Looking back: Cortona

 Learning Italian (A Basic Alphabet)

 

It starts with an “A”...

Assisi, of course, and Antonia.

“Buon giorno!” and batteries,

Buonorotti, bibite, Brunello.

Chianti, (don’t forget the cattle!)

croissants and chocolate,

Santa Chiara and a reluctant

“Ciao!”to Cortona.

Darcy, Donatella,

Esperanza, Elisabeta—

(and, again, those Etruscans!)

San Francisco, Firenze, 

the flags and the frescoes,

Florentine steaks..

(again, with the cows!)

“Grazie!” for gelato, and guides,

For Ghirlandaio and Giotto.

Headphones (more batteries?)

“Ingresso” for “Entrance”

And Italia.

Jogurt and Kevin (and

the “CH” that sounds like K

for those damned Etruscan cows!)

Then, locals and Larry,

Louise and limoncello.

Santa Maria del(all her appellations)

Santa Margherita of the mountaingoat,

Montepulciano...BUT

Don’t forget the Medicis,

And all the Madonnas, too.

N is for Nutella,

Then olives and oil and olive groves,

The Pope and Perugia---

But also the poppies

(red explosions on the landscape)

And always, always, “Quanta costa?”

You can’t leave out relics:

Heads and thumbs and whatever else

St. Helena found and carted home.

There’s Siena, San Luca, and

Saints at every turn..

AND

Speaking of turns,

Sergio, the miracle driver.

T is for tours, tartuffo, and tagliatelle,

Not to mention the TicTac man.

U is for Umbria and

“USCETA” for “EXIT”.

Then Vespers, and vino,

Wild boar and the walking,

and walking, and walking...

 

X, Y, and Z are the sign of “The End”

of our euros, our alphabet,

but never our friends.