Agritourismo Ca'Lattis

I'm writing this post from train 2243, which is taking me from Venice to Rovigo. It's running a few minutes late, so I'll have to do some serious sprinting to make my next train from Rovigo to Loreo (having been blessed with a ten minute layover...). This is one of the older trains, so my ticket cost less than 6 euros, and I get the pleasure of a very jostly ride. People used to pay money for this sort of thing. Excessive jostling would shake the fat right off them... or so they optimistically believed.

Speaking of weight, I've lost three pounds in the month that I've been gone. I find this very odd, considering that I was so bloated and unhealthy the three weeks of yoga school, and have been splurging on ice-cream, wine, meat and cheese ever since. Apparently my yoga belly and my Bologna belly were merely figments of my imagination, not adipose deposits on my abdomen. I don't think I've lost muscle mass, as I've been doing yoga fairly consistently and walking for hours every day. I'm going to hope that my sluggish metabolism is finally up to speed and my body can handle a normal amount of food. Which would be lovely. In yogic philosophy, engaging the jalandhara bandha is supposed to cure endocrine illnesses. If that's true, I'll walk around with my chin glued to my chest, effectively engaging jalandhara all the live-long day.

Part two

I'm finishing off this post in the small, comfy trailer which I'll be calling home for the next month. The bathrooms and showers are outside, and there isn't any air-conditioning (and it's very hot and humid in this area of Italy), but I'm relishing the privacy of having my own trailer. This is the first time I've unpacked my clothes since I left 409 West Kennedy, and it feels really good to settle in and settle down. And it's a good thing, because this farm is so isolated that I won't be able to get out much, even if I wanted to. I'm a little disappointed, as I had hoped to buy a train ticket to Rome and Naples and a little city Svetlana recommended called Trieste (sp?), but I can tell that I'm going to be very happy here. The Italians I'm staying with are incredibly friendly and laid back. Carla and Piero own the Agritourismo and share a house with Carla's parents, Aldi and Angela (I think..), and the chef extraordinare, Laura (pronounced La - ow - rah). I hope she'll tolerate me hanging about the kitchen when she cooks. The jolly Italian woman is a delight to watch and I KNOW I could learn a lot from her.

The Agritourismo at night

The Agritourismo Restaurant

The little park they have set up for tourist children

Today was such a relaxing day, and I'm told that most days will be the same. I did about half an hour of yoga outside of my trailer at seven thirty, surrounded by the multitude of cats, kittens, and two gigantic dogs. I think they're some sort of Tibetan mastiff breed, but I'm not sure. Breakfast is at eight thirty, and by breakfast, I mean cappuccino. Italians don't eat breakfast. Just cappuccino and a piece of biscotti. They also don't drink cappuccino at any time of the day. If you order anything other than an espresso after ten o'clock in the morning, they'll give you the "silly tourist" look. A look I've received quite often since arriving in Italy.

Brando. The Tibetan Mastiff who knocks me over during yoga

A few of Carla's many cats. They have eye problems because Brando and Bella try to eat their faces. 

After "breakfast", Leslie (another WWOOFer from Chico, CA) and I fed the animals. The geese, the horses, the donkeys, the ducks, the goats, and the rabbits. Excepting the horses and donkeys, all the animals are being raised for the dinner table. Feeding and watering them takes maybe two hours. Today we planted a patch of fagioli (beans), but that's kind of a rarity. Most mornings Leslie and I will be finished as soon as the animals are fed.

Lolo

I'm sure this goat has a name, but I haven't learned it yet. Carla names everything. And once she names an animal, she won't eat it.  Which frustrates Laura to no end. 

The geese are for eating and eggs, so they remain nameless.

Chicho and Gringo

Lunch was amazing. I'd eaten a bit of gluten this morning and last night because I was a little timid about offending my hosts, but when I saw the huge vat of pasta Laura was preparing for the afternoon meal, I owned up to my problem with gluten. Laura and Carla were very understanding, and I feasted on fresh zucchini and cured carne (meat). Dessert was a giant slice of watermelon. My stomach is pleased.

The language barrier is definitely making things interesting. Carla speaks just about as much English as I do Italian. Which is next to none. Everyone else (except Leslie) speaks hardly a word. There have been a lot of hand gestures, awkward laughter, and me shaking my head whilst abashedly saying, "non capisto."

A few more things about Venice before I wind down:

My stay with Paolo was incredible. He went well out of his way to make me feel completely comfortable. He even took me to the train station and waited with me at the gate until my train left. Once again, I felt completely overwhelmed by the generosity of the people I've met on this trip. It's been such a tremendous encouragement to know that it can be so easy to meet people and make friends and have amazing conversation. You just need to be doing what you love to do and you'll end up crossing paths with people you love being around. That's a big lesson I've learned from this trip. I've probably mentioned this lesson in a previous post, but it's important enough to me that I'll indulge in some redundancy.

At the train station with Paolo

I saw a shirt that said, "don't drink and drive. Smoke and fly."

As much as pigeons annoy me, I found it very depressing to see all the young boys gleefully trying to stomp on them. I saw a pigeon hopping past me on one foot, the other was so mutilated that it looked like a wad of pink chewing gum. I wondered if he'd gotten stomped on by one of the overenthusiastic boys.

In a few of the places I've stayed at in Italy, the faucets are operated by a lever that you press with your foot. This system makes a lot of sense to me. No germs, no waiting for motion sensors that don't work, no water turning off before your hands are clean. Sink pedals. Brilliant.

That's all I can think of for now. My posts will most likely be frequent, as I have all my afternoons free to wander about the countryside, work on plays, study Italian, read Shakespeare, and write to you.

Love,

-Aimee