jaunt.Andcomparedto
neighbouringnations,there
wasa confidenceaboutliving
thegoodlifethatwaswholly
unique.I felt,rightaway,thatI
wasamongexpertsinlivingwell.
Evenasanimpoverishedstudent,
Venicewinedanddinedmein
style,asI tuckedintopumpkin
andsagetortelloniandsipped
Montepulcianod’Abruzzothat
tastedsogoodI couldn’tbelieve
I couldaffordit.Later,wandering
aroundwhatfeltlikea vast,
immersivearchaeologicalmuseum,
myownminorlifewoes–
impendingexamresults,a boy
whohadn’ttexted,mybaddye
job– wereallgentlybutfirmlyput
inperspective.Italianslivelarge,
andbylivinglarge,wecanmake
ourtroublesseemsmall.Mypaltry
worriesshrunkaway– embarrassed
- amidstthegrandeurofPiazza
SanMarco.Venicetaughtme
howtosilencemythoughts,by
pittingthemagainstsomething
muchbigger.
Thentherewasthetripto
Bologna,wheremyboyfriend
andI foundTheMarketWhere
EveryoneFlirtsWithEachOther.
Therewasnota singleexchange
wewitnessedthatwasn’tplayful,
cajoling,passionate.I watchedold
womengigglegirlishlyat bearded
armersaftera triumphanthaggle
vertomatoes;I heardchefs
houtingat fishmongersthe
wayonlyloversdo;I sawbaristas
mposeespressosonpassing
fficeworkers,asif theyknow
est,theircustomersshrugging
n submission.InBologna,I
marvelledasthesemastersof
oodlivinginfusedpleasure
ndpassionintoeveryverbal
nteraction.I learnttherethat
wecanplaylifestraightorwecan
layit forlaughs;Bolognaplays
fe withpassionandmischief.
A wintryweekendinNaples
witha friend,witha side-helping
f a (blissfullycrowd-free,in
off-season)Pompeiiis alsoone
ofmymostcherishedtravel
memories.Ina particularlybleak
midwinter,Napleswasa glorious
buffetofBaroquemelodrama,
redwine,ragùandsubterranean
gothiccreepiness.AllItaliancities
weartheirheartsontheirsleeve,
butNaples’sheartis thedarkest.
AndI fellhardforItaly’sgrittiest
andmostpolarisingcity,wherethe
spectreoftheCamorralingers,
homelessnessis rife,themuseums
andgalleriesshoutthe
tragichistoryof
massincineration,
politicalskirmishes
andmoral
corruption.
Becausesomehow,
thedarknessonlymade
thelightnessshinebrighter,the
turquoiseoftheBayofNaplesa
littlemoredazzling,thewine
a littleredder,thePompeiian
frescoesmoreornate.Through
itsdevastatinghistoryandgritty
devotiontoearthlypleasures,
Naplestaughtmethatlifebrings
bothpleasureandpain,but
thereis alwayspizza.
Morerecently,therewasa
triptotheAmalfiCoasttomeet
friendstravellingfromNew
Zealand,duringa periodthat
retrospectivelyI canseewasa bout
ofclinicaldepression.Intruth,I’d
beendreadingthistrip,assailedby
socialanxietythatI hadnothingto
contributetothegroup,thatI was
burntoutanddepletedandwould
onlybea drag.ButItalypickedup
theslack.Positanowassodazzling
thatI didn’tneedtobe.Thefood
wassodeliciousthatnobody
noticedif mydinnertimechat
wassubpar.And,whenI finally
relaxedintherealisationthatItaly
hadthiscovered,thatourholiday
wouldbea rip-roaringsuccess
regardlessofmymood,Italygently
reacquaintedmybenumbedsoul
withmysenses.ThroughAperol
Spritzes,seaswims,thelaughter
ofmyfriendsastheyordered
anotherbottleofprosecco,I slowly
recoveredmyjoiedevivre.Italy
liftedmyspiritsoutofthegutters
inGlasgow,dustedthemoffwith
a bracingspeedboattrip,and
plonkedmeatopa roofterrace
inCapri.ThattriptotheAmalfi
Coasttaughtmethatit’sokayto
arriveinyourholidaydestination
crawlingonyourknees;youcan
stillleavewalkingonair.I learnt
onthattriphowtotrulyholiday,
asopposedtothehardergraft
oftravelling.
Soyes,Italyhastaughtmehow
tolivea littlebetter.And,bybeing
theperfectdestination,Italytaught
mehowtotravel.●
Therewas a confidenceaboutlivingthe
good lifethat waswhollyunique. I felt,right
away,that I wasamongexperts inlivingwell.
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GOURMET TRAVELLER 133
The art of travel
ILLUSTRATIONS GETTY IMAGES.