Slow the f down

It's odd that noone walks with hot drinks here unless it’s the thick, cosy hot chocolate from the Santa Croce Christmas market, or if you’re a naïve tourist, fresh in town. In fact, you’d struggle to find anyone walking and eating — it’s simply not done! I’d even go as far as to say it’s quietly frowned upon, though no Italian would want you to think they were judging you. :)

Life here is about slowing down, dropping the stress and embracing a schedule more convivial to good health and wellbeing. There is strictly no rushing, fretting, or flapping permissible, unless you drive for Ferrari, Maserati or Lamborghini or have an angry Chianina bull chasing you in the Tuscan hills! People are generally cool, friendly, and laid-back, and that’s just how it is.

I, of course, am British and suffer from mild anxiety (not that the two necessarily go hand-in-hand, but with the current UK politics and economy, perhaps increasingly so?!) I tend to dash around a lot, so it made me wonder: why on earth do we walk with coffee in the first place? It’s a hazard to ourselves and others! Do we do it for comfort, like a sort of portable security blanket in the form of a hot drink? Or is it a hand-warmer in cold weather... What is our hurry that we can’t just sit down and enjoy a coffee before moving on to the next thing? Perhaps it’s become a status symbol — something to plonk on the desk at work, showing how chic and organised we are because it’s from the trendiest coffee shop in town. Or maybe it’s even a fancy mushroom-blend coffee from home, because we’re woke.

Only 10 Euros

Now, after three months of training, I finally sit down and enjoy my coffee. Trust me, it wasn’t easy at first.

“Più calmo,” a man whispered to me yesterday as I hurriedly walked past him and his glamorous and petite wife with my dog in the big department store 'Rinascente'. I can’t believe he even noticed my flapping about! I wasn’t relaxed at all, thanks to the store’s tight layout, the hordes of Christmas shoppers (including me), and those faffy, disjointed stairs. The escalators aren’t exactly ideal when you’ve got a big Staffie/Collie cross, even if they’re calm and well-behaved most of the time.

You might not know this, but dogs can enter most shops here, which is wonderful, and they often get a lot of attention when they do. For my dog, it’s always a love trip. I’ll blog about it to show you just how ridiculous it is! I’ll document all the evidence of the love-bugging she laps up.

Anyway, rather annoyingly, the Beauty section in Rinascente (Italian for “the Resurgent”; pronounced [la rinaʃˈʃɛnte]) is inconveniently located on the third floor.  I really should have gone to Sephora instead, which is all on the ground floor and sells the Byoma hydrating serum. Instead, I settled for The Ordinary — a pack of three products for 22 euros, proving what a classy chick I am!

Speaking of the slower pace of life, I remember in our first month here, my husband, who works remotely from home, joined me for lunch (pranzo). After ordering starters and main courses, he asked the waiter if the food could “come all at once” because he was restricted by his lunch hour. The waiter simply replied, “No”, explaining that all courses are served separately here. Again, there is no rushing; food is meant to be enjoyed at a proper dining speed and it's respectful to fall in line.

PRENDERSELA CON COMODA translates to doing everything calmly, without rushing, and minimising stress. I’m beginning to appreciate it, but have to admit, it hasn’t been easy adapting to enjoying life more. How odd does that sound? It also means putting your mobile phone to one side when socialising, for hours not just minutes, "certo!"