May 1978: It was my first time in Italy. Walter, a friend of my Swiss host family had suggested that we go to Vernazza for the weekend. Kris, another foreign exchange student and I went along with him. Vernazza was a magical place. After two nights our host had to return to Switzerland, but the two of us were still under Vernazza’s spell, and decided to stay a few more days.
Continue reading →We often think of tourist destinations as just that – destinations. Before I moved to Italy, I also rarely thought of the local populations in most Italian touristy cities. It’s much like Coney Island in the US (my Scots-Italian husband said Blackpool for the Brits). Or Orlando, Atlantic City, Sedona, Vail. Places where we “visit” and don’t consider that there are local populations who need grocery stores, pharmacies and IKEAs.
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