Will Flirt for Gelato

I went to a solo violin concert tonight, at the Chiesa Santa Maria. The soloist was not at all what I expected, visually. She was a middle aged, rather dumpy woman, with gypsy hair and features, and she bowed to the audience slightly awkwardly. As she finished each piece, she would carelessly drop her violin to her side and look slightly bored during the clapping – “si, si, si, let me finish and go home,” seemed her attitude. But she could play! And the acoustics in the church were fantastic. We had Bach, Schubert, Mozart, Ysaye, Paganini, and I believe Massenet for an encore.

Walking home, there was still music everywhere, from cafes, the merry-go-round in the Piazza della Republica, people playing on the street. I stopped and listened for a few minutes to a five-piece band playing Blue Moon. The atmosphere here at night is wonderful. With the street vendors packed up, and in the lights from the city, the pillars on the piazza di mercato nuovo look even more imposing and ancient. Everyone looked relaxed and happy, and a little girl was twirling among the pillars. People were eating gelato – it was definitely a gelato night. I hadn’t brought much money – just enough for the concert and a couple more euro, but I was looking at the flavours and prices at one place, and the waiter ciao bella’d me. Oh, I don’t have enough, I said – io ho soltanto…I showed him my coins.

Well, see, it’s Italy.

A minute later I walked away with a big cup of ananas and limone and a baccino (and an invitation to a disco later, but I left it at the baccino).