Some observations

Ok so I've been here in Dinami (southern Italy) for week and a half now and there are several things that have really stuck out to me. The following is a list of said things, reasons why southern Italy is super cool.

Terrain:

It's way more mountainous than I was expecting. Imagine bigger than Appalachia and smaller than the Rockies but with beautiful beaches everywhere!

Climate:

It's literally in the 70's and 80's for all but three months out of the year. There's not much humidity, the sun is brighter, the air cleaner, and the earth more nutritious for all flora.

Gelato:

You might be saying to yourself, yeah but it's basically just ice cream! Well maybe but it's super creamy, its served everywhere, you eat it in Italy, and who doesn't like ice cream?!

Popped collars:

That's right, home boy ain't scared to pop that collar real hard. This fashion trend is mostly seen in the college crowd but I've definitely seen some 30 somethings ridin that collar real high. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but now I'm just proud of everyone for really goin for it!

Man purses aka murses:

I mean, they just make me smile. There's even a word for them, borsello: a man's handbag or purse. My friend Brownrygg is about the only person I know who can really pull off the murse but its definitely more the norm here. Brown, if you're reading this know that you would super fit in here!

Dependency on the earth:

Basically everyone has a garden/orchard/olive grove. Every time I've eaten at Guiseppe's or Stefano's, basically everything has been grown, raised, or made by them or a family member. They have respect for the land and what it provides which is something I hope to always hold onto.

Knowledge that is passed down through generations:

All the older people just seem to know how to do everything! From wine making, bread baking, and the cultivation of literally everything to soap making, repairing anything, and of course cooking. Whenever I ask Guiseppe or Stefano or Anna how long they've been doing something or where did they learn, the answer is always that they've been doing it their whole life and were taught by their parents. 

Food:

Lets just talk about this for a second, everything I eat here is incredibly delicious and fresh! (Refer to the previous points for the reasoning behind this) not only that but because we're so close to the sea, you get lots of fresh fish, scallops, mussels, etc along with all kinds of meat, vegetables, and fruit. Pair that with the fact that they feed you until you just have to say no thanks and you've got a few extra pounds!

The people:

The two families that I spend my time with are some of the most caring, giving, and welcoming people I've ever met. I'm sure not everyone in Italy is this way but even the people I interact with in town are super nice and hospitable. Whenever I go to someone's house, for the first time or not, they always have me sit down and give me something to eat and drink. I don't think I'm the only one treated this way either, it's just a very giving community.

Olive oil:

There are olive groves everywhere!!! The olive oil here is so good and so cheap, it's enough for me to want to live here. Right now I have a liter water bottle full of oil that someone just gave to me, yes please!

Pride for country:

Sure, every country has its flaws but Italians love their country and will stand by it. Giuseppe is always showing me around the many, many towns in Calabria (the region Dinami is a part of) and he's always asking me if I like what we're doing or seeing. He's just so excited to show me how incredibly beautiful his country is and I appreciate so much his eagerness to show it off.

The vehicles:

Everyone drives a super small car or truck or Vespas or weird three wheeled truck things. Fiat is literally everywhere! All the cars and trucks are diesel and standard transmissions, they're just more efficient. 

The rustic nature of everything:

So I don't really like using the term "rustic" cause it sounds pretty pretentious, but it definitely defines southern Italy. The earthy colors everywhere, the tomatoes and onions hanging onside most houses, the tiny cobblestone streets, the smells, and the culture in general just define rustic.

Volcanoes:

They have active volcanoes here...for real. They're all of the coast a bit and pretty big. The tallest is around 11,000 ft, that's what's up

Espresso:

It's strong, it's delicious, and its everywhere! Espresso after every meal is just what you do and if you don't like coffee just deal with it!

Few tourists:

Most of the tourists go to northern Italy so that's just nice. I know I'm basically a tourist but it's nice to feel like I'm actually living in the culture. It also helps that Dinami is a town of about 3,000 so it's not exactly a destination but it should be!

In summation, get here cause its unlike anything you'll ever experience.

Life lessons with Guiseppe

"Piano Ryan, piano." This is a phrase that i've heard from Guiseppe on more than one occasion. Piano, pronounced pee-yah-noh, means slowly. I hear it sometimes when we're walking, or I'm trying to help with something, or Guiseppe is repeating a word/phrase to me for the third time. Im realizing that here in Dinami, life in general is much slower than what I'm used to and this is allowing me to live in every moment. I'm not saying this to sound deep or profound because it literally feels like I've been here for two or so weeks when it has only been five days. The days don't drag by I just lose track of time, as in it never fails to be a couple hours later than I think it is. This lifestyle has been a great change for sure, not that a fast paced life is bad, I'm just realizing how much more can be experienced if you just slow down. Piano, piano.

Examples of living piano that I've seen/experienced:

• meals always last at least an hour and are filled with food, laughter, stories, and more food.

• just about everyone here has an extensive garden and orchard and relies heavily upon them for food throughout the year. Obviously much time is spent on that garden to table process

• Guiseppe made wine yesterday using an old process that, according to Fabio, isn't being learned by the next generation. It involved boiling the juice in giant pots over a wood fire for about four hours, this being one step among many. 

• everyone has a clothes line, self explanatory 

• whenever Guiseppe and I are walking around town, we always take time to stop and talk to literally everyone 

Piano. 

Big ol bite

"Dove siamo?" I ask the man sitting next me on the train. Having fallen asleep in en route I needed to know where we were. Fortunately I hadn't missed my stop and this the train ride continues. See what's crazy is that I'm on a train traveling through Italy...how did that happen? 

Ho molto lavoro! In Italian this means "I have a lot of work to do" and I for one definitely have a lot of work to do in regard to many things. One of my greatest fears is that ill go through life without actually living so why not do something about it! I never really liked all the sayings about life giving you lemons but if i was to come up with one it'd probably be something like this. "If life gives you a lemon, laugh in its face and tell it you'll be having grape drank!" P.s if grape drank doesn't mean anything to you but this is my blog and all dave chappelle references are in. Not quite sure how to interpret that lemon saying but I think I'm trying to say that no matter what juice or drank you're making, you'll still drink juice in the end. Basically I can't let life choices overwhelm me or be bogged down by the countless paths one can take in life. As long as I'm not being stagnant, I capitalize on opportunities, I pour into people, and I go hard in whatever I'm doing, ill end up experiencing life and not just going through the motions. I have a lot of work to do.

Kind of just going for it got me a job at bluegrass baking company and working there opened up this opportunity to work at a bakery in Italy which is why I'm on a train in Italy if you didn't know that already. I don't have much of an idea of what I'll be doing but I'm super excited at the prospect gaining European baking skills. Stefano, the baker, uses a wood fired stove so ill probably be chopping wood hopefully along with the baking. I will have a lot of work to do. I titled this post big ol bite cause right now as we travel through the Italian country side, past vineyards, red roofed villages, and rolling hills, I truly feel like I'm taking the biggest bite out of life that I can.