Simple Italy

Celebrating Your Inner Italian

The Inner Italian Q & A: Melissa Muldoon

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One in an occasional series of Q & A profiles of  “wannabe” Italians


MelissaMuldoon
Melissa Muldoon is a freelance graphic designer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through her firm, Melissa Design, she creates graphics  for Web and print.  Raised in the Midwest, she studied studio art and history at Knox College. At the University of Illinois at Champaign, she worked as a teaching assistant and earned a Masters degree in Art History. Deciding she’d rather be “doing” art rather than “talking” about art, she pursued a career as a graphic designer. She is married to Patrick Muldoon and has three boys and a beagle. Her passion for art opened the door to Italy for her. During college she participated in a study abroad program in Florence and discovered a country full of history, culture and tradition, yet overflowing with contemporary style and quirky idiosyncrasies. Her love for art brought her “home” to Italy for the first time.

Q: Living “Italian”. . . Is it a great way to live or the greatest way to live?

A: Ma dai! Non c’e’ un modo migliore! Come on! There is no better way to live!  

Q: Why?

A: Let me just start off by saying I am a classic type A personality. I am impatient, competitive and a list maker. I don’t know what I like better, adding things to my “to do” list or checking them off.  I’m usually up late finishing a project or starting the next. I zoom from one appointment to the next and despise sitting in traffic or wasting time at stoplights. Now, while a type A lifestyle is great for getting things accomplished and moving ahead in life,  it may not be the sanest way to live.

Fortunately for me, I found Italy and discovered how to “live Italian.” Italy is my alter ego. It balances out my yin and yang. When I am in Italy, time slows down and I relax. I let go and go with the flow. My senses are reawakened and my creative side is nurtured and flourishes. I savor meals and notice things like the multi-colored marzipan pastries elegantly displayed in the panetterie and bars, or the wheels of cheese stacked up like oversized building blocks in the corner markets. I feel the cobblestones, worn and rounded by time, under my feet. I hear the clang of the church bells and the ronzare of the Vespa bikes. I meet the most interesting people, Italian locals and fellow travelers, and develop long lasting friendships.

Settimo Dalla Ricca escorts us through the Grana Padana Cheese factory in Mantova.

Settimo Dalla Ricca escorts us through the Grana Padana cheese factory in Mantova.

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The Inner Italian Q & A: Maureen Jenkins

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One in an occasional series of interviews — with wannabe Italians or expatriate Italians –who try to “live Italian” wherever they are.

Photograph by Peter West Carey

Photograph by Peter West Carey

Maureen Jenkins is a freelance travel and food writer and author of UrbanTravelGirl, a blog that encourages African-American women to “live globally through international travel.” She also writes TCW Travel Connection, a blog on all things journey-related for Today’s Chicago Woman magazine. She loves all things Italian, having spent nearly one year living and working in Florence. While Maureen lives in Chicago (for now, at least), she tries to “live la vita bella” by incorporating small aspects of her once-Italian life into her everyday routine.

Q: Living “Italian”…Is it a great way to live or the greatest way to live?

A: I think it’s definitely one of the greatest ways to live. But I think (and please forgive me for cheating on Italy for a moment) that living French and living Spanish and living Greek also are incredible. For me, it’s almost about “living Mediterranean,” that take-it-as-it-comes lifestyle that appreciates the fine things in life, whether it’s food, wine, sensuality, or the scent of the sea. If there is such a thing as a past life, I definitely spent it somewhere in this region of the world.

Q: Why?

A: It’s one of the greatest ways to live because no matter where you physically call home — or where you are — it enhances the everyday quality of your life. And that’s a gift we all can give to ourselves.

Q: When did you discover your Inner Italian? What is your Inner Italian named?

A: My “Inner Italian” is named Marina, a name bestowed upon me by my Italian friend Monica’s mother. Her mom hardly speaks a word of English, but explained to me that “Marina” is much prettier and softer than “Maureen,” and I couldn’t agree more! I can’t recall an exact moment of DISCOVERY when I met my Inner Italian, but I think she first surfaced during my first solo trip, which took me to a bed-and-breakfast in Napa Valley. I also met a gorgeous young Italian ragazzo in San Francisco’s Little Italy during that trip, one I kept in touch with and reconnected with in New York, Milan and Rome years after. Who wouldn’t want to keep discovering her “Inner Italian” after that?

Q: What does “living Italian” mean to you?

A: It means wholeheartedly embracing the simple goodness and sensuality in life. Taking the extra time, for example, to stop at a specialty market or gourmet grocery store for fine imported cheese or salumi rather than dashing into a regular supermarket makes a huge difference. Think how special it feels opening these hand-wrapped treasures as opposed to ripping open an industrial-strength package. It’s worth every extra dime you pay. It means purchasing the best quality you can afford, whether you’re talking shoes, pretty lingerie, or wine glasses. And even when it comes to things that DON’T cost money — valuing quality time spent with family and friends; enjoying the arts and culture just because and not only when out-of-town guests come to visit — this to me also embraces this wonderful way of living and being.

Q: What nurtures your Inner Italian?

A: Being IN Italy, of course! But since I’m usually in the United States instead, remembering what made my living and visiting Italy so pleasurable: good, unhurried meals with simple yet exquisite ingredients; good wine and conversation; and time spent dining with those I love spending time with. And since I can’t BE in Italy, I nurture my “Inner Italian” by reading travel books and cuisine/wine and travel magazines that celebrate this wonderful country. I also find it by seeking out authentic restaurants in Chicago and elsewhere in the United States where the waiters or owners actually speak Italian, giving me a chance not only to practice l’italiano on this side of the Atlantic but also allowing me to reconnect with the special times I’ve spent in bella Italia. It’s one of my small personal joys!

Q: What Italian movie, or movie set in Italy, do you most like? Why?

A: No question about it — “Under the Tuscan Sun” with Diane Lane. UTTSfilmGranted, the beautifully shot film had nearly NOTHING to do with Frances Mayes’ original book, but who cares? The story of a middle-aged woman who moved to Italy to renovate her life along with a Tuscan villa spoke to me in a way that no film ever had. In fact, it helped inspire me to quit my stressful corporate job, figure out how to make a living as a freelance writer, and move to Florence for nearly one year. The film is one I pull out periodically when I need inspiration for some other major life change — one of which I’m working on now!

Q: When and where was your first visit to Italy?

A: I first visited Italy in May of 2002 with two girlfriends, a trip we’d delayed after September 11. We first landed in Rome, had crazy issues with our luggage at the airport, and then had a mix-up at our original hotel. But thanks to the company I worked for, we ended up at a FAR better hotel, met women who have become great friends, and fell head-over-heels in love with Rome and all things Italian. What can I say? I was hooked.

Q: When and where was your most recent trip to Italy?

A: My most recent trip to Italy was in the fall of 2008, when my mom and I took a 12-day Mediterranean cruise. Among the places we visited were Livorno (the port town near Florence), Civitavecchia (the port of call near Rome), and Messina (on the gorgeous island of Sicily). Having lived in Italy, I’ve spent plenty of time in both Florence and Rome, but Sicily — especially the town of Taormina — was a super-special treat. Because of gale-force winds, we were forced to abandon the ship’s original port of call in Greece and headed to Sicily instead. I fell madly in love with this beautiful island and have vowed to return — hopefully for at least two weeks during the warm, sunny part of the year.

Q: If you could live in one place in Italy for the rest of your life, where would it be and why?

A: Hands down, it would be Rome. Not only is the antiquity simply stunning and amazing no matter how many times I see it, but parts of Rome are as modern, savvy and cosmopolitan as any other major metropolis in the world. It never ceases to fascinate me — the food is incredible and the people are beautiful. What more can one want?

Q: Last Italian meal…what would it be?

A: As much as I love all Italian food, I think mine would be fairly simple. I’d start with a good glass of Prosecco, savor some prosciutto di Parma, have a bit of super-fresh mozzarella di bufala along with some simply fried potatoes (a basic delicacy I discovered in Naples at a friend’s home during my first visit to the city). Of course, a glass of Brunello di Montalcino would have to figure in somewhere. And perhaps a digestivo of homemade Limoncello to finish me off. I’m a simple ragazza — and I’d leave this earth a happy girl!

Has Italy changed your life in a profound way? Send us a brief comment describing your Inner Italian and you may be selected as our next “Inner Italian Q&A.” If picked, you’ll receive a free autographed copy of Cooking Up an Italian Life.

The Inner Italian Q & A: Piero Antuono

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One in an occasional series of interviews–with wannabe Italians or expatriate Italians–who try to “live Italian” wherever they are.

antuono

I was born and grew up in the shadow of the Duomo in Florence until, at the age of 30, I was imported to Wisconsin as a souvenir by my American wife, who was living in Florence. I remember seeing her one day crossing Piazza Santa Croce and thinking she was the cutest girl ever–and I still do. So here I am in Milwaukee. Next year will mark my 30th in the U.S. which means I’ve had three decades of training and working on the “bella vita.”

La vita é bella? Yes of course la vita é sempre bella,  but one needs to work at it and make sure that every day there are reasons to feel that the “…vita é veramante bella…” I think one needs to know how to pause (. . . in your head at least if you cannot otherwise) and appreciate the small things that bring Italy closer. Things which remind me I am not that far anyway, things which allow me to detach, disengage, slow down.  It can be a caffé at the right time, a quick call to a friend, reading the news or listening to radio from Italy. Working at a university, travel is something which happens and I make sure it happens enough so I can visit Italy and reset my system. The most important things are not things at all, but rather a state of mind.

Q: Living “Italian”. . . Is it a good lifestyle or the best lifestyle?

A: I do not think it is a good life style (living “Italian” in Italy is stressful.) I do not think it is the best one (I am sure there are healthier ones.)  I think it is the only one.

Q: Why?

A: Because to vivere “Italian” implies (as for other Mediterranean societies) many social interactions during the day. These casual extemporaneous connections–some good,  some bad–are the condiments that add some spice to life. Even superficial chats with strangers at the bus stop, at the newsstand, or at the market are opportunities to give an “emotional valence” to what would be otherwise  routine. Sharing personal stories and family problems with friends, colleagues, and neighbors is a way of lessening the burden. After all, the word privacy in Italian does not exist.

Q: What does “living Italian” in the U.S. mean to you?

A: Being able to switch. Switching from living the U.S. life in the U.S. to the Italian life in the U.S. and to the Italian life in Italy.  Accepting that change is inevitable after so many years in the U.S.  Switching can last seconds or days. The secret is to switch without becoming schizophrenic. Feeling out of place or misplaced sometimes is okay.

Q: What nurtures your Inner Italian?

A: Being able to talk on subjects with Italian friends without being considered critical, offensive, politically incorrect, crude, rude, or insensitive because of the different cultural values.

Q: What Italian movie, or movie set in Italy, do you most like? Why?

A: Tea with Mussolini. Possibly not a great film, but my mother had a small part in it at 82 years of age. The plot was reminiscent of her life in many ways.

Q: If you could live in one place in Italy for the rest of your life, where would it be and why?

A: Anywhere where olive trees grow.

Q: Last Italian meal. . .what would it be?

A: The company would be the most important ingredient of the meal. The setting would be the second. The food would be the third. And if I could do the cooking with my friends, I would be in heaven already.

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How do you nurture your Inner Italian? Share your comments.