My sister and I could not understand it. It seemed that many of the men either driving the water taxi or working the tables in Venice must surely be in the movie business. Maybe Venice is a little like LA – Italian hopefuls end up there serving on tables while waiting for that big break.
They are so charming, these Italians. Maybe it’s all that good food. Caprese Salad like you will never ever taste in North America. Or maybe it is the fact that in true Italian fashion they have been “mothered” since they were little and just know how to turn on the charm when the women are around. Witness the Gondoliers! Ours told us he was close to 60 but didn’t look a day over 35 …. well maybe 40. I suppose all that “gondoliering” every day kept him in shape – and the fact that he was onto his third wife. As he told us – a wife is not like a washing machine. When a washing machine breaks down you call the plumber. When the wife breaks down you get another… Oh my goodness – I can just hear every feminist within a hundred miles screaming. The fact is he told us this story with a twinkle in his eye so who knows? Never trust a man with dimples, that’s what I say!
Not in bad shape for someone nearly 60! Just shows you what daily exercise and the Mediterranean Diet will do for you!
Now there are some who would like to be a gondolier but just don’t quite get the idea. Like this lad…. but let’s give him ten out of ten for effort.
Another thing about Italian charm …. it has longevity! We chanced upon this older very well dressed man sitting in one of the piazzas in Venice. My sister couldn’t resist getting a photo of him.
Was he put out? Did he feel his privacy had been invaded? Not at all! When a beautiful lady comes along and takes your photo he says what any civilised Italian male would say….. “Ciao Bella!”
The Travel Lady's Blog 