Bella Notte -- The Magic Spell of La Passeggiata

One of the greatest memories Marc and I have from our recent trip to Italy is participating in the custom of the passeggiata, an evening stroll through town.

Each evening as the sun starts setting, the local town people would come out for a walk through the streets with their families, friends or a special loved one. Walking arm and arm, people meander through the town until late in the evening stopping along the way to say hello to an acquaintance. It was so endearing to see friends greet each other with a kiss on the cheek and stop for a few moments to say hello.

This is the absolutely the best time to people watch and captures the essence of what I imagined Italy to be like. Older women had their hair done, men put on cologne and children chased each other through the streets. This is also the time when you would see the fashionistas sporting the latest designer Italian-made shoes.

Windy cobblestone streets with alluring passageways to nooks and enchanting places to have a glass of wine or cannolo only added to the charm of the passeggiata and made these walks extra memorable.

Before we went to Italy I had envisioned romantic evenings with accordian music, delicious wines, gelato, beautiful scenery and pasta dinners much like the spaghetti scene in the Lady and the Tramp.

The passeggiata is the actualization of my romanticized Italy and one of my favorite memories that will always make me happy when I think of it.