In Italy again…at last!やっと再びイタリアに！

Sitting on a bench in front of Gabiano castle.
ガビアノ城前のベンチに腰掛けて

For the past 6 years my husband and I have been studying classical singing with an Italian Maestra. That is why we go to see her in Northern Italy from Vienna. The last time we went was December 2019 and back then we could never have imagined that we would not be able to see her again for some time. You do know that the situation became quite difficult and we had to wait for a long time until it finally improved. And so finally last week we went to Italy again!

First we were very happy that our teacher and our friends were all in good health and we were so happy about seeing them again. How familiar it all felt! I had a kind of feeling that all of us experienced this same difficult situation and felt so grateful to be healthy. The city also did not look any different and as usual some people sit on benches enjoying human interaction. That made me very happy. Ever since I have been going to Italy regularly, I got the feeling that communication and interaction with other people is very important for them. Approaching and talking to people without hesitation, etc. that is how Italian everyday life goes. This way of life is not really foreign to me because my grandmother who raised me had this similar kind of mentality. That is why I like this aspect of Italy very much. And when I imagine those past dark days my heart really breaks. People had to be at home for days or even months, which brings no joy of living. I hope that this kind of situation never ever comes again.

We used some spare time to go to Castello Gabiano again, where we last went in March of 2019. According to our memory from back then we went for a short walk. Below you will find some pictures.

　6年ほど前から、声楽を学ぶため、北イタリアの巨匠のもとに、夫と私はウイーンから通っています。前回訪れたのは2019年12月のことで、すぐまた来ようと思ってました。ところが皆様もご存知のように、状況が悪くなり、長い間、その望みを叶えることができませんでした。やっと徐々に状況が回復したので、先週ついにイタリアに行くことができました！

　何と言っても、先生はじめ、知人の皆さんがお元気でいらっしゃることが嬉しかったです。皆んなのことがとてもお懐かしく、共に試練を分かち合ったような気がして、健康であることの尊さをしみじみ感じました。街の様子もそう変わりがなく、ベンチに腰掛けて井戸端会議をしている人達の姿に心が暖まるようでした。イタリアをしばしば訪れるにつれ、このような会話や触れ合いがとても大切な民族であるのだと感じるようになりました。私の祖母が似たような面を持っていたので、親しみを覚えます。何となく懐かしいような感じで、イタリアのこういう面が私はとても好きです。ですから、何日間、何週間も自宅に閉じこもったままの生活を余儀なくされたことは、さぞ辛かっただろうと想像し、胸が締め付けられるように思います。どうかもう2度と再びあのような恐ろしいことになりませんように。

　少しの空き時間を利用して、ガビアノ城に行きました。前回ここを訪れたのは2019年3月のことで、その時の記憶を呼び覚ましながら散策しました。下に写真をいくつか載せます。