The Market/Il mercato

Though everyone thinks I've been living in Milan, and probably imagines me walking the streets surrounded by gorgeous architecture and women who look like models, I've actually been living in a small town (comune) that is considered part of Milan. A quiet town where the primary business is furniture-making.

What I will give Italy credit for (not that they need any of my approval) is that seniors remain active in their old age. They have busy social lives and are not confined to nursing homes or the ground floor/basement of their child(ren)'s home. In bigger towns, you will see benches lined with old men sitting and talking in the piazza, and as you walk down the street, you are frequently stopped by someone you know. People in smaller towns seem to know at least every other person they see, so you can imagine how you never want to be in a rush when you're out and about--you'd never make your appointment on time. Then you remember that time doesn't really exist in Italy. Sure, there are the weird hours of operation for shops and banks, and most people in the city work until 6:00pm, but when they're on their own time, they're really on their own time.

Anyway, I digress. Today I went to the mercato in Meda, a neighbouring comune, with two of my aunts. There are mercati almost every morning and they're in a set town each day of the week, i.e. today's was in Meda, tomorrow's will be in Cesano Maderno, Saturday's will be in Seregno, etc. Here you can find almost everything at lower rates, and they're a popular destination for seniors and adults alike. Mostly, you can find cheese, meat, seafood, produce, clothing, underwear, socks, purses, and shoes. My aunt got me a new set of pyjamas [pictured left--read what it says!]. She insisted that my initial choice, a charcoal and grey number with little sheep, was for old people (she's so funny); and then I got a coat for €70 (slightly less than $100 CAD) which was originally €158. The only unfortunate thing was that it was the last one in that style and bulkier than I would have liked. It's made in Italy!

These mercati occur all year round. During the summer, in towns with popular beach destinations, they have mercati in the evenings as well, where you see crowds of people strolling around with their deep bronze skin.

A sense of community is deeply entrenched in Italian culture. When a baby is born, they put an announcement on their front door, using blue fabric for boys and pink for girls. My aunt said she's never seen anyone put a stork (with creepy baby doll, pictured right) as well--normally it's just the decorations on the door [pictured below, zoomed in].


Similarly, when there is a death in the community, it is publicized on a big board somewhere central in the town, where you see the person's name, date of birth, and date of death. They are obituaries that find your eyes vs. your eyes looking for them in a newspaper.

I've been incredibly lazy since my arrival. All I feel like I've been doing is sleeping and eating. I wouldn't be surprised if I already gained back all the weight I lost during my year of yoga. But I shouldn't complain--I have a whole floor of my relatives' house to myself, free wifi, delicious home-cooked meals, and family.

On that note, it's time for a post-lunch nap. And in case you're wondering, today's word was:

mercato