#28: The Phantom Trenino and the Crazy Australiani

Ciao Nonni,

I was so happy to see the photo of you and David at lunch! You're looking incredibly well. We are missing him here, but I'm glad he's been able to catch up with family and friends while he's been back.

Last weekend I decided that we needed to go for an adventure. Something to get us out of town and burn some of the kids' endless energy. I researched online and found a gorgeously run-down but still very fun-looking little train in Viareggio. Un trenino. Everything online indicated that it would be open and running, but I know better than to trust anything like that here in Italy.

Especially at this time of year when so many businesses declare themselves 'chiuso per ferie' (closed for a break) by putting a paper sign on their door and nothing else. So we packed up and bundled ourselves into the 500 and set off.

On the way I told the bambini about the train, but I also laid the foundations for the possibility that we would get there and it wouldn't be running. Raffy assured me that she understood, but that she was excited to have a go. 

Of course we arrived - and no train. The whole thing looked like it had been abandoned months earlier. Raffy was inconsolable. Disaster!

We salvaged the morning by dragging ourselves a few hundred metres to the beach, mopping up the tears as we went. The sun was shining and there was not a single cloud in the perfectly blue sky. The kids had a ball running across the beach in bare feet and splashing around in the gentle waves. 

Despite the fact that Viareggio was quite busy at this point, there were surprisingly few people on the sand. And of course we were the only ones anywhere near the water. I got plenty of looks from people who were clearly very concerned about the health and wellbeing of the children, with their bare feet in the cold water.

The father of a family playing nearby asked us where we were from. I replied that we were Australian. Suspicions confirmed, he declared that an Italian would never touch the water in January. In fact, that a decent proportion of the population wouldn't swim at any time of the year, regardless of the temperature. 

This certainly aligns with the behaviour we saw at the beach clubs last summer. The sand packed like sardines, and a maximum of two people in the water. 

It seems in this regard that the bambini are still very much Australian!

I've missed spending time at the beach, I think because I am seeing so many pictures of people enjoying the Australian summer. Something about the saltwater and sea (not ocean!) air is incredibly restorative for me.

I think this coming European summer we are going to be proper Italians and rent a space at a beach club for a month. We have a couple of friends who are interested in going in together, so that we can feel less guilty about the price if we aren't there every single day. I'm very excited about the prospect.

I've also been researching surfing in Italy. Which truly sounds like a fool's errand, but apparently it does exist! There are a few piers and jetties along the Tuscan coastline that, in the right conditions, create waves you can catch. If we can find a beach club near these, I will be very happy! We shall see...

In the meantime, winter here is eminently bearable. Most days are clear and crisp, and the sun is warming. I can't complain!

All my love and hugs.

Kate