When we next return to Lipari, I am going to make sure I can speak enough Italian to convince the locals to pose for a photo for me. Let me share some observations with you...
Like earlier travels in Sicily, there is little English spoken on Lipari. What makes it fun is that the Sicilians don't care! Even if you explain, "Mi dispiace, non parlo italiano", the conversation simply continues in Italian...sometimes they just repeat what they asked, knowing that eventually we'll get the gist!
Men of a certain age (and I don't mean young!) are entitled to dress only in shorts and sandals. Whether they are shaking the breakfast tablecloth out the door into the street, or sitting at the local café...even serenading those who pass or choose to sit down and have a caffè...shirts are optional!
Women share time together and do as they please. If you visit our local beach about 6.00pm, you will find some local ladies (again, of a certain age) unchaining a group of chairs from a fence adjacent to the beach and setting the chairs in a row, slipping on their swimsuits under their dresses and going for a dip, followed by an animated catch-up while seated in a row, and then replacing swimsuits with dresses, or comfy pants and a singlet, re-stacking the chairs and locking them to the fence, and then on their way.
I love the come-as-you-please vibe of Lipari!
P.S. See the gorgeous Gina in the photo below - Nicole's dog, keeping watch from the wall in the front of the apartments - and the incredible flowers on the Dutchman's Pipe vine.
2 comments:
An interesting study on the local habits. The flowers on the vine are quite beautiful.
Lils
We know the Dutchman's Pipe from Heronswood - they have a beautiful flower with a pipe shaped flower resembling Dutch smoking pipes!
We are going to the beach tomorrow and might try out the Liparian customs - just footy shorts for Paul and a crafty beach change into my bikini. It might catch on?
Love Fi and Paul....and Pepper
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