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Category Archives: Culture

Bella Figura and the Open Air Opera

24 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by Shelagh in Culture

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Italian opera, italy, Liguria

Of all the social skills critical to living in Milan, the mother ship of them all is a concept known as bella figura. More or less translatable as cutting a fine figure, it embraces not just how one dresses, but also manners and comportment. Wearing track pants downtown would, for example, be the polar opposite of bella figura. Not even when popping out to the corner store for milk, please. Ditto using the familiar tu form prematurely. Or offering to help clear the table when you’re at someone’s house for dinner, even with a good friend.

Setting up; don't let the plastic chairs fool you

So what this got to do with opera? Well, I thought the concept was more of a Milanese thing until I went to the open air opera in Varese Ligure. It’s put on every summer in the centre of the medieval borgo. A stage is set up, plastic chairs are brought in, and for several weeks they pack the place. The first summer that my daughter and I decided to go, I had dressed in casual pants (not jeans!) and a light sweater. With plastic chairs, how dressy could it be? But when I happened to mention to my landlady that we were headed to the event she looked at me and, in a tone that sounded an awful lot like my mother, said “not dressed like that, surely?”

Quick as a wink I said no, of course not, and rushed upstairs to put on a dress.

Figaro understood bella figura

And I have to say, the performance totally warranted the extra measure of respect that dressing for the occasion implies. Rather than the amateurish local production I was expecting, it was one of the best operas I’ve ever attended, with stunning voice quality. The opera was The Barber of Seville; for the first time ever, I actually understood what Figaro was going on about in his famous ‘factotum’ aria. It was as easily entertaining as watching a modern musical.

If you’d like more information on the Varese summer opera, here’s the link: http://www.liricavareseligure.org/galleria_3.html  It’s an exceptional night out. But wear something nice!

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Italian Time

14 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by Shelagh in Culture

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

italy, living abroad

This is my apocryphal story about learning to be content in Italy. I know some of you will gasp and wonder how one could not be content, but ask any expat and they’ll give you a long list, especially when it comes to the concept of time.

My life-changing event took place, rather mundanely, at my local dry cleaner when we were living in Milan. I had brought in my clothes; browns and blacks. The lovely lady who owns the place told me to come back for them on Thursday, which I did.

But when I returned, my clothes weren’t ready. I felt the quick spark of righteous indignation that flares in many Anglo Saxons when services don’t meet the agreed schedule. Decades of living in a society that worships efficiency does that to you. Predictably, my anger started to rise as I stood before the empty counter.

Then I realized – dare I use the word epiphany? – that I didn’t actually need those clothes that day. I had other things I could wear. The reason my clothes hadn’t been cleaned was because Italians don’t mix colours at the dry cleaner’s, they have too much respect for clothing. There hadn’t been enough dark things at the cleaner’s that week to warrant a load. It was a sensible, economical decision. My clothes would get cleaned (perfectly, lovingly, and thriftily) when it was practical.

Wow. I suddenly understood that all I had to do to be happy in Italy was remember that time is fluid, our needs are never absolute, and exigencies are a part of daily life.

And that I have other stuff to wear. How liberating.

Make like the patient land and chill out

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