By Josie Whitehead www.whiteheadm.co.uk
Bordered by mountains and bounded by sea
Italy’s the country where I so love to be.
I’ll drink the best coffee; soak up the sun on my skin,
There’s good wine, special friends and a welcome within.
Bells in the bell-towers ring morning till night –
Tucked-away restaurants in streets out of sight.
Mobile phones keep the Italians together
Whatever the day, the time or the weather.
Pavements with cafès, where folk eat on the street –
Smiling faces and welcomes from Italians we meet.
Now the hands on the clock are pointing to five.
Watch the piazzas of cities and towns come alive!
Day turns to night and the street lights now shine –
Smell the pizzas and pasta, the coffee and wine.
The Italian restaurants do wonderful trade –
It seems that every Italian is here on parade.
They’re all talking of families, of football and love –
They sit chatting at tables with the moon up above,
They’re hospitable people who entertain well
With kindness that would be quite hard to excel.
Now, Mama’s the centre of each Italian home –
They all phone their mamas each day when they roam.
The family’s the thing which is dear to their hearts,
But it’s Mama from whom they will never depart.
From the Alps snow capped peaks to Sicily’s warm coves
From Rome’s ancient buildings to the warm olive groves –
There’s Italian vineyards and breathtaking views –
There’s the silk shops of Como and such elegant shoes.
From the Ligurian coastline with its precipitous cliffs.
To the hot streets of Florence where we’ll purchase our gifts.
These days filled with fun, filled with people and pleasure –
Are our gifts to ourselves which we always will treasure.
Copyright 2006