Ciao Italy, until we meet again
I left Italy with a fair bit of sadness. It is such a wonderful, beautiful and enthralling country it is hard to say good-bye. However, I left with a very nice "flavour in my mouth" due to the delightful driver I had for my trip to the airport.
He was a private driver I had arranged from the Hotel Lancelot, our RS hotel near to the Colosseum. After he helped me into his vehicle and settled behind the wheel he said, "You are going to Fiumicino?"
Now Alfio had said that Italians always seem to say things more than once. So I simply said, "Si. Si."
The man turned around in astonishment and exclaimed in English, "You speak Italian!"
"No! No!" I cried. I was terrified he thought I was misrepresenting myself. "I wish I could, but I don't." (My "si, si" must have been very convincing!)
Then we settled in for our ride and he was utterly delightful. He pointed out all the various attractions we passed while still in the city proper. He talked about other areas of Italy. He was very interested to know where I had been. He said he was very impressed with what I have seen of his city in my trips.
We arrived and he unloaded my luggage. He said, "You will come back to Rome."
He paused a moment and then added, "And by then you will speak Italian!"
He was a private driver I had arranged from the Hotel Lancelot, our RS hotel near to the Colosseum. After he helped me into his vehicle and settled behind the wheel he said, "You are going to Fiumicino?"
Now Alfio had said that Italians always seem to say things more than once. So I simply said, "Si. Si."
The man turned around in astonishment and exclaimed in English, "You speak Italian!"
"No! No!" I cried. I was terrified he thought I was misrepresenting myself. "I wish I could, but I don't." (My "si, si" must have been very convincing!)
Then we settled in for our ride and he was utterly delightful. He pointed out all the various attractions we passed while still in the city proper. He talked about other areas of Italy. He was very interested to know where I had been. He said he was very impressed with what I have seen of his city in my trips.
We arrived and he unloaded my luggage. He said, "You will come back to Rome."
He paused a moment and then added, "And by then you will speak Italian!"