Friendship and the Aperitivo

IThe aperitivo is a brilliant concept. It is the ritual of a pre-dinner drink with a few good quality snacks to kick start your digestion. It is definitely not 'happy hour' as we know it in Australia or time to fill-up so that you don't have to cook dinner, although this can easily be done. The main reason I love the concept of the aperitivo is the ease in which it brings friends together to unwind after a day's work. There is no need to ring around to organise a get together with friends. Everyone knows that your friendship circle will be at the bar between 7 and 8 most evenings. It is a place to come and go as you please. It is a place to sit, talk, be seen and people watch.

In the small town of Varzi - where we use to live and where we base many of our tours around - the locals would gather at their favourite bar around 6pm to meet up with friends. In this town it is a mainly male orientated affair. The men have just finished work and unwind before going home to a cooked meal. I really enjoyed looking on at this ritual, as the men looked so relaxed and ‘at home’ in their surrounds. And of course, a little bit of exhibitionism never goes astray with the locals. The bar of choice rarely changes, unless the proprietor starts to really disappoint in their selection of nibbles!

Next time you are in Italy I strongly suggest you take advantage of the aperitivo hour. Not only because it's so tasty, but because it is a great way to get a feel for the Italian culture.