Evening Out In Bassano

This Saturday I had my first experience leaving Paderno del Grappa and exploring a new city, Bassano. Bassano is only a 30-minute bus ride from campus and the bus company was very low priced because 47 other CIMBA students traveled to Bassano as well. Although I was arriving in Bassano with 47 other students 16 of us decided to dine at a delicious family-owned Pizzeria. Once we ordered our pizza the owner came up to the table and said “The chef is going to bring your pizza out to you personally, this is very special”. The polite, enthusiastic chef walked to our table with a ginormous smile presenting to us a large heart shaped pizza. The atmosphere in this Pizzeria was unlike anything I have experienced in the United States. Each worker greeted us with open arms and anticipation to learn more about us as well as the other customers dining. This opened my eyes to how greedy and careless Americans can be. An older couple talked to my friend and I for 30 minutes about hockey, Italian food, and various Italian customs. I was thrilled to have talked to this Italian couple because they shared valuable information with us and took the time out of their day to hold a meaningful conversation with strangers. After leaving the pizzeria we went to a nearby bar where I met a new Italian friend named Emma. It was quite embarrassing when I first tried talking to her by using hand motions and speaking English very slow when she laughed and said, “ I speak English very well, no need to play Charades!” Although I do not speak any Italian, Emma taught me different greetings and valuable sayings. Yet again, I was amazed by how friendly every Italian was and how willing they were to become friends with new people. I enjoyed watching how the Italians communicated with one another and the different mannerisms they had. It was interesting to see how almost every Italian smoked cigarettes and ran around the corner to pee outside. A few Italian men approached me laughing because I was wearing a tank top and told me that Italians always cover their shoulders and chest in the winter. After looking and realizing that none of the Italians were even wearing short-sleeved shirts and they were all bundled up in layers, I became embarrassed again. All in all, I had a great time exploring Bassano, meeting the locals, and learning new Italian customs; I will be returning to Bassano in my near future.