Enrico Maso, translated into English by Ruth Stephens
Chapter 5 – Wake Up!
“What beautiful sunshine!” thinks Alberto, sitting up in bed. He realises at once that the sun is too strong, so what time is it?
Ten o’clock! As late as that! Alberto gathers his things together, pays the bill and jumps on the first bus going to the station. There are plenty of trains to Venice but it seems that all the tourists are taking this one. Groups of Japanese, elderly Americans, children: it’s pandemonium!
When the train arrives at Santa Lucia, Alberto realises that the train is only the beginning.
The station forecourt, facing onto the Grand Canal, is a microcosm of shouting people. Venice seems to have been taken by storm and there’s an endless queue for the vaporetti.
All these people in front of me, thinks Alberto, realising he’ll have to wait at least half an hour. Behind him some university students are joining the queue. From their accents Alberto gathers they are from Bologna. They are all studying at DAMS, the faculty of the performing arts, and are all set for the festival: they know all the events, the celebrities, the programme.
“Guys, lets get the vaporetto from the Zattere stop,” one of the group says after a while,
“the queue here is too long!”
“Excuse me, can I come with you?” asks Alberto, introducing himself.
Welcomed by the group, Alberto soon discovers that they are not heading directly to the other stop – first they want to go ‘per bacari’.
“Bacari?” asks Alberto, “is it a shop?”
“Guys!” says one of the group, “here’s someone who’s never been ‘per bacari’!”
“Well let’s go, then!” another replies.
Alberto soon discovers that they are talking about typical taverns where you can get crostini and tartine with a good glass of wine, all at a very reasonable price. But it’s not just about the food and the wine; it doesn’t take long for him to see that there is a side to Venice about which he knew nothing. And he had been thinking that in the North they didn’t know how to enjoy themselves!