A world of movement...

The biggest thing I noticed about the Italian culture was the fact that everybody moves at a different speed and pace than we do in the states. the mode of transportation is different as well...The culture seems to have chosen, or is accustomed to, a much healthier transportation mode than we have here in America.
I loved the fact that one could see a lot of bikes and vespas going around. Much like Spain and France, the motorcyclists are CUT THROAT. Weaving in and out of cars, taking over the road, and driving with a vengeance...some even in stiletto heals!! :)

In one of our favorite stops, which was Lido de Jesolo, not only were we next to the beach, but also a large number of bikes. In fact, around 8o'clock at night, they shut down the streets running in front of the hotel to motor traffic and it is for pedestrians only. What I noticed from this point was that the streets filled with folks coming out to see and be seen. The strollers came out, the gelato flowed, that laughter filled the streets and people conversed the adventures of the day with each other. There was a strong sense of community that you could just feel!!! It truly appeared that no one was worried about gangs, or robberies, or evil or ridiculousness. You know that feeling...the feeling of not being able to let your kids out to play on the street or having to check over your shoulder everywhere you walk. This was not the case in Jesolo.

 

It actually was very cool!! I kept thinking, "Where in America does this happen?" If only we could bring back that strong sense of community to our streets. How do we bring this back?