Outwardly, I would be described as quiet and
reserved by those who know me; however, my “inner” voice screams Italian—
veins pulsing with raw emotion and expression. Hence, Piazza
Press!
My everyday world and state of mind revolves around
a piazza way-of-life at all times. If you’ve never been to Italy and experienced
sitting in a piazza, I’ll take you on
a quick journey:
Both my parents were born in Italy and moved to
California in 1961. And lucky for me, many relatives remained in Europe,
providing us the occasional family trip to visit them. This was food for my soul from the minute the
wheels of the airplane touched down on Italian soil. I sighed with a sense of home, surrounded by
heritage and my definition of life.
Visits usually began in Sicily, my mom’s hometown,
and ended near Venice, on the northern end, where my father’s siblings
reside. These trips also earned my
father “bragging” rights on how fast he could drive from one end of ‘the boot’
to the other, sometimes allowing us to stop a couple nights in Florence or Rome
to take in the sights and reminisce in the arts of the Renaissance Age (another
passion of mine I feed with my collection of swords and daggers).
The one thing every city in Italy had in common was the town center—the piazza.
They ranged in majestic arenas, to small squares with fountains in the
center, or monuments raised in dedication to loved ones lost in the war. Whether large or small, they all served the
same purpose: a means to socialize with
family and friends. There you would find
a church, a small grocery store, a bar, a pizzeria, house-hold shops, and
outdoor cafés. It is the heart of every city in Italy. Women stroll and chatter arm and arm; men
tell jokes and laugh with arms slung over each other’s shoulders; teenagers sit
on steps or their Vespa’s in mischievous discourse with friends.
Time seemed to stand still
in a piazza. I expected to see a
medieval knight gallop across the cobblestone square, without a hesitation of
doubt if what I saw was real or not. The
constant was the gathering of people. It
is a strong sense of community, where nothing is as important as spending time with the people in your life—learning,
laughing, sharing, loving everything about the miniscule time we have on this
earth together.
My tale now brings us back to my everyday world
where we started. I am a hairstylist—a
trade where I can socialize many hours a day with my clients, many of whom I’ve
known for twenty-five years, about beauty, food, family, and all genres of
entertainment— a coincidence? I
think not.
My blog, Piazza
Press, is simply a continuation of life as I know it and live it. The more I learn, the more I love, and the
more I want to share with others. It is the cycle of my life that I hope will
never end…….
