I is for Italiani

Group photo in Tate Modern, London

I only have to think the word Italiani and I have a smile on my face. I can say, hand on heart, they are the friendliest, noisiest, chattiest and most patriotic people I know. You cannot BUT be pulled to them and their view on life. They are convinced theirs is the best diet in the world and turn their nose up at our poor English cuisine, you will not, I repeat, will not win a discussion with them over food, trust me just leave it, even if your dad is Gordon Ramsey. They know their country is one of the most beautiful in the world, after all it offers everything, sun, sand, mountains, skiing, countryside, good food EVERYWHERE and they produce most of it themselves. And I would urge anyone thinking of a visit to go, having worked for a few years at the Italian Tourist Board and lived in Italy myself for close to 20 years  it’s like a second home to me.

I was lucky enough this week to have my very own ‘italiani’ over in London for a few days. My best friend Enrica with an entourage that puts Madonna to shame, her husband and their beautiful daughter Vittoria (asleep in her buggy) Max’s two children from his previous marriage and Enrica’s sister who has a very impressive camera and I dread to think how many photos she took home of London with her. Sadly for us, the weather wasn’t palying ball, as we stepped out onto the South Bank to make our way to the Tate Modern the heavens opened and as we raced for the final tunnel that would lead us to the Art Galleries’ entrance we found it was blocked off for repair! Aaaarrrrggghhh! We lugged the two heavy buggies up steps and raced them round to the old power station that houses this marvellous Exhibition house and that is why dear reader we look like drenched rats in our photo 🙂

We were lucky to catch up with Serena too who is over for six months to improve her English and work/live the London life for a while. And as we stood here for our photo, in the Turbine Hall below us a carpet of sunflower seeds laid out wall to wall. It’s only on closer inspection you see the artist Ai Weiwei has hand crafted each seed from porcelain. 100 million seeds forming a seemingly endless landscape. Go here to see a video fo the man himself and the beauty of his sculpture.

This is my entry for I in Alphabe Thursday over at Jenny Matlock’s and now I’m heading over to see what everyone else came up with.

Photo credit – Tate Modern