A Disclaimer, of Sorts

Part One -- Our History

Before settling in the Veneto, we spent some time in the Campania region of Southern Italy. Well, truth be told, Mr. Duncan had settled in pretty well in Pozzouli (nearly 20 years there), when I suggested that perhaps we should consider the North – the cold, clean, industrial, civic-minded, organized North. He wasn’t too excited about that idea (understatement of the year); however, there is nothing as powerful as the birth of a child to prompt a change of heart – she was born in May and we moved in July. (Okay, so it’s never that simple, but that is the reality of the timeline of our lives and the impetus for our move.)

I miss the South. He really misses the South, longs for it. In his time there he embraced the culture, perfected the recipes straight from local kitchens – both restaurants and homes, learned the Neapolitan dialect (you should see the confused reaction of the Northern Italians when a German-looking American speaks Italian with a Neapolitan accent & then switches into the true dialect), performed in plays in the heart of Naples, patronized the best pizzerias, fell in love, scooted around on his Vespa down ancient alleys and crowded sidewalks, vehemently defended the great city and her people to any naysayers, enjoyed the pasta and the seafood, oh, the seafood – he made the place his home & the place welcomed him to do so. It was a mutually agreeable relationship. He calls it his home. It’s the place he’s lived the longest, as well as the place he matured into the man he is today. It’s also the place we met, fell in love, and the place Madelyn was born.

I arrived at a different time in my life and in the evolution of the city. While I treasure the time I lived there, at this time I’m not real interested in living there again. . well, perhaps I would consider Ischia. I think that he would move back tomorrow. . .if he were without Maddy & me, that is. The contrasts of the North and South – the climate, the people, the food, the geography, the government -- are quite unbelievable at times. We never consider one as better than the other, just different. (Though, if Mr. Duncan were writing, I am certain that he would disagree a bit and insist that the cuisine of Naples and its environs is far superior to that of the Veneto. Perhaps it is purely a matter of taste, though, like friarielli verses radicchio. I must admit, however, that I understand his claims, being a native of South Louisiana who is rather partial to my native cuisine.)

. . . .to be continued with Part Two -- My Perspective