Newspaper Article – Il Resto del Carlino – Martedi 25 Marzo 2014

 It seems our star continues to rise in this city of Ascoli – go figure!   Above you will find a copy of a recent newspaper article about us.  This does not make us celebrities here in Ascoli, but it was fun to talk with the kids.  Note that this is written by high-school students, many who think the best place in the world to live would be America, especially where The O.C. is filmed.  I am sorry to say we may have inadvertently left them with the impression that restaurants have separate rooms for adults, children and the elderly.  We were trying to explain what we now realize is a very complex observation – that in the U.S. adults often leave the children and elderly home and go out to very nice restaurants where one would not normally take children because they are too noisy and active.  Here in Italy we have yet to find a restaurant where the long tables did not include everyone, from the youngest to the oldest family and friends, all talking and gesturing at once.  (And frequently the family dog under the table, except in the very best restaurants.)  So, no surprise they didn’t quite understand us.  Qualifier: this is my first translation (took three hours) which is literally the student’s interpretation in Italian of what we said to them in English, translated back into English by someone just learning Italian.  Hoping for total accuracy seems futile.

WHEN ASCOLI IS BETTER THAN AMERICA

 An interview with a couple that moved “Under the Hundred Towers”

 We kids in the newsroom had the pleasure of meeting Larry and Arlene Howe, a couple of Americans who, after retirement, have chosen to live in Ascoli.  Interviewing them we got to know their motive for coming to our city.  Our guests responded willingly and very slowly to allow us to comprehend their English.

*Why have they decided to live in Ascoli Piceno?

 We lived in southern California, precisely San Diego, and as the city is very busy we desired to live in a place more peaceful where everything was accessible by foot.  We chose Italy in the first place for it’s excellent geographic location from where we can explore the whole of Europe.

*How did you come to know about Ascoli?

 Navigating the Internet for the location of the ideal city for us, we were curious about this place.  Now that we live here we can say the city is wonderful!  We sold our home in California, said goodbye to our children and grandchildren, and we settle here.  We like very much to travel and visit large cities like Rome and Florence, but we have noticed that they are very noisy and crowded.

*What do you like about Ascoli?

 Ascoli is beautiful, fantastic, rich with history and culture while, at the same time, not too busy.  The people are wonderful and friendly.  Every day we meet new people.  There is a word-of-mouth that allows us to already have a good number of friends.  Ascoli for us is not too small and it great because every detail makes it important – very interesting places to visit and the entire historical center, all carved in travertine makes the city truly special.

*What do you think of our cuisine?

We like the food very much and Arlene enjoys cooking and learned how to prepare the olive Ascolane.  What we like most, however, is your joy of food and your long tables of friends and relatives.  In the restaurants in the United States you need to speak in a lower voice, there are rooms for adults, the elderly and children.  So it is quiet but boring.

*Are you still of the opinion, now that you have been here for a few months, that Ascoli is the city where you want to live?

Yes, we are certain!  We have a fascination also with the event of the Quintana, in particular the historical reconstruction of the characters and costumes.  In addition, we like how the Ascolani have fun and celebrate the Carnevale; different from the Venetian that is more gorgeous but less fun.  Also, we immersed ourselves in the spirit of those days and we disguised as . . . Americans in Italia!   We wore the clothes with which we arrived here and our Ascoli friends found it really funny.