Have you ever seen a windbreak on an Italian beach? I haven’t. Does that mean Italian beaches aren’t windy? They are — often even windier than the Baltic coast.
So why don’t Italians fence themselves off from one another with windbreaks?
I’ve noticed that when we go sunbathing at our favourite spot on the nearby rocks by the sea, someone very often settles down beside us. There’s more space around us than on the Vistula Boulevards in Warsaw… Hardly anyone about, plenty of room, and yet they love choosing a spot where someone else already is. They sit so close you’d think we had arrived together.
At first, it surprised me and made me a little uncomfortable. But in the end, it’s always a pleasant, considerate way of sharing the space. No noise, no loud music. Just that. Let’s catch a little sun together.
At one point, we even had our favourite “neighbour” on the rocks. She would arrive by bicycle every day and settle down next to us with a smile (that’s her leaving in the photograph). Conversation didn’t really flow because our Italian was so poor. But it was lovely all the same. A brief “good morning”, “how’s your day?”, “beautiful weather” and plenty of smiles.
It makes me think that, on the one hand, we really are very similar. Both we Poles and the Italians love long family gatherings over delicious food. Yet at the point where our cultural boundaries kick in and we start looking for a space of our own where we feel comfortable, an Italian wants to share even more time with others. Of course, I’m generalising a little, but you really can see it in many aspects of everyday life. An Italian will always find time for you, is always curious about another person and is happy to share their life with you.
I’m not judging, and I don’t know which way is better. That’s simply how it is.
We look for space; Italians look for people! I think our Polish beach windbreaks are the perfect symbol of that.
