When I graduated from High school way back in the eighties, I had dreams of going to Italy and visiting the ruins of Pompeii (birthplace of pornography), seeing Venice, Tuscany and Rome. In order to prepare myself for that inevitable trip abroad I purchased “Teach Yourself Italian” on cassettes. I learned to ask directions, get a room in a hotel (camera con doccia), ask for the train station (stazione ferroviario) was and ask for a stamp (francobollo). I was ready to go!
Well, that was 19 years ago and I have not yet made it to Italy. I’m still making those plans! I’ve not had one solitary bowl of soup in a little ristorante! Although, when I do get there, I’m sitting down at a table in a little restaurant, wait for a waiter and in my best attempt at an italian accent I’ll say: Vorrei del vino rosso, per favore.
