Italian Men - A Lovely Treat

Characters they are! I met one – asked me for the time in a park and then we were sitting on the hill overlooking the Circus Maximus and he was explaining the history that goes with the Palantine, Forum and Colosseum. He was my age'ish, originally from Florence but taking a year out of his career to do his masters in art history and currently studying for his final exams. He truly loved and appreciated Rome – his favorite city and for a Florentine to admit that, was saying something. He was more than a little surprised at how little I knew about the history but happy to teach. We ended up going for drinks and dinner a few nights – it was lovely. I saw a side of Rome I never would have otherwise.

I know I generalize when I say that one of the characteristics of Italian men is the wonderful way they appreciate and almost celebrate the femininity of women. And not just Roberto who I met, but others – whether it's the man in the car looking at you and smiling as you both wait for the green light – they notice. There are many other characteristics I know (something about their mothers, never being entirely sure what they say is strictly fact ...), and as with all of us, some good, some less good – but this one characteristic, for this moment in my life, I'm appreciating to the fullest and treating like a gift. Bellissimo :-)