walk.
Michelangelo’s David is breathtaking—worth waiting in the rain for. Worth sleeping on airport benches for. Worth four airplanes, three countries, a hundred trains, and thirty hours of no sleep for.
And while I haven’t felt homesick in the least, I’ve found myself looking forward to returning home with my husband—where I can drink classic American coffee again, cook cozy dinners after a day of writing articles for the Williamson Herald, and enjoy a climate that is just a bit warmer.
I called my mom one night in Venice and showed off my dinner of fresh pasta and vegetables, to which she responded, “I had a grilled cheese for lunch.” As funny as it was in the moment, here I am on the beautiful Gulf of Genoa thinking, “Man, I could really go for a grilled cheese.”
M.M. Cochran is the author of YA novel Between the Ocean and the Stars and has an educational background in English and creative writing. She has worked in the journalism industry, as well as the agenting and publishing industry, and she is currently a news reporter for The Greer Citizen. M.M. can be found collecting coffee mugs, slipping into an oversized sweater, and hanging out with her standard poodle. Her debut novel, Between the Ocean and the Stars, can be found online at Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. To keep up with her writing journey, follow her on Instagram @m.m.cochran_writer.
Featured image by Fineas Anton on Unsplash.
