Al Mercato. . .

One of the most pleasant shopping experiences I have ever had is walking around the open air market in Forio d’Ischia. Ischia is a small island in the Bay of Naples which neighbors well-known Capri. I have never been to Capri, but all Ischitani (as the locals are called) swear that their island is more beautiful. I won’t bore you with comparisons, but if the open air market I referred to in the first sentence is any indication, I would have to agree with the islanders.
What makes the market so special, you ask? Everyday, a different group of vendors from all over the Campania region of Italy come to sell their wares. All types of household items can be found and bartered for at the mercato. There are cheese vendors, fruit vendors, those who sell clothes, lampshades, shoes. . . .well, you get the picture. The vendors are friendly and persuasive. When I go, I try to bring one of my relatives with me so as to help me bargain AND convince me not to buy everything in sight. Considering the low prices, this is no small feat.
The most beautiful object I ever bought at the market is a peach-colored embroidered peach doily. Now, I know it is not hand-made or as precious as any of the doilies my mother has made in her lifetime, but it is strikingly attractive nonetheless and adorns my coffee table in a most pleasing manner. Every time I look at it, I am transported back to Ischia and all her beauty. Although I purchased the doily several years ago, I can still remember that it was hanging in the last stall on the right and there were several colors to choose from: blue, yellow, mint green, and peach. I debated whether I liked the peach or mint green better and decided the peach suited my complexion better. (I know, I used to be much more vain way back when.) I remember taking it back to my grandmother’s house, where I was staying, and putting it into my luggage right away lest I forget it in Ischia. Why I was so excited about such a simple purchase, I don’t know. I am not wealthy, but I have been known to purchase pricey, lovely items every now and then but the happiness I felt over this simple piece of cloth remains unequaled today. Perhaps my doily and love for the island of Ischia are intertwined; that is, I love Ischia because of her simplicity and beauty just as I love this doily. When I look at the doily, I think if Ischia and I feel blessed to have been able to spend time on the island amongst her precious people and swum in her topaz-colored waters. I don’t know when I will be able to go back there, but my doily gives me a daily dose of hope that it will be soon and that, nel frattempo (or, in the meantime), it will comfort me and help me to hold onto my memories.