This is completely mundane and pointless. I’d also like to add a disclaimer that I realize that the phenomenon I describe below is due to coincidence and ‘focused perception’ (i.e. it seems like you see jeeps everywhere right after you buy a jeep. All along the jeeps had been there, you just don’t notice them until you’ve bought one.) However, I thought it would be fun to share!
I just got back from Italy last night. I flew in from Rome. I took a nice hot bath and went upstairs to watch a little tv before going to bed. I turn on the tv and hear… someone speaking in Italian! It turns out that the tv was tuned to the food channel and “Mario Eats Italy” was on. Also, the first commercials were one for Olive Oil (the commercial had a distinctly Italian feel) and a Kodak commercial where the couple were in what I swear was Cinque Terre (a place I visited on my vacation.)
I log in to the straight dope for the first time since Vacation and check out General Questions to see this: “Why isn’t it “Roma” everywhere?”
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Where in Cinque Terra did you go? I went back in June '97 and we stayed in Vernazza and hiked the trail over to Monterosso. It was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever been. I loved it.
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Tommy,
I don’t mind the highjack at all I’m prepared to gab about my trip until everyone drops dead from boredom!
We also stayed in Vernazza --in an affita camere (room to rent). If you remember where the piazza was, we stayed in a large red building (#30 Piazza …) with all of the sailboats in front.
We hiked most of the way to Monterosso but were stopped before we got all of the way there. We were told that the trail was closed (despite the fact that there were no barriers and that there were many other people hiking the trail). It was amazingly, breathtakinly beautiful.
We were in Vernazza for 2 and a half days and saw all of the towns (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso).
