"You may have the universe if I may have Italy" (-Guiseppe Verdi)

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”

(-Sydney J Harris)

In Italy, you cannot help but notice the windows. They often have shutters that lift outwards, or they’re opened with the ubiquitous geraniums perched on the ledges inside, or sometimes, they’re wide open with people leaning out of lacy curtains, chatting with other people on the ground below. Many have laundry strewn from one window to another, giving onlookers a voyeuristic view of who the inhabitants are, by the clothes that hang so languidly in the sun.

In an essay in the NY Times, under his "At Home Abroad" column, Anthony Lewis once said: "...Italy is evidence that there is more to life--a civilized life--than the unregulated competition of the market. There are values of humanity, culture, beauty, community that may require deviations from the cold logic of market theory. So I am convinced after spending some weeks in Italy this summer."

Italians know how to live in the moment. They savor what’s before them, from the glorious art that surrounds them in piazzas, to the flavors in the foods and wines they produce and consume, to the conversations they’re engaged in, at that moment. Their buildings are ancient, and they have an enormous pride in them, and recognize their magnificence. Italy's natural world of mountains, hillsides, lakes, and canals throughout the countryside are just breathtakingly beautiful. While the Italians want to be successful, they don’t want that at the expense of beauty, and they’re not concerned with development, because they don’t want to lose what is a true sense of community. Farms are not huge conglomerates the way they typically are here in America. Businesses are profitable, but not cut-throat, for the most part. Cafes and trattorias are more interested in a steady, reliable, relaxed clientele than in a fancy name. Certainly there are exclusive leather goods shops and fashion centers, like Milan, but even there, la famiglia is the center of the business, as a rule.

I found that very endearing while I traveled throughout Italy. I’ve been to numerous other countries, and thoroughly enjoyed them all, but I had a visceral response to Italy that I’ve never felt in any other place.

I guess I agree with Guiseppe Verdi, who said, “You may have the universe if I may have Italy.”

Those Italians could teach us a thing or two.