“Non correre che sudi!” “Don’t run or you’ll be all sweat!”. Growing in Italy with an Italian mother *

Ok, I’ll go straight and talk about my mother. She is definitely an Italian mother.

First of all, being my first page in my first blog ever, sorry for any butchering of this beautiful language. I thought that writing in English would have been appreciated by my “walking” followers. Unfortunately not many Italians like to walk so my public speaks and reads English.

I am 50 years now. I live in Siena and I have never left my hometown, apart from few months that I spent in Milan (not my kind of place). I think what I am going to say in these few lines could be written by any of my friend of my same age. We all had mothers that had the same type of mothers themselves. The Italian mother model replicates itself forever.

I have spent many years at the University looking for a position in research in Geology (this is my brief bio)  No way! for some reason I decided one day to be a guide. My mother was horrified…”stai scherzando??!” “are you kidding me??! you were supposed to be a professor at the University!!” “yes, mom, but…there is no position available, I need to leave that horrible environment!”
I think this was one of the many time that my mother stepped into my life with a lot of energy. At that time I was only 36.

I am so happy I am a guide and tour operator now because I can run my tours, meet many different people from many parts of the world. My days at the university are so far away now…but my mother is still not convinced.

I thought that my mother (and all the other Italian mothers) were born to make our lives difficult by presenting us the worst cases possible. If it can go wrong it will, this is what Italian mothers think most of the time.

Recently instead I had to think it over. She was right! I know this will make you laugh but I hope this will save many people’s life, mostly non-Italians. I am going to explain with this: “Aspetta 3 ore e mezzo prima di fare il bagno!” “wait 3 hours and half before jumping in the water after lunch!”…here we go! just another one! Walking and talking with my guests I learned how all Americans, Australians, south Africans, the whole world thinks this is just funny. I felt like I was so stupid to believe it until I talked to a friend few days ago. He is a passionate doctor, so passionate about his job. I trust him more than anybody else in his field.
Duccio, this is the doctor’s name, explained that instead the 3+1/2 hours are true. He explained me  (pardon, I am a rough geologist, I only understand rocks) that digestion together with a cold shock makes your main nerve system collapse. This won’t kill you but makes you switch-off. And you don’t want that when you are swimming. Don’t you?

Scusa mamma, avevi ragione, come sempre…. Sorry mom, you were right, as always 🙁

* This was written in 2013 but still very actual…so I have posted it as my first blog hosted in Walk About Italy web page