Roma e la campagnia

If you ever come to Italy please consider wwoofing. It is the best way to see Italy with all clothes shed, curtains open. You meet real italian people, not waiters and shopkeepers of the cities who simply cater to the needs and wants of tourists. You eat real food made from fresh produce and traditions that have been passed down from mother to daughter, father to son. Yes, you work the land and maybe even wash dishes and there are no 5 star hotels with goose feather beds, but you get to experience the complete silence of a country night and the big yellow sun rising from behind rolling green hills and white stone houses.
Italians are not afraid of imperfection. At least in the country there is no suffocating desire for toys and gadgets and cars that only money can buy. Instead their lives are focused on people. It is amazing to see such a beautiful community where everyone knows their neighbors and everyone strikes up friendly conversations with strangers they meet in passing. Everything (well almost) I wish for in life, I have found in Italy (or at least in Canneto Sabino). There is peace and quiet, an appreciation for the land, a sense of community, an acceptance for the simple things and finally the ever delicious fresh food and wine. Although not all, many Americans have long forgotten these things and we biuld walls around ourselves and our homes so that if need be, we could go years without ever having to talk to anybody.
We strive for perfection and consistency and yet there is beauty in variety-in the tomatoes which all have a different size, shape and number of holes from the little white worms. They don't use herbicides or pesticides here and that is how they prefer it. I asked Matteo how it all works, how their vegetables don't get eathen by insects, and he informed me that they do indeed get eaten by bugs. But they don't worry because it is all natural and natural is molto bella. Soil never hurt anyone as we eat unwashed lettuce from the garden, a fly or two alight the bread is no worry because since when did anyone die from a fly? Life is good because stress is something we make for ourselves and the Italians refuse to let any such thing into their stone houses and aromatic kitchens, prefering to simply take whatever life gives them.
Sandro and Matteo are beautiful people. Matteo has the kindest eyes I have ever seen and a patience that never wanes when I ask him time and again "what is this?" and "how do you say that?". If it weren't for his girlfriend I think I would be in love with him becuase sometimes just by looking a person in the eye you can tell that they are a good person. He is a good soul through and through and those men are hard to come by.
Sandro finds hilarity in everything. He is always happy and laughs often. He laughs at my constant writing, at his energetic sons and his friend who is going crazy with old age. He is a wonderful father and he loves learning english words and singing with me. He also informed me tonight that if we went to drink at the local bars, we risk him getting in some fights because he is afraid some guys will be rude and hit on me. I have a lot more to write but I'm gonna go to sleep so Ill finish tomorrow!