Italy

Posted by rjhmoore at 7:06 PM 3 comments

Elizabeth (the author of Eat, Pray, Love) has finally left her husband and moved to Italy, one of the three destinations in which she will live one year of her life. Coincidentally, she plans to stay in Italy, India, and Indonesia... three I's. Hmmm... when she notices this, she points out that it seems to be a fairly auspicious sign on a voyage of self-discovery.

Four months in each place equals one year. One year away from the noisy mess that is New York City and one year away from the ugly situation that is her ex-husband and recently ex-boyfriend (remember David the sexy Italian?). She needs a break and a long one. She decides that she wants to go to each place not to explore the countries themselves, but explore one aspect of herself against the backdrop of each country. She wants to "explore the art of pleasure in Italy, the art of devotion in India, and, in Indonesia, the art of balancing the two."

So, first stop, Italy! So far she has eaten "the best gelato in Rome," pizza, and a good, homemade, Italian meal. She took an hour to read one article in an Italian newspaper (but she's extremely proud that she understood it) and spent the rest of her day reading books filled with American poems written in Italian. She's also had a conversation with a little old Italian lady who wants to know why Elizabeth divorced her husband. Overall she's just relaxing and "discovering the art of pleasure."

I love describing Elizabeth's adventures. They seem so spontaneous and fun and just plain fantastic! She makes you want to actually be there, because you almost feel like you really are, going through her troubles and pleasures together. Other authors whose books I've read have done this too, but she is by far the best at applying this technique.