Chapter Text
September 16, 1964
Train to Genova
Caro Alberto,
Trains are so amazing! Even faster than a Vespa! But it doesn’t even feel like it, and you can only tell you’re going so fast because of how quickly all the trees pass by. I asked Giulia why it doesn’t feel fast, and she said it has to do with something called “constant velocity.” I didn’t really understand, but she said I could learn about it in physics when we get to school.
I think you would really like it. Maybe you can ride the train and come visit me in Genova soon.
I miss you already.
Il tuo amico,
Luca
P.S. Giulia says there is a mailbox at the train station in Genova, so I can post this letter as soon as we arrive! My first time sending mail!
September 19, 1964
Portorosso, Italia
Caro Luca,
So, you already miss me so much that you didn’t even wait until you were off the train to write me? I knew you’d be lost without me.
I am glad you had fun on the train, but I can’t imagine anything would be better than our Vespa. You’re telling me “trains” are better than the wind blowing through your hair and the smell of the open road? Plus trains don’t even come in different colors. No, Luca, I am a Vespa man until I die.
Hope you are settling in alright in Genova. Also hope Giulia isn’t being too annoying.
Il tuo amico,
Alberto
September 30, 1964
Genova, Italia
Caro Alberto,
Today was the first day of school and it was the greatest thing ever!
First, Martina (that’s Giulia’s mom) made us breakfast which was mostly different kinds of bread with butter and jam, which was good, but then she gave us this amazing drink. It’s called cioccolata calda, and it Changed. My. Life. I have never had anything like it before! Imagine the taste of the chocolate gelato from the gelateria but liquid and warm and it tastes like a hug. I live for cioccolata calda now, and Martina says we can have a cup every morning if we want!
Martina is very nice. She is an artist and looks just like Giulia but tall. Her whole apartment is filled with paintings. I think you would like them, Alberto. Just like your drawings, they all really show her imagination, not just what you can see in front of you.
After breakfast we got dressed in our real school uniforms! It’s nice to have a uniform because I will blend in with all the other students. It is blue and a little itchy, but they are my clothes, my first real school clothes that belong to just me. Giulia and I walked to school together, and I got my class schedule.
I am taking literature, mathematics, astronomy, geography, English, and something called physical education. So far my favorite classes are astronomy and geography. My hardest subject is English. I barely learned how humans speak Italian, and I already have to learn a whole other human language! One they don’t even speak here! They speak it in places called “England” and “America” that are really far away (I learned that in geography). At least I can translate when we drive our Vespa to America one day!
Thinking of you and Portorosso everyday. How are Massimo and Machiavelli? What have you been up to?
Il tuo amico,
Luca
October 12, 1964
Portorosso, Italia
Caro Luca,
Massimo is driving me pazzesco!
A few weeks ago, I went to the island at night, just for fun, to look at the
fish
stars and to get some of my stuff, and when I got back, Massimo was so mad at me. He said he wants me to be home by ten o’clock every night! Every night, Luca. Can you believe this? Come ridicolo! I forgot how annoying
parents
adults can be.
Anyway, I broke his curfew the other night because I wanted to go mess around with my new friends, Elio and Manuele (they’re very cool) on the ridge behind the town. We weren’t doing anything too dangerous, just kicking up rocks and trying to start a fire. I didn’t get home until… Well it was late, and Massimo gave me a whole lecture about house rules and why it isn’t safe to go out in the woods in the middle of the night and blah blah blah.
And the thing is, even though I think curfew is dumb, it made my chest feel all fuzzy when Massimo said he had been worrying about me.
Don’t you dare tell Giulia I said that! I mean it!
I bet you are doing great with English. I knew sending you to school was a good idea! You can come back next summer and teach me English, so we can talk to more humans when we finally get out of here.
Il tuo amico,
Alberto
October 20, 1964
Genova, Italia
Caro Alberto,
So you’ve made some friends? What are they like?
I think it’s nice that Massimo worries about you. That’s just what having parents is like. They mean well. You remember my parents and how they wouldn’t even let me go to the surface. I am sure you and Massimo will work it out soon.
School is still good. Giulia and I made a new friend; her name is Emilia, and she just moved here from Turin. Somehow I ended up friends with all girls, and I don’t mind it so much most days, but it does make me miss you. Girls are fine and all, but sometimes I don’t understand them. And ever since we started hanging out with Emilia, Giulia spends all this time in the shower and doing her hair. I don’t know what that’s about, but isn’t it weird?
Anyway, I eat lunch with Giulia and Emilia everyday, and then after school we do homework and they end up talking about movies or futbol. Giulia says I should join a school team and make more friends, but I don’t think sports are really for me. I think I will stick with her and Emilia and Martina.
Geography is becoming my favorite class of all. The world is so big, Alberto! I don’t know how we’re going to see it all!
Only one month until winter break, and I can come and see you. I miss you and everyone in Portorosso so much. I am even starting to miss Machiavelli. Give him a kiss for me, will you? Looking forward to your next letter!
Il tuo amico,
Luca
November 3, 1964
Portorosso, Italia
Caro Luca,
Elio and Manuele are very cool! I met them playing futbol in the piazza while I was doing deliveries for Massimo. I kicked the ball around with them on my break. I was excellent, of course.
I am happy to hear Giulia is showering more now. It was needed. That girl sweats enough for the three of us.
But this new friend, Emilia? Is she pretty?
Can’t wait to see you this winter break! Also, it doesn’t matter how much I
lo
like you, I am NOT kissing that cat.
Il tuo amico,
Alberto
November 12, 1964
Genova, Italia
Caro Alberto,
Emilia is pretty, for a girl, I guess. I hadn’t really thought about it before. Why do you ask?
School is good as usual, except for I have recently learned about term exams, and Alberto, they are a nightmare. Term exams are when you have to answer questions and write about everything you learned in school so far and you’re not allowed to look at notes or ask questions and at the end the teacher scores it, and it basically determines your whole mark! Giulia didn’t seem concerned about them at all, but I am freaking out! How am I supposed to learn everything and remember it all? What if I forget everything right in the middle of the exam and they kick me out of school? What if it’s raining that day and I can’t go and I miss them? What if all my pencils break and I can’t ask for a new one? What if I am not as smart as I thought? I don’t know how I am ever going to catch up with all these other students.
I sometimes think I should just come home to Portorosso. I miss you. I miss my parents.
Il tuo con ansia,
Luca
P.S. You might want to stop being mean to Giulia in these letters. She sometimes reads them over my shoulder.
P.P.S Giulia says to tell you that you smell like day old fish guts and have you ever even seen soap?
P.P.P.S Giulia says Emilia is very pretty, and I am blind for not noticing. She also says you don’t stand a chance.
November 17, 1964
Portorosso, Italia
Caro Luca,
Are you going to silence Bruno yourself, or do you need me to come over there?
Il tuo affettuosamente,
Alberto
November 26, 1964
Portorosso, Italia
Caro Luca,
Everything is well in Portorosso. The pescheria is doing great, and Massimo even got me a knife for my birthday (which according to the humans is November 26), so I can practice cutting the nets when we go on the boat! It’s big and shiny, just like Massimo’s, and I have named him Alonzo. Massimo taught me how to sharpen it on a rock he calls a “
wet stone
” “whetstone.”
We have been working extra hours lately because Massimo told me business slows down in the winter sometimes, and we need to save up, which is why I wasn’t able to send you a real letter or catch one of your calls until now. By the time we are done collecting and delivering fish and I get through my studies (Massimo is making me do studies at home, which means I barely have time to see Elio and Manuele anymore, but it’s whatever), I am too tired to do anything else.
I’m sure you already took your exams, but I hope you silenced Bruno and showed them who’s boss (it’s you).
Tell Giulia, yes I use soap everyday now and also I am not interested in Emilia or any of her girl friends. I was just curious if you thought she was pretty is all.
Il tuo caro,
Alberto
November 30, 1964
Genova, Italia
Caro Alberto,
You didn’t tell me it was your birthday!
Happy birthday!
I wish I had known, or I would have sent you something, even if it wouldn’t be as cool as a knife from Massimo. I will bring you a very cool present from Genova when I come home in a few weeks to make it up to you.
Il tuo caro,
Luca
December 4, 1964
Genova, Italia
Caro Alberto,
I did tell Bruno “silenzio,” and guess what! I passed all my term exams. I didn’t have the best scores in class, but I think I did okay, especially for my first term. Giulia says if I keep going at this rate, I am going to be the smartest at school by next year!
Also, Alberto, please don’t be mad, but I’m not coming back to Portorosso for winter break. Emilia’s family invited us to all go on a trip to a place called “France” to celebrate a holiday called “Christmas.” According to Giulia, it’s really fun and she really really wanted to go and begged me to come with them, so I told her I would. You’re not mad are you? I hope not.
I will definitely come back for summer, and we can go swimming and eat gelato until we burst. I promise.
Every week I miss you more and more. If we thought Genova was far away, France is even farther! And now I won’t even see you until June.
Tell Massimo I miss him too, for me.
Il tuo lontano,
Luca
December 17, 1964
Genova, Italia
Caro Alberto,
I haven’t heard from you in a while. You must be so busy in Portorosso. Are you spending a lot of time with Massimo? Or Elio and Manuele?
I miss you a lot.
Today it snowed, and Alberto, it’s amazing! Snow is like cold, fluffy water that falls from the sky in little specks like rain, only soft and white. Giulia and I went outside to play in it. We molded a bunch together into big balls that we stacked and decorated to look like a man. Martina made one too, but she sculpted it into a very fancy lady. It was so cool! And after Giulia and I made smaller balls and threw them at each other. When we finally came inside, Martina let us have double cioccolata calda.
I wish you could have been there Alberto! You would have loved throwing snowballs at Giulia, and I bet you would have built the best fort out of the snow.
Tomorrow Giulia and I are leaving with Emilia’s family for France. I wrote the address on the back of this letter so you can send me mail there. In case you want to.
Il tuo lontano,
Luca
December 24, 1964
Lione, Francia
Caro Alberto,
It has been a long time since I got a letter from you. Maybe they are just getting lost in the mail.
Did you get the birthday gift I sent you? I mailed it a couple weeks ago. Let me know when it arrives and if you like it!
Anyway, today is the day before Christmas, and Giulia and I have been having a lot of fun with Emilia and her family. We eat a lot of good food (All sorts of stuff! Not just pasta!), and tonight Babbo Natale is going to leave us presents in our socks!
I hope you are having fun in Portorosso and to hear from you soon.
Il tuo molto lontano,
Luca
January 2, 1965
Lione, Francia
Caro Alberto,
Buon Cappadanno!
I really think the mail must not work in France because I haven’t gotten any of your letters. That or maybe you have been very busy with the pescheria or Elio and Manuele.
Giulia, Emilia, and I are going back to Genova in a few days, and soon we will have school again.
How are you?
Il tuo molto lontano,
Luca
January 20, 1965
Genova, Italia
Alberto? Are you getting my letters?
I heard you in the background when Giulia and I were on the phone with Massimo the other day. I bet you have been really busy with work and your friends and everything. You must be so tired at the end of the day.
I miss you a lot. More than anything. Write soon if you can.
Il tuo,
Luca
February 9, 1965
Genova, Italia
Alberto? Are you mad at me?
Il tuo,
Luca