A writing holiday in Italy: something to look forward to
Posted on 07. Jan, 2008 by Joanna in Sardinia
Apparently today (7th January) has become known as Holiday Day, because it’s “the most popular day of the year to banish the post-Christmas blues and book a summer holiday.” (It must be true, I got that from a Government news site!)
It’s easy to see why – first day back to a full working week, all the festivities over, the weather in Britain cold, sleety and dark.
Makes me kind of glad I’ve already got a holiday in the pipeline to look forward to. Okay, I know I’m going to be working over the four days of the workshop, but it’s hard to think of four days, five nights eating, drinking, talking, absorbing writing as work…
One of the things I love best about organising travel and holidays is the looking forward, the anticipation that goes with it. To help build my sense of anticipation I’ve signed up for a beginners Italian class. I know I won’t need it (as Emma speaks fluently – she lives in Sardinia after all!) but it adds to the intensity of the experience if you can pick up some of the conversations round about you, and venture a few words yourself.
Our charming Italian teacher beat the gloom of the Edinburgh night by teasing us with an introduction to the language of food and drink. Espresso, she purred. Cappuccino. Vino. Pizza. Pasta. Birra.
She was teaching us masculine and feminine noun endings but I think we were all lost in the images, tastes, sounds that her words were conjuring up.
Reminding me of something else I’ve got to look forward to. Teaching and learning how to capture, to realise, the simple evocative power of our words.
from Joanna in Edinburgh
January 2008
Photo Credit: Alghero Beach by david.nikonvscanon on flickr
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