Things Discovered After Returning Home from Italy

By Michael Boyles

I can no longer see the castle from my room.
I cannot buy a delicious pesca tabacchiera anywhere.
Food just isn’t the same anymore.
Italians walk, a lot. And then they keep walking.
Tuscan and Umbrian hill towns are spectacular.
Hill-climbing skills are indeed your good friend.
The architecture is beyond words. Everywhere.
The Pantheon is in mint condition. Inside.
Prego has a whole new and more complex meaning.
No place will ever have this amount of nuns or priests.
Olive oil will never, ever, be the same again. Ever.
Nor ricotta, pecorino, or buffalo mozzarella.
I can no longer buy flour directly from the mill,
Nor heavenly pecorino from the country farm.
Oddly, I never saw a tomato plant, anywhere.
Handmade Italian artisan chocolate is scrumptious.
The Pope no longer lives across the street from me,
Nor his Swiss Guards.
Pinocchio is still doing quite well (I saw him often).
Gelato is delicious. Good gelato is more delicious.
Fresh anchovies are not that bad.
I am in love with cacio e pepe, two great companions!
Pizza is not that complicated. Coffee is not that simple.
Spaghetti and meatballs do not exist together. Ever.
Handmade pasta is more delicious than I ever dreamed.
Garlic and onion rarely get married in the same dish.
Salad is typically served after the main course.
The sun sets around 10 pm and rises around 5 am.

While I am no longer living in a beautiful Italian villa,
Nor in a room looking over Vatican City,
My life is richer and more delicious than ever.
I think I’m gonna need a bigger kitchen.