The Kids are All Right

The first snow of 2014 dances around us as we prepare to welcome 2015.

2014 is drawing to a close. In Puglia, snow flurries blanket the cone-shaped roofs of this region’s iconic stone houses. The air is brisk as the sun sinks low in the sky, limestone-paved alleyways glow with the reflected light of wrought-iron streetlights and residents settle in for winter as they have always done. But there is disquiet here, a growing sense that so much of Italy’s infrastructure, the modus operandi that touches all aspects of life, is profoundly troubled. From the morning caffè chat in the local bar to the increasingly gloomy headlines in evening news, there is collective acknowledgement that years of “crisi,” the pervasive economic stagnation that is crippling Italy’s younger generation, is here to stay. But amidst the endless stories of despair, there is reason to hope.

Buon Pranzo!

Pasta al forno, one of the many star dishes in the Italian Sunday lunch constellation.

“Buon pranzo!” It’s the universal farewell pleasantry in Puglia during Saturday food shopping. It’s also appropriately shared when you run into friends early on Sunday, maybe at the bar when having a morning espresso. Sometimes it’s accompanied by a question about where you’re going or what you’ll be eating. Taken literally, buon pranzo means “good lunch,” but it’s really meant to acknowledge that Sunday lunch is around the corner, which is always an occasion for a greeting all its own.

Brilliant Autumn

An abandoned trullo beneath blue autumn skies.

We can’t help but feel we’re living on borrowed time. We’re told that today’s brilliant blue skies and bright sun aren’t at all normal. We should be shrouded in misty grey punctuated by rain showers at this time of year, hurrying to bring in the olive harvest while navigating muddy fields and slippery roads.