Siesta time in Italy caused me to miss more than one meal, frustrated efforts to go anywhere and ensured I could not spend money in the local shops. Myself and my friends spent more than one day planning an activity and then realized we were planning it for siesta time and it would have to wait. I arrived in Sora on Sunday, the Sabbath at siesta time. I couldn't have arrived at a worse time because even those few things that might have been open on Sunday which would have been rare, certainly would not be open during siesta.
In Italy siesta lasts from 1 to 4:30 pm. During this time shops close up, children leave school and parents head home from work. They all dine together for lunch which usually includes a bit of wine and then they rest. The temperatures at this time of day are scorching and the faint-hearted wouldn't want to engage in any activity anyway. In other words, it is a perfect time to rest.
At 4:30 shops begin to open again but you cannot eat dinner until 8. From 4:30 until 8 you can have pizza, which explains the prevalence of pizza shops or sandwiches usually served in the bars. Gelatto is of course available and that is usually what I end up having. I have had gelatto since returning home and though it was promised to be all natural and made the same way as in Italy, it was not. It was terrible. Gelatto doesn't leave you feeling tired and heavy but the American version does. Tired and heavy seems to be an unbreakable pattern in American life. We are burdened and feel as if we are not taken care of. Maybe we just need to take a rest midday, a siesta.
After days in Italy I began to appreciate the meaning and need for siesta. I even rested in a hammock one-day, swaying in the wind while I read my book. It was rejuvenating. I began thinking like a teacher and I realized how good it must be for the students to have this long break from school in the middle of the day. Families are reunited and allowed to feed each other's souls as well as bodies. Everyone gets a reset. Imagine any stressful day in American life interrupted by a required time of rest. Preschools sometimes require it, kindergartens maybe but the rest of our world is hurried and stressed. We can get anything at anytime if we live in the right place. Even in my tiny town things are open from 6 am until 12 pm. What is the reasoning for this?
With a required siesta we would have to be better planners or live without. On most occasions for me in Italy, I simply went without or waited long enough for things to open. When I didn't like the option of pizza for dinner, because believe me you get tired of it even if it is great, I went to the deli and made my own creation.
The relaxed pace of siesta seems more natural to me and not one bit lazy. Italians are seeking a good life filled with good people, good food and good families. They patiently wait for all three. Imagine that decisions don't have to be made right away but can be put off until after siesta. How much better would our decisions be?
Divorce is still seen negatively in Italy as it should be. When I explained that I was divorced I always got the same reaction, shaking of heads and mournful eyes. I believe siesta is one beautiful way they keep their families together. They reconnect with their spouses and children in the middle of the busy working day and focus on the true meaning of why they have been put on this earth. It is also easy to see how they can be passionate about everything because they have time to recharge that energy.
In the end although inconvenienced by siesta I came to love and appreciate its beauty, its meaning and its power.
No comments:
Post a Comment