Friends Play Gay Truth Or Dare

NEVER SAY WHAT ...

's French newspaper articles that my mother cut with care. .. they are the mirror in France, how to see and consider in particular Italy and the South

NOTES OF A ' SUMMER SPECIAL

I had promised the sea and mountains ... Yet there are ...

the morning you are at Cherbourg, France on up ... and six in the afternoon Tortora, down in Italy. Let cool Norman dog days and you face the Calabrian. Farewell sweaters and rain, hello undershirt and drought. You get used to new sounds ... those of the cicadas, for example ...
In the space of five kilometers, see the edge of the Mediterranean sand, gray and burning the houses that overlook the blue sea and clear ... you turn around, and then see lofty mountains towering over the houses. If t'inerpichi a bit 'steep massif, sees villages, suspended above the ravines and streams, which are natural beauties. These two photos were taken by me in much the same place. The third presents the historical center of Tortora.

During the early afternoon hours, there's the heat. So many people do the rest. You, the French, what you want do? Open the windows right? Does it seem normal. But no, you can not do! Otherwise, the flies and mosquitoes invade the house and enjoy a sense of your skin. You can even fall asleep in the sun, the sea, and wake up with burns indelible ...
The sea is bordered by several Lidi everywhere - bathrooms that are called to the north - with free access (where we were), and behind the Promenade allows you to make a nice evening stroll with the "girlfriend" (if you have one course). The Beaches are transformed into the stage on which all sing, dance "I hereby release the braids to the horses" [1], but other songs, Neapolitan or foreign. Evenings are alive. Even in "town center" is troubled. Must also say that the shops are open until "late" (as opposed to Norman times!), ie around 8 o'clock in the evening. Compared to France, everything is shifted over time. At sea, there were few people before ten o'clock in the evening. Part of the French eat at fixed hours, at 19h or 20h. Here instead is eaten by nine (in short, as my house). You will also notice a change in diet: I do not know, however, in northern Italy to the south eat lots of vegetables and little meat. It will be a barrage of different things while we French have a habit of eating our "entree" (which may be as an appetizer or a soup or Italian more), followed by the "plat de résistance ", the main meal (even heavy at times) then the cheese el'insalatina, before concluding with the" dessert ". Sometimes there will be the first course (the one made of pasta), sometimes not. The meat if there will often be rolled in bread crumbs. I was lucky ... eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers, melons, lemons ... all fresh, collected in the garden for every lunch and every dinner. Although I must say that breakfast is less important here than in France. Here a coffee would be enough (niet fresh baguette) with a snack (NB: This is the result of a perception and not go in any case considered as a generality).

also from other parts of Italy, but more so in southern Italy, you can not 'fail to recognize a strong Roman Catholic roots, reinforced the importance of the Church during prerisorgimentale the country, because there is so much in the festivities of the patron saint as in the minds of almost everyone. When you enter a house, you're almost sure to find an icon of Padre Pio, in fact, you see it everywhere. The churches, even in a small town, are many. A Tortora country (we are in the province of Cosenza), are three. At another level, as are several in a city with Maratea 44 churches. We went to Maratea (province of Potenza), is a beautiful city, which sits atop the mountains on the border between the Campania and Calabria. At the top is the old town, on the precipice, down is the port to which access was impossible for us because there were too many people. To reach the historic center, one must pass through the narrow maze, but from the view is amazing. Micah went to the statue of St. Blaise, a work that attempted to build on that of Rio de Janeiro. But already, the old town is beautiful and night, with all the lights, looks like a crib.

Italy as the French think is more or less what appeared to me. During three weeks, I've seen confirmed some stereotypical ideas from us: the narrow streets in villages, where the floor is made of marble, whose life is quiet, which older people are seated on the central square, under the umbrellas waiting for flow time, perhaps to make the gossips, the idea that all will be well known, there is a relationship between two guys in a country. It may happen that a whole family deal with a neighborhood. There will be a house occupied by his father, mother and children, on the ground floor, with his grandparents on the first floor, the neighbors will be uncles and cousins. When talking about family values, it is not a cliché . I also think that the French mind, an Italian driver will instinctively likened to a pirate of the road ... to the point than that, a newly licensed driver and Paris seem amateur. There are indeed automobilistacci, as elsewhere around the world, but in my opinion, in Italy, their leader based on his "prudence."

A little 'History.
Maybe I stepped on land that my ancestors a thousand years ago have also stepped on, because between 1020 and 1120, the Normans, whose leaders were natives of Coutances, a city close to mine, they set out to conquer Italy South. They came in that part of Italy after the Romans, Greeks, Barbarians (The Lombards): We are talking about the Brothers Altavilla ( Hauteville in French, by the name of their country of origin). That is why Norman towers, like the one located on the island of Dino [2], Dicor along the seafront. But also built castles as Cosenza, Cosenza, Calabria, the ancient master. Calabria in the substrate, there are some French words that testify to that time and the influences of the conquerors who have scored. For example, the pot in a Calabrian dialect, we say Casserole.


Island Dino


Norman Towers




[1] to lyrics Umberto Balsamo Balla
[2] Dino Island (also called Rock of Venus) first belonged to the family lambs. Now it is the state, but is not clearly defined (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9TY9wMsdnA). A boat can 'go around it but does not allow access.
[Dino Island is the larger of two islands Calabresi and the other is the Isle of Cirencester. It rises on the northwestern coast of the Tyrrhenian Calabria, opposite the town of Praia a Mare in the province of Cosenza, the Capo of the Arena south of the country. Its name derives from the fact that the island was a temple (aedina) dedicated to Venus. Hypothesis is that it derives its name dall'etimo greek "dynamic" or vortex storm. In fact they were a dangerous time for the sailors in days of rough seas, the waters next to the tip of South Island, called Pronto.
It covers 50 acres with a maximum altitude of 100 meters. In the northern slope, facing head of the Arena, there is a small dock from which a road that leads to a development of 1,700 meters in the cottages in the upper part of the island. He sides with cliffs over 80 feet tall and some quite steep at the base of which is below that above sea level, erosion on the limestone has created many caves including that of the "Monaco", the "Sardines" where there are stalagmites, "Waterfalls", the "Lion "and finally the" Grotta Azzurra "which is the largest. But the most interesting cave on the island, although only accessible to experienced divers, Gargiulo is the Cave, which opens at 18 meters below the sea surface and extends deep into the island for a few tens of meters, completely submerged, with the except for two air bubbles. Access to part of the cave is also not advisable to subacqei, except to experts in cave diving.]