On the first day of classes in Arezzo I went to the closest restaurant that would accept our meal vouchers. It is a sandwich shop called Del Moro. Every time I go to Del Moro I see the same employee, Ricardo.
Ricardo is from Arezzo and has worked at Dal Moro for 12 years. He loves working in a sandwich shop because every day is different. At first, I thought he meant he makes different sandwiches for different customers. This is slightly true, but he said that he likes seeing people from all over the world.
He explained that tourism is growing in Arezzo, which excites him. Seeing new people explore the small towns of Italy is encouraging for locals and great for their businesses. Some months there are more tourists than others, but overall, the town is seeing more visitors than it used to.
Ricardo was discussing how it is nice to see people visit small towns and appreciate the non-touristy parts of the country.
Meeting people from all over the world is fun, but Ricardo loves living in Arezzo because it is homey. He explained that for young people it might not be as “fun,” but it is quiet and a good place to have a family.
Ricardo’s love for Arezzo has not stopped him from traveling. The only time he has lived outside of Italy was when he lived in Spain for six months. He noted he has been to America twice, but has traveled all over.
During our conversation, he was very passionate about the lack of traffic in Arezzo. He has been all over the world, but he likes how easy it is to get around town.
When I asked him what his favorite part of living in Arezzo is he said, “No traffic. You can go by foot anywhere.”
“I don’t know if you’ve ever been in Florence or in Rome. Just to do two kilometers you need two hours because it is so full of people.”
When I asked Ricardo to do an interview he immediately asked if I was with Gaylord in Arezzo. At first, it surprised me that he knew. Given that Del Moro is right next to school and a voucher restaurant, I should have expected that he would be well aware of the campus. To me, this is all new. To the locals, OU students come and go often.
After our conversation I feel like I have learned a little bit about Ricardo's role in the community. He talked about his dedication to Dal Moro, ideas about tourism and acceptance of OU students. His attitude showed me how positive and uplifting the Arezzo community is.
xo, Rach 🍋