Superstitions

My first night at the opera in Florence. Not Verdi or Puccini, unfortunately. This one is by Strauss. I've been advised not to wear purple. Although it's the color of Fiorentina, the home team--they're called "Viola" for short, even--purple also is a funerary color and considered bad luck in the theater.

I guess it's no crazier than "Break a Leg!" or the curse of Macbeth...

Good Neighbors

In a recent poll, Italians were evenly split between the celebrities they would like to live next to. About one-fourth said they would like to live next to George Clooney (perhaps they want to live at Lake Como). Another 20 percent preferred Monica Bellucci and the same number picked two Italian soccer stars. But nearly half said they would not want to live next to the most famous Italian paparazzo, Fabrizio Corona.

Seems counterintuitive: If you're living next to Bellucci or Clooney, isn't Corona likely to be parked outside all the time anyway?

Poppies

Last year, we arrived in Tuscany too late to see the fields of poppies. But this week, the first red heads popped up in Cascine....

Italian T.P.

In honor of Earth Day, a note about Toilet Paper:

Virtually all the toilet paper in Europe comes from recycled paper. But not so in the States. We Americans still like our Charmin to come from virgin forest.

I've been trying out Italian brands to find one that meets our exacting standards. (Some feel a bit like sandpaper.) This one is slightly over the top. Called "Regina," it has a royal blue monogram and smells like baby powder...

Bad tippers

Compared to other residents of Western Europe and the U.S., Italians are stingy with their gratuities: According to a recent poll, 62 percent of English tourists are regular tippers, followed by the French and then, far behind, the Italians. (American tourists are on par with the Brits.)

Few Italians tip even when they're home--not in cabs, restaurants or hotels. I figure there are several explanations for this miserliness: Italian restaurants usually add a "service" charge meant to cover the water and bread brought at the start of a meal. Waiting tables is a career here, as it is in France, so base salaries are higher. And finally, Italian wages on the whole are much less than those in Northern Europe--$29,000 a year in 2007.

Still, Italian waiters seem to expect a little something from American diners...

Enchanted April

It's like someone flipped a switch...The tourists have descended en masse since Easter. The cold, gray drizzle of winter is over and the glorious Tuscan sun is back.

I'm figuring out the international travel itinerary:

January--the Japanese

February--French and Germans

March--British

Early April--British

Late April--French students on spring break

and...Americans with Rick Steve's books

May--Americans with Frommer's in hand

June--Americans

July--Americans

August--Americans

September--Americans

October--Americans

November--French and Germans

December--Italians

The restaurant waiters are becoming slightly more hostile...

No-Fault Divorce, Italian Style

Divorce didn't happen in Italy until the 1970s. Even now, the law sets up a rigorous process meant to discourage marriage splits: First, couples have to legally register their separation. And then they wait FOR THREE YEARS for the divorce to be final. No Vegas weddings here...