Travel Photography Inspiration L’Eterno Panino
A trip to Italy through my eyes. This is pure Travel Photography Inspiration, full of images, aromas and sounds that can offer you a unique experience.
My majority of travels to Italy and back to Greece I’ve done through a boat. Ancona is the port of my starting and departure point once I am there. My car and camera are my companions for my travel photography. I love road trips!
At the port, I will always meet a black and yellow food truck called L’Eterno Panino which means The Eternal Sandwich. The first time I saw it, the name put a smile on my face as I found it so fantastically fitted to an Italian food truck. From then on, I’ve been a regular every time I pass through the Ancona port.
The man running the canteen is of little words. He just wants to know what you’ll have: “Un panino con mozzarella e prosciutto crudo ed un espresso lungo, per favore”. He looks at me with disapproval, as every truthful espresso in Italy should be corto, which means as little water possible, in order to enjoy it once off as a mini sip of excitement and joy! I take a bite off the cold panino and starting sipping slowly, as a Greek person, my coffee. A second glance of disapproval comes towards me as I do not enjoy my coffee as I should. I smile and enjoy the sun and the sounds of Italians shouting and gesturing as the ship is not on time. Moving their hands up and down and always disagreeing just to end up agreeing in one thing: let’s have a cappuccio, after all is still early in the morning. Somewhere in the back an old lady sings “Te voglio bene assaje… Ma tanto tanto bene sai…”
After sipping their cappuccio in precisely 3 sips the 3 Italians continue to argue about politics… That is life after all.
Who cares? I have my panino and an amazing cup of coffee in my hands and I am about to start my trip through the Eternal Italy. Arrivederci!
Bella Italia
Italy has magic in its every letter. The country, the music, the people, the food, the history. Every corner is full of aromas and sounds of Italians talking like singing and using their hands like in a mystic dance. I know by fact that Italians cannot speak without gesticulating. On the contrary, they have the ability to just use their hands without spending one single word and still be able to participate in a discussion. This is talent!
I am lucky as I am half Italian. I have the luck to call motherland, a country that has left a sign in history and still is marking everyone that visits it. Everyone that is lucky to visit bella Italia can say that they want to go back.
Food
Ah! THE food. I can still close my eyes and taste the tender homemade gnocchi with real Bolognese sauce that my Italian grandfather made for the family every year. The aroma, the succulent texture, the amazing taste of love and family that comes with every single bite.
When I visit my half home country I make sure to taste the traditional dishes that every region has to offer me: a nice Fiorentina steak, or a plate of Ribolitta at Tuscany, lasagna al forno or Ragu a la Bolognese at the beautiful city of Bologna, a moist risotto Milanese or a succulent osso buco at my home town Milan, the mythic pizza Margherita at Napoli, arancini in Sicily, prosciutto or a nice piece of Parmegianno in Parma and the aromatic pesto at Cinque Terre… what a feast!
Food is in the culture of Italians. Every important event is celebrated on a table and every family gathers around the table (at least on a Sunday) to talk, amuse themselves, fight or hug around it.
The music
I can say so much about the importance that music has for the Italians. However, I will talk about my familiarity with Italian music. I grow up hearing songs from Adriano Celentano, Gianni Morandi, Mina, Toto Cutugno, Tozzi, Modugno, Lucio Dalla and so many more… later on came voices like Zucchero, Ramazzoti, Pausini, Nek, Amoroso and the list goes on and on…
The melodies that had the most impact on me were not of the popular songs but those of operas and operettas that spoke into my heart even as a little kid. Ι must have listened to Madama Butterfly or Pagliacci hundreds of times and yet, I still found myself moved when the lyric Ridi, Pagliaccio hits the loudspeaker. Well, nobody’s perfect I guess… 😉
People
I could spend thousands of words writing about Italians. People of the Mediterranean, easy-going, communicative, strong-minded, chatterboxes, fierce, proud and eager to lend a hand when needed, strong believers in family principals and ambassadors in hospitality.
Italians are proud of their culture and why shouldn’t they be?
I have strong faith in them during this difficult and unprecedented time the whole planet is experiencing. Italy is taking a hit like no other country in Europe, this moment, and their older generation is counting victims every day. I believe that Italy will rise again and build itself from the ground. For a country with so deep roots and people so stubborn and willing to work there is no other way but up!
Forza Italia! L’ho so che ce la fai!
