"il dolce far niente?"

I went to France last summer (June 2014) and one of my favorite memories was strolling through Luxembourg Gardens in Paris and then sitting at the Medici fountain in the sunshine and watching all of the children play with the boats. It was lovely! I speak semi fluent French so the children were easier for me to understand than the adults and I enjoyed listening to all of the French children playing and talking to their parents. :) A great memory.

Assisi, September 2013:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ml3Ad-W7bxdS8GpPYFOM0tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

Well, this wasn't me, per se, but on my first day in Venice, I came across a young visitor sitting on the edge of the Grand Canal, legs dangling, whistling 'Dock of the Bay'.

Reading a book (The last Harry Potter book- July 2007) in Hyde Park in London.

Here's the first one that came to mind: In September 2003, after walking back from a little chapel in Fiesole in which we attended an unanticipated brief sung service consecrating the Host, we stopped at a restaurant where we got a table outside overlooking Florence as the sun set. Our dinner conversation was punctuated occasionally by roars from the soccer stadium down in Florence. No hurry. No need to be anywhere. Aaaaaah.

April 2004. Had college kid(s) studying in Florence, Italy. Made it a "Mom's Trip" to see the kids. Because we were staying for a week, we rented an apartment. Spent lots of time chasing the college kids around, going to every museum, restaurants, even a huge dinner party in the apartment for them AND their friends. One night nearing the end of the trip, we three Moms stayed in. Opened a bottle of wine and finally enjoyed the little outdoor garden. While we were sipping, and looking at the stars over Florence, we heard the mother in the apartment above us reading the same first book we'd all read to our one year old babies -- but she was reading it in Italian: The cow says "Moo," the duck says "quack," The chicken says "cluck cluck," the sheep says "Baah!"

For the Three of us Mothers -- It was truly like being connected with all the Mothers of the World at that moment! Yes, the cow says "MOO" even in Italy. And probably all over the world!

Thank you Sanderskn, Jeff, Inbsig, Shannon, Michael & Donna for sharing such beautiful moments!

I just traveled 5 minutes from my home to witness a spectacular sunset... I love how all the beautiful colors blend with each other!

Sipping an Aperol spritz in the afternoon at an outdoor cafe and people-watching. It became my daily routine on my last trip to Italy.

And I'm looking forward to cruising the Grand Canal again next month! Early morning and late evening are the best times!

I 'did nothing' (we had walked for blocks and blocks) in Ghent while my husband climbed yet another bell tower. I waited on a bench outside one of the tall churches...........then IT happened, all the bells started ringing......it was noon. I closed my eyes and just took in the lovely sound. A very special, unplanned moment.

Another memory was being in Oia on Santorini, just standing there, enjoying all the views of bells on top of the churches and looking over at the caldera......not doing anything, just taking in the beauty of it all. I wanted to move my life to that very spot at that very moment. Whenever I see the typical photo or painting of Oia, I smile as I remember my special quiet moment there.

Standing by the village wall of Volterra, looking out over the fields of Tuscany.....just taking in the moment.

Waking up in the Cinque Terre, walking out on our balcony and watching the sunrise and seeing the light move over the village.

On a ship traveling thru a pass in Antarctica, the mountains and snow shined like crystals as the 'summer sun' set very late that (for us winter) night. As the ship progressed, it was so quiet we could hear the thin ice cracking as the ship easily broke through the ice. I knew I 'had' to go to bed that night, but I was simply mesmerized.

Riding along in Holland and seeing for the first time the huge tulip fields all in bloom......I could hardly contain my excitement to see in person what I had always dreamed of seeing. I wanted to stay in 'that moment' for hours.

Sunsets....oh so many sunsets so many wonderful places.

Listening to the gentle ocean waves lapping on the beach and the wind gently blowing thru palm leaves while falling asleep at Little Dix Bay in the BVI.

Anywhere there is a lovely garden, I can just pause to enjoy the beauty. The Hamlet at Versailles was very, very special for me........so lovely and such a welcoming scale compared to the much larger estate gardens.

So many wonderful memories. Priscilla, thank you for prompting us all to recall a few of them.

Our two visits to Cinque Terre, we stayed in Corniglia (stayed there both visits). The place we stayed both times had a lovely terrace on the roof and we found a pizza place (La Gata Flora), got pizza, took it back and just sat on the terrace in the sun, eating pizza and enjoying the amazing views. And we were eating at a Corniglia restaurant with a great view of the ocean, and started chatting with a New Zealander at an adjoining table. That convo lasted three hours - watching the sun go down, talking to a stranger about anything and everything - just sitting and talking...nice way to end an evening (since there isn't much else to do in Corniglia after dark!).

We've had a lot where we just have to make ourselves slow down, sit and have a gelato, people watch, unwind...actually, I guess my favs were my early morning walks in Venice...last year with my mom (while hubby slept in), and two yrs before with my hubby. The morning sun on the Grand Canal, the almost total lack of other people out at 7am...that's how to experience Venice...not with the day tripping, cruise shipping hordes that descend a few hours later...

My husband and I recently spent 2 weeks exploring Italy on our own thanks to RS guide books. One of our "il dolce far niente" experiences in Venice was to sit on the steps of an old church and enjoy the sunshine in the piazza. The locals came out with their dogs, kids were kicking around a ball and life was good. The streets are so narrow in Venice that you don't always feel the sun so that was a special time. We also rode the Vaperetti just for fun or to rest.We used RS self-guided audio tour on my MP3 player, easy to download from his website. Early in the morning was the best time. Loved seeing all the service boats in action. It is important in Venice to buy an hourly pass for the Vaperetti or it can be quite expensive.

Last spring my 70 yr old father, 20 year old daughter and myself visited Italy. While in Florence, I reassured him he would have no problem climbing the duomo cupola with us. After trekking to the top, we sat for over an hour staring out over Florence and the hills. It was one of the sweetest moments I've ever had, sitting in between my dad and daughter staring out over Florence.

I'm truly mesmerized by reading each & every one of your special moments, thank you!

I hope to read many, many more!

Today while driving home, I looked at the sky & it was covered with clouds that looked like giant, sweet, fluffy marshmallows...

Priscilla, I love the way you get so much out of every experience and encourage others to do the same.

I've had so many dolce far nineteen moments that I can't count them, but the best seem to be forced upon me: a bus or train will be late and I have time to just be surrounded by the unexpected. I meet a lot of people in those moments, too.

And like Chani, I sometimes schedule those "routines" that involve doing nothing once I set them in motion, like the vaporetto "cruises" or the Campari & soda in a small piazza where mostly locals are taking a break. Or walking into a church and finding a music rehearsal going on, and just sitting in the back listening.

I'd like to believe that we've all experienced many sweet moments in our lives and sometimes it's difficult to express them
or sometimes we just take them for granted.

I've often heard my daughter say; "I wish I were our dog, he doesn't have to go to school, do homework or work!"

So today, I watched our dog sleeping soundly on a sunny spot of our back yard... without a concern in the world...

She's so right!

Ah, but will the dog ever see Italy?

Chani,

your comment brought a smile to my face!

I thought about that when I posted last night.

Our dog's travel experience is extremely limited ( going on walks around our neighborhood or the occasional ride to the vet's office),

however... in his doggie mind, he is content to just "be"... So, I'm still learning from my loyal friend... our dog.

Happy Travels!

Any room at Punta Civita in Ravello. The Amalfi Coast defines "il dolce far niente"......

Cool question, Priscilla. I've enjoyed reading the responses.

I've been fortunate to enjoy several of these types of moments. One of my favorites happened a few years ago in Vienna. I was wandering around on a hot summer afternoon and bought an ice cream cone from a vendor near the museum I was thinking of visiting for a while, which had a beautiful lawn adjacent to it. I found a large tree, sat down under it, leaned against its trunk, and ate my treat in the shade while watching the other folks relaxing, walking and playing in this makeshift park. After I finished my cone, I pulled out my guidebook and started reading but soon became sleepy. I put the book back in my purse and then used the purse as a pillow while I stretched out under the tree and unexpectedly enjoyed a 30-minute nap. I felt so peaceful when I woke up and again leaned against the trunk with a smile on my face and continued to people watch for another 15 minutes or so. When I rose up out of the shade, I decided to skip the museum for the time being and instead wandered the area longer before heading back to the apartment where I was staying.

Kimlang56,

Thanks for sharing your trip's peaceful moment! I loved it!

This afternoon I enjoyed watching a movie (rental) with my 2 children who are home from college for winter break...

October 2010, our first trip abroad. Through a good friend we got a recommendation for a guide in Florence, Eugene Martinez of Ars Opulenta, his one-man guide service. He set us up for a cooking class & winery tour at the Montagliari vineyard in Greve-in-Chianti, a few km south of Florence. After picking us up near our hotel in Florence, we were mesmerized as he drove us through the rolling hills to the winery. This was a private class but Eugene had invited a couple of his friends from Italy & Sweden to enjoy the day with us.

After prepping, cooking, eating some wonderful Florentian specialties & drinking magnificent SuperTuscan reds, we sat around the large rectangular table adjacent to the cooking area for over two hours & talked about nothing in particular. They had been total strangers to us earlier in the day, but with the mid-afternoon fall breeze wafting in the open door with the aromas from the groves of wine grapes & olive trees, the warming sun making shadows on the blank walls, slowly we became fast friends. We all sensed how special this day had become, a realm of total relaxation. It was sublime.

We stayed in touch with these people and especially Eugene via Facebook & EMail over the next couple years, reminiscing about that afternoon & hoping we could recreate that vibe at some point, hopefully soon. Sadly, a year ago last December, Eugene passed away in his sleep at his home in San Casciano val di Pesa, just south of Florence. This March, a few of us will reconvene in Florence to remember, reflect & toast to our 'one-day special friend'.

As part of a larger trip we spent a week in a farmhouse outside Castellina in Chianti. We kept busy and to drove to hill towns and visited museums and all the usual tourist things I love to do. But as we reached the end of the week we just seemed to slow down and distances seemed to stretch out. By the last day we simply went into town and visited the butchers and got boar salami and Sienanese prosciutto and the market for cheese and bread before returning. And instead of "doing anything" we literally spent the afternoon of our last day laying in hammock eating and drinking wine that came from the grape vines we were looking at as clouds passed overhead making shadows in the valley. An entire lazy afternoon of napping and simply enjoying the view and the wine and the food and it was perfect.
To this day I still think "Why didn't we go to Pienza? It was right there!" but then I remember how it gets in your bones. Sure Pienza will be beautiful, but it's beautiful right here, right now and who wants to drive all that way? If you can stay long enough so that the spirit of place gets into you because that's a sense of a place you will always carry.

=Tod

Being invited to witness a wedding on Iona (Scotland). While exploring the island, we peeked into the Abbey to find a wedding happening. The folks in the last row invited us in to be witnesses to the ceremony and the celebration afterward. So special......

If we are talking about only il dolce far niente in Italy then a late Dec afternoon in Venice seated on a bench in the Park of Remembrance simply watching the sun set, families strolling, dog walkers, boats on the canal. Sheer bliss as the golden hues bounced of water. If we are talking other experiences of doing nothing but enjoying the moment, it was hiking along the Gap of Dunloe in Ireland last November. Saw 6 cars and 4 people. Communed with the sheep, watched the storm clouds and the sun break through them and to cast moving shadows on the hills and mountains. Could have stayed there forever watching the breathtaking scenery change colors, shapes and sizes. And as a native Californian anytime I visit Yosemite and stand in the meadows surrounded by the granite grandeur.

Thank you, Egbdf, Tod, Andi & Claudia for sharing your delightful stories!

Egbdf, so sorry about your friend Eugene passing away...It sounds like he was a very dear man.
May your return trip to Florence give you opportunities to make more special memories...

Tod, napping on a hammock and eating bread, cheese, salami, Sienanese prosciutto & drinking wine -- sounds superb!
"Sure Pienza will be beautiful" ...and... it will still be there when you return! but the memory of that lazy afternoon-- priceless!

Andi, invited to a wedding ceremony & reception by perfect strangers in Scotland! -- truly memorable!

Claudia, sunset in Venice, hiking in Ireland, breathtaking scenery and standing in the meadows of Yosemite-- heavenly!

I hope to read many more amazing stories!

Tod--Bravo! That's exactly what you have to allow for on these trips--the potential of perfect downtime. It's absolutely great to plan & micromanage an upcoming trip (as I am doing for our March journey to Paris, Lucerne, Florence, Salerno) but all this research I've done serve only as 'visiting possibilities'. Just because we may only see 50% of our destinations, or 30%, doesn't mean the trip was a failure. Indeed, it will probably mean that we found unexpected neat places like a bookstore in Paris, a people-watching café in Florence, or a little fish house in Amalfi where the owner sat down with us just to BS. That's what you remember...

All of my trips include the experience of doing nothing but absorbing the atmosphere and culture. I could sit for hours (and have) in a cafe and people watch or join the evening strolls with locals. I purposefully do not over-schedule myself.
Just last fall my sister and I just sat in the square in Como and giggled like schoolgirls over nothing at all (we are 59 and 60). She is an overworked and over-stressed woman. My goal was to have her just relax and enjoy doing nothing. I finally succeeded.
Others: wandering onto a festival by following an ohm-pah band, viewing the glorious sunsets in the CT and in my own back yard, viewing the sunsets in the winter when the sky takes on a pinkish tinge over the snow-capped mountains. Or the sun reflecting off the trees after a night with hoar frost.

Time to confess: I, too, microschedule on paper: opening/closing days and times, possible itinerary in morning, afternoon, evening segments. Sometimes I do none of the things I scheduled, but I know what I am giving up or rescheduling. There have been whole days when I looked at my schedule, laughed, and ordered another aperitivo.

Thank you Zoe, Tod & Cbrochu!

I love your great attitudes!

Cbrochu & Zoe: "giggled like schoolgirls over nothing at all"... and.... "There have been whole days when I looked at my schedule, laughed, and ordered another aperitivo."-- They say laughter is the best medicine!

Tod, "That's exactly what you have to allow for on these trips--the potential of perfect downtime.-- Bravo for leisurely moments!

I appreciate reading all your responses!

Gee, I thought I was being lazy and indulgent by slowing down and not cramming too many things into each day. Thanks to Priscilla and the rest of you, I now realize I've just been maximizing the enjoyment of unstructured time!

Chani... what can I say... it's all a matter of perspective, right?

The sky is beautiful today-- it looks as though someone took a giant paint brush &
added a few light strokes of white paint onto a massive light blue canvas.

To my way of thinking, the way the trip is structured--knowledgeable but loosely--is key to experiencing il dolce far niente. For example, I'm a big fan of the 'home base' in centrally-located areas with good transport options lending to interesting daytrips. But...I put a time cap on one-way travel to these destinations at 2 hours. From Florence as a base, I will consider a 1+ hour each way travel to Siena or Lucca (or 30 minutes to Fiesole), but not the 2+ to Cinque Terre, Volterra or Venice. Sure, I may be missing out a little, but I don't want to get up at the crack of dawn to catch a train or bus--on vacation I like that leisurely morning espresso, roll, prosciutto before wandering over to the train station or bus. And at the end of the day, I like to get back to SMN station around 5PM, maybe take a nap or veg out at a cafe before heading out for a s-l-o-w dinner, a 2-3 hour wind-down of which in the States we cannot conceive.

Last October was my first visit to Venice. The first night I took a walk alone at night from my hotel room, going through the narrow walkways to San Marco Square. It was 11pm, just a handful of people were in the square. I stood alone in the square while a lovely quartet played beautiful classical music seemingly just for me. It was magical. What a memory! I was so fortunate.

smins176, that reminds me...

After dinner in Florence, walking near the Uffizi Gallery, happened upon an impromptu concert by a solo violinist in the walkway between the two buildings. Just a guy and his instrument, and sitting on the stairs of the Uffizi a few feet from him were about 20 people, enraptured. I remember it was a song from 'Beauty & The Beast', and the acoustics from the notes reverberating off the walls of the tall buildings on each side were fantastic. It sounded like an orchestra. Just wonderful.

Thanks for jogging my memory!

I love reading this thread! :-)

Thank you Jay & Smins176 !

As I read & re-read all your "il doce far niente" moments, I experience a sweet moment of joy -- just reading your stories...

Thanks to all of you who have shared these wonderful stories!

Hope to read many more...