Salve!
There are many ways to say hello in italiano, but the two most common are ciao—which also works as “goodbye,” kind of like aloha—and salve, pronounced SAUL-vey.
I’ve really been trying to hone in on learning and using Italian as much as possible. It helps that I know basic Spanish, which is surprisingly similar to Italian. I’d say things are going pretty well… although, just when you think you’re getting the hang of it, reality has a way of humbling you.
Mine came at the cinema.
Yes, I went to an actual movie theater! Here it’s called Space Cinema—very fun and on-theme. There are quite a few entertaining movies out right now, and I was really in the mood to go. Naively, we thought maybe a showing would be in English. But come on—that’s like going to the movies in the U.S. and expecting one of them to be in another language. Not likely.
So, we picked a movie we thought we knew the plot of well enough to get by: Fantastic Four. All I can say is, it is truly so sad to not understand the words being spoken right in front of you. It was a fun experience, but I could only catch a few words every 30 minutes. So yes, I do believe I’ll be seeing Fantastic Four again—which isn’t something I typically say about Marvel movies—but I do really wanna know what was being said!
Here’s a fun surprise about Italian movie theaters: they have intermissions! That’s right—right in the middle of the movie, it cuts to a screen with a 10-minute countdown. It felt like the film was literally paused at a crucial moment. Wild! All in all, it was a good experience, but I think I’ll wait until my Italian is a little stronger before going again.
But the movies weren’t my only new adventure this week—there was horseback riding!
Something I’ve been dying to do since I started working at the hotel. It’s one of the activities we offer to guests (through a nearby partner hotel), and I’ve been wanting to try it out for a while. It was amazing to be back on a horse again—a very tall horse, I might add.
My horse, Perla, was quite the gassy gal, especially on the uphills! Still, the trail through the woods was gorgeous and the ride was incredibly peaceful. I can’t wait to go again when I get the chance!
Another fun little side quest: plum picking!
Our office manager at the hotel has tons of plum trees and invited us to pick some so the kitchen could make jam—maybe even plum pudding. (I’ve heard that’s good!) I’ve eaten plenty of prunes in my life—shoutout to Grandma—but it turns out fresh plums are actually quite tart. The dog seemed to love them though!
I also started a new project I’m really excited about: building moveable garden boxes for the restaurant! The idea is to create a bit of privacy between the tables, and I love how it’s coming together.
My dad is an excellent carpenter, and it’s been so fun discovering that passion and skill in myself. I haven’t really been in a situation that called for so many woodworking projects, but I’m loving it!
With love,
Holly
Letters From The Olive Grove 