A Tuscan State of Mind
by Vicki Landes
Sometimes traveling isn't just
about going to a destination; it's a state of mind. Physically, I've been
trapped in South Carolina for seven months now while mentally I try and
put myself back in my favorite European places. One of my very favorites
is the Tuscany region of Italy. While the city in South Carolina is a blistering
desert of concrete, Tuscany radiates a rejuvenating warmth that washes
over you like the rolling green of the hills.
| Since I'm currently unable
to experience the area in person, I can only do what I can to substitute
the experience. CDs full of pictures taken during my travels bring back
stifled laughs and fond memories. The coffee table books I've collected
over the years are so full of intense color and vivid landscape scenes
that it makes my ache even worse. I even read "Under the Tuscan Sun" this
week (which isn't done justice by the movie). Mayes is such a descriptive
writer. She does such a perfect job bringing the area to life and I believe,
deserves much credit for putting Cortona on the map. Her book stirs memories
of my one day in this little town - hot chocolate and pastries at a little
café in the morning, gelato under a patio umbrella in the pouring
rain, and linen shopping after the sun triumphed over the stubborn clouds.
It almost makes me forget that my 'gelato' is now Eddy's or something from
Dairy Queen. |
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I also try to substitute
with cooking - of course, I'm far from the authentic cuisine I once savored
in the local family-owned restaurants. Tortellini al forno, penne al'arabiatta,
even plain old spaghetti marinara is a work of art in Tuscany. I throw
basil around like it's going out of style, get all giddy when I find a
sweet gorgonzola or pecorino cheese at the grocery store, and keep Verdi
on full volume while I create my own personal Italy in the kitchen. Fortunately,
I've been able to bring back the very best extra virgin olive oil in the
entire country - La Macchia. The green, aromatic oil tastes so fresh and
so light that you taste what you are meant to taste - the fruit of the
olive tree - and not something reminiscent to wheel bearing grease. So
even if my bruschetta is made from imported North Carolina tomatoes, South
Carolina french bread, parmesan from Kraft, and dried basil from a lousy
little plastic jar (out of fresh basil again...), I still have my beautiful
drizzling Tuscan olive oil.
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Italians also understand
and appreciate the concept of 'breaks' (and not the 15 minute kind). Time
doesn't rule a Tuscan's day, rather it revolves around life at the moment.
I rush from one end of my current hometown to the other, running errands
and trying to make it to appointments on time - in Italy, being late is
'normale'. And when it gets to lunchtime, there's no rushing through the
meal and then jumping back into a schedule. Between the shining sun at
its zenith and a full stomach that's pulling you into a food coma, the
day calls for a siesta. This ingenious concept not only refreshes the body
but it literally pulls your mind into another world. Why fret about the
next two hours when everyone else's life has also come to a relaxing standstill?
Daydream, watch the tall grasses blow in the wind, or drink a cappuccino
among friends with a vineyard as a backdrop. Until the notion of a daily
siesta takes hold in America, I attempt to create my own with plastic patio
furniture and a Coca-Cola...that is, until the phone starts to ring with
endless telemarketers anxious to sell me siding or refinance my mortgage. |
There are just some places
that feed your soul and remain in your heart no matter where you go. The
rise and fall of the graceful hills, the glittery silver-green leaves of
the olive trees, the way the aged bricks glow in the last rays of the evening
sun all call me back for more. In the meantime, though, I'll remain in
a Tuscan state of mind. See more of Europe's hidden treasures in "Europe
for the Senses - A Photographic Journal" by Vicki Landes and available
on Amazon.com. http://www.EuropeForTheSenses.com
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About the Author: Initially
a skeptic, Vicki Landes was not thrilled when her military husband moved
her and their new baby to Stuttgart, Germany - in fact, she went kicking
and screaming. She quickly took to Europe and ended up living in Germany
for a full seven years. During that time, Landes became an avid world traveler
and published author. "Europe for the Senses - A Photographic Journal"
is her first book.
http://www.EuropeForTheSenses.com |
