Arrivederci no - Ciao si

"Signore, would you please answer a question?"

"Si"

"Back in America I have been watching videos and listening to CDs on Italian language. Would you please explain the difference between 'arrivederci' and 'arriverderla'?"

"Arrivederci is good bye to many people, arrivederla is just one. But why not say, ciao?"

"I thought ciao was only for family and close friends?"

As my favorite waiter poured the last drops of wine, he said with a twinkle in his eye, "Si, signora".

Trip, vacation, holiday. Paraphrasing Curley from the movie City Slickers, "You city folk come out here all tied up in knots and try to unwind them in two weeks...". My 10 day Tuscan visit has drawn to a close. Thankfully the plane ride home and navigating Charles de Gaulle airport was rather uneventful. Eric from City Cab was waiting for us usual just after we cleared customs to whisk us back to Port Huron and our everyday lives. The limo was quiet as we rushed past the dark landscape and countless billboards(something I did not miss on the Autostrada). The past 18 hours were as blurred as the landscape, but as I stared out the window - the last 10 days were perfectly clear.

Greve en Chianti - I was slightly less freaked out than the last time David wound the rental van up the narrow mountain road. (David was enjoying a little game I'll call, 'Let's see if we can find that turn out where you opened your car door and almost fell down the mountain'). As we entered Greve we all waved at the 'stamp machine' from our previous visit(see blog entry 'How to humiliate yourself in multiple time zones'), on our way to Verrazzano winery. Several hours and several bottles of Chianti Classico later, I was much more relaxed as we wound our way back down the mountain to the villa.

Assisi - It was the singing that drew me in. My stomach had just loudly reminded me it was about lunch time and the rain was continuing to come down in sheets. Earlier in the morning we had entered the basiica through the Upper Church and had seen the lovely frescoes depicting the saint's life. We continued to the Lower Church and visited the crypt of St. Francis. I was crossing the courtyard to a waiting cafe across the street, when from the Upper Church's open doorway the music washed over me. My feet on their own changed directions back into the Upper Church. It lead me past the ornate altar and the Giotto frescoes to a small chapel in the back of the church. There I found the source of the singing. A Franciscan brother leading mass for about 50 Japanese tourists. It was easy to see he didn't speak Japanese and they didn't speak Italian. But through the ancient language of the church, Latin - they could share in worship. As the service ended, he bowed to them and they came forward to shake his hands. It literally gave me chills to watch.

Cortona - Land of Frances Mayes and Under the Tuscan Sun. Cortonna despite being a famous literary destination, maintains its gritty reality. Cortonnans (Cortanese?) were out in full force at the Saturday market. A very pleasant memory for me was conversing in my halting Italian with the produce vendor. It took a few minutes, some hand gestures and writing, but the fresh Sicilian oranges were worth it.

Florence - In a first for me, we visited Tuscany's capital on three seperate days. The first was Pitti Palace and the tumble down the stairs by a group member(see 'Il Popolo' entry). The second was spent in further investigation of the great Medici family (see 'I never met a Medici I didn't like' entry) The final day was spent in il Giardino Boboli - the Boboli Gardens. Boxwood knot gardens, statues of Roman gods, and a grotto - all floating on a cloud above the great city Firenze.

Figline Val D'Arno - the best for last. If you Google it, you won't find much. Maybe a couple of lines about the city church or how the University of Florence has a medical program at the local hospital. Or even about the local football team's winning year (but, don't try and buy a jersey. When I inquired from a Florentine football jersey vendor - he said "But Madam, Florence plays Madrid, Berlin, Rome it is an 'A' Figline, well there is 'B', 'C', 'D' 'E'....I don't know how far down they are - you need to buy a Florence jersey). You won't read about CD Cafe with it's black and white interior and genunine smiles from the owners. Or Pizza Antica - where you can buy (2)pizzas for 5 people for under $20 (not Euros - 20 dollars). Or even the magical Co-op Supermarket, where everything you would find in a drug store, Walmart, and grocery store, in a store the size of a Chuck E Cheese. You'll be able to find Villa Casagrande if you Google it. But with all the history and beauty you won't find the villa's real treasures: Lara, Francesca, Vivi, Stefano, Kirsten, the night manager who called the hospital, the night manager who happily gave us directions everywhere, the maintenance guy and maid who called Buon Giorno to us each day as we left on our adventures. No these are things you will have to discover for yourself.

So for me it is 'ciao' Figline Val D'Arno - never 'arriverderci'.