The little things

Coming to Italy has been a big thing. But here are some little things that have made an impression on me. 

• The bread is just right size. It fits in your hand so the ingredients don't fall out. American bread sandwiches are either too much if it's a whole sandwich, or not enough as a half sandwich. These are just right to fill you up and not be stuffed. They don't need to be cut and they are not floppy. 

• Italy places a focus on recycling. Every street has an assortment of recycling bins. There are bins for glass, paper, plastic, metal, and even compostable items. There is one last bin for things that don't go in any of the others. 

• Small size portions. Yes, Italians eat a lot of pasta, but the portions are appropriate. Just what you need. Not to get stuffed. 

• Bikes are to get you around, not for show. Old and rusty, but that's all it takes. And there is a bike parking garage at the train station/mall and it is amazing! Packed with eco-friendly bikes!

• Small experiences will be the thing I remember most here, not the big art galleries and tours. Bike riding through the cobblestone streets. A small park in the rain. A walk in the hills. The moss on the stone walls.

• Small cafes. Most places to eat or buy goods are small shops owned by sole proprietors, not a big chain store. You can get to know the same person when you buy your pastries in the morning, or your panini for lunch. 

• The tiniest appliances ever. The washing machine fits about 1/4 as much as my washer at home. This makes you think twice about tossing your sweatshirt that you only wore half a day in the wash. Most people don't have dryers and hang the laundry to dry. We do have a dryer which is very nice in the rainy weather. There is also a tiny dishwasher. It's in the hallway so we carry our dishes over to load it. 

• Small amounts of toilet paper! Bidets do the cleanup. 

• The quick walk to the grocery store. I ran to the store the other night for one thing. Literally *ran* because it was raining. The whole roundtrip took me 9 minutes. The stores are small because they don't have to be big supercenters serving everyone within 5 miles. They only need to stock enough for the people within walking distance. From my apartment I can easily walk to 4 different grocery stores, about 6 bakeries, and countless other cafes. 

• Small packages of food. There are no 10 pound bags of flour or oats. No family sized boxes of cereal. No caselot sales! Even the eggs come in packages of 4, or at most 10, not 12. Everything is just enough for right now. These people would be shocked at my food supply in my basement.

• On that note, there are no big families here. No giant SUVs or trucks.

• SMALL STREETS. SO SO SO NARROW. Some streets are barely 10 feet across with sidewalks that are barely 20 inches or so. The map of town makes it look larger because there are so many streets. But they are so narrow and so closely packed that you can actually walk across the whole central district in about 10 minutes, or 5 minutes on bike. 

• Small cars. I have seen cars smaller than a mini cooper. Most people get around on motorbike because cars are a burden. There is no where to put them. Definitely not giant SUVs or trucks. 

• Small buses. Not all busses are huge. They cover almost every street. Most are typical size, but some only have 8 seats. 

• Small interactions mean a lot. One cafe owner that will respond to me in italiano brightens my day. One store clerk that smiles instead of ignores me makes me want to go to that store again. Being spoken to at church. Because ultimately it is the lack of interaction that has made us to decide to come home early. I absolutely accept it is my responsibility to talk with people if that is my goal. But when people engage in return, it means a lot.