Capena 01/23/2011
 
During my maiden trip to Italy, I stayed in a lovely little village called Capena.  It is about a 45 minute drive to Rome.  It was the perfect introduction to italian life - small enough to fell unthreatening and cozy, yet so near a variety of locations.  After an exhaustive search online, I rented a one bedroom apartment on via Marconi in the village center. I was fortunate to have chosen the perfect place to stay.  It was clean, spacious, and equipped with everything I needed.   Shortly after arriving, I opened the door to my tiny balcony and stood listening to the village.  Occasionally people would walk down my little lane and I could hear them speaking.............. in Italian!!  So cool.  
It was in Capena that I received my first italian farewell -- two gentle almost air-kisses, one on each cheek -- from a very kind young man who walked around with me for about 30 minutes trying to help me find an open internet hub when I was trying to find the apartment for the first time.  Capena is small enough that I was able to walk through the square frequently to get an idea of what living in Italy might be like: walking daily to market for fresh produce, visiting small privately owned shops, each with its own personality, seeing men outside playing checkers each afternoon, and being continually assaulted with the colors, textures, smells, and sounds of Italy.  I think I could get used to this.   
 


Comments




Leave a Reply