Speaking Engliano

Saturday, May 28
After a good night's rest, we are feeling pretty chipper!  (Personally I had hit a wall!  I was afraid I wouldn't be able to enjoy this place as I should.  But this morning...I am ready!)
We're meeting John's relatives at 1:00 for lunch at their home.  What a privilege to spend time with an Italian family in Italy.  I love to visit with locals when traveling, but this is taking that dream to a new level!  We enjoy their beautiful yard on the lake and then sit down outside to partake in a feast.

the view from the Riella backyard...WOW!

Out comes a rice salad (with tuna, ham, capers and artichoke hearts) and a green salad with walnuts and chunks of Parmesan cheese and fresh green beans.  This was followed by an amazing assortment of meats and cheeses and breads.  They made sure that we got to taste some of the most local meats and cheeses. What a treat!

looks what awaits us!

What a treat!

Enjoying lunch at the Riella homestead...such fun!

Angelo, Giana, Jacque, John, Nicoletta, me, Stephano

We visit the local church where John's father had his first communion.  John's father and his father's sister lived here for 15 months when they were about six years of age.  The "new" part of the church was built in 1657.  But the "old" part of this church is from the 13th century.  Wow!  We also visited the local cemetery to see where many Riella's were laid to rest.  

the Gravedona church

We see two wedding parties pass by with cars decorated and honking (as we used to do years ago).  The first party was led by a decorated John Deere tractor...so cute!
We knew we couldn't speak Italiano but now we can't seem to speak English either. When trying to converse with locals...especially John's family...we try to keep our statements "simple". Instead of a 10 word sentence, we try to say it with 4 words. Simple.  Instead of using a 10 letter word, we try to think of a 4 letter synonym (which sometimes takes some thinking time). Simple. But what's comical is that we find ourselves talking to each other this way. We're dropping all adjectives and articles and staring at the sky while we try to think of a simple word to say. We ain't speaking Italian and we ain't really speaking English either. Mathematically speaking it looks like this...
+5 words I remember from three years of high school Spanish
+6 words I've learned in Italian
- half my English vocabulary
= speaking Engliano.

Sweet Giana, our fabulous hostess

Giana and Nina

We had a comical conversation with Giana when we left the restaurant.  She's speaking rapidly in Italian. I have no idea what she's speaking about but I hear the words "Obama" and "Gravedona". I wonder....President Obama has visited Gravedona?  But after much exchange we realize that she's explaining that the guy in the fancy car is like the Obama of Gravedona (mayor).
We try to decide what to do in the evening...find a nice restaurant? go to the local faire in town?  or sit outside our hotel room and stare at the lake?  We vote for the latter. We enjoy the beautiful view and watching the towns on the hills light up as the sky darkens. We sip some vino and chat about the wonderful experiences we've enjoyed.

enjoying our balcony overlooking Lake Como

our home in Gravedona, Hotel Tullio, right on Lake Como

owned by a relative of a relative of the Riella's...of course