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Showing posts from September, 2014

I am offended by that catcall that simultaneously validates me. It is confusing.

(Warning: this post contains some generalizations about Italian men.   This is not in any way intended to be offensive, nor does it represent and inflexible prejudice on my part – I’m perfectly happy to amend my judgments at any time.   These views are mine alone and are based only on my relatively limited experience of traveling in Italy.) “It’s going to be your ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’!”   “You’ll never come back because you’ll fall in love with a hot Italian guy and have his babies and live there forever!”   “It’s just like ‘Eat, Pray, Love’.”   Well, first of all, if it were the latter book it would be titled simply “Eat.”   Or maybe “Eat, Write, Maybe Make Out.”   But overall comments like those above, which represent the great majority of reactions to my announcement that I’m taking three months off from work and moving to Italy to live off savings and write , have left me with a sardonic half-smile.   I usually say something dismissive about how Itali