Volare: Flying. Losing oneself in the moment. Feeling the light of passage. Weightlessness. Dissolving into the blue. Becoming part of the moment. That moment when time dissolves. Gravity is replaced by lightness of being. Ego disappears. Evervessence. A bubbling erupts from within into a smile that threatens to overwhelm us, dissolve us into the infinite nothingness of now.

Walking

Yesterday was one of a series of long hot days walking 36 kilometres from Cattolica to Fano along the Adriatic coast. It would seem that the last thing one would want to do besides having a shower, a meal and going to sleep is go for an evening stroll through the old town of Fano.

It is quite amazing that after a shower, a little rest and dinner how quickly one recovers from aching feet and sore weary legs. Three of us decided to take a stroll after a delicious Italian meal of seafood pasta, freshly caught fish and salad.

La Passegiata

We walked through the old part of Fano through cobbled streets filled with the joyous sounds of people conversing, enjoying dinner at many restaurants, and children playing.

The Italians have a wonderful tradition as the harsh sun makes way to the evening of la passegiata. It is the art of gently strolling through the old town, often to the piazza or historic centre.

You can tell the tourists from the locals by dress. Locals tend to make it an occasion and dress up in their best clothing. It is so inspiring to see life flowing through the streets.

Gelatissimo

We passed a carousel going round and round, and well-lit fashion shops doing late trade to take advantage of the evening crowd.

We walked to the main piazza, and bought ourselves a gelato. One cannot get the full experience of an evening stroll through an Italian town without a gelato. A gelato adds issimo or something more to the experience.

Like children, sitting at the plaza fountain, we stood conversing and soaking up the atmosphere.

This was a Wednesday evening, not a weekend, yet the evening was filled with life and laughter.

Fano

Fano is a a beach resort town in the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea and the Via Flaminia, the ancient Roman road from Rome, meets the Adriatic at this point.

As we slowly walked back through the town to the old city walls we came to a section of the Via Faminia that was preserved.

Volare

As we walked we could hear Frank Sinatra’s song ‘Volare’ wafting in the air, each wave drawing me into its spell. We were pleasantly surprised to hear that it was live music. The singer was outside of a bar and the crowd had gathered to hear him sing.

With only a few days in Italy left before we embark for our next adventure crossing the Adriatic Sea and into Albania, I was very grateful to be here in this moment. I was grateful for all the experiences I have had in Italy and for what it had showed me about living La Dolce Vita – ‘The Sweet Life’.

Below is a recording of the street sounds approaching the live music in Fano. Listen carefully and take in the beautiful sounds of people in the streets, allow yourself to get lost in the joyous sounds of a summer’s evening in an Italian town:

Below are the lyrics in Italian:

Volare

Penso che un sogno così non ritorni mai più
Mi dipingevo le mani e la faccia di blu
Poi d’improvviso venivo dal vento rapito
E incominciavo a volare nel cielo infinito

Volare, oh, oh!
Cantare, oh, oh, oh, oh!
Nel blu, dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassù
E volavo, volavo felice più in alto del sole ed ancora più su
Mentre il mondo pian piano spariva lontano laggiù
Una musica dolce suonava soltanto per me

Volare, oh, oh!
Cantare, oh, oh, oh, oh!
Nel blu, dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lassù
Nel biu, dipinto di blu
Felice di stare lass

The English translation:

Fly

I think, that dream does not come back ever again.
I painted my face and hands blue.
Then suddenly I was being kidnapped by the wind.
And I began to fly in the endless sky.

Flying, oh, oh!
Singing, oh, oh, oh, oh!
In the blue painted blue.
Happy to be up there.
And I flew, I flew happily to the heights of the sun.
As the world slowly disappeared out there,
A soft music was playing just for me.

Flying, oh, oh!
Singing, oh, oh, oh, oh!
In the blue painted blue.
Happy to be up there.
In the blue painted blue.
Happy to be up there. [1]

Float Of Fanotasy

Italy has been like a dream. As we walked towards the source of the music, each wafting note carrying me, as if on a cloud, floating to the source of this sweet music I felt like I was dreaming. Italy can do this to you.

At that moment listening to this song I felt the smile in my heart erupt on my face. It felt like a dream, a fantasy, to have spent a month walking through Italy.

Flight Of Fantasy

I didn’t know what the song was about till I got back to the hotel and found out what it was about. It was about flying! About the joyousness of living. So much so you want to sing! So much so that you feel that you dissolve into the blue.

The Big Blue

It is about connection. Remembering that we are part of this beautiful little blue planet. That we all can fly when we remember that we have wings.

Our wings are our faculty to dream, to follow those dreams, to enter the big blue yonder, to allow life connect us to the blue, let the blue be your glue so that you too can fly. So you too can lose yourself in the blue of life.

Blues Yourself

When we allow ourselves to dissolve into the moment we become connected. So much so that all differences disappear. So much so that time becomes a human construct, for it doesn’t really exist, for in that moment of gratitude and connection it can feel like an eternity.

Fly

Let go and lose yourself in the infinitenessimal eternity that each moment can hold. When we are lost in the moment, dissolved in the infinite blue we can feel our weightlessness, discover our connection with all, that glue that gives us wings to fly.

The Italians have perfected la passegiata, the art of ambling in the moment. They have bought themselves a first class passage to heaven here on earth.

Bibliography:

1. http://lyricstranslate.com/en/volare-fly.html

This post was mainly  written on 2nd September, three days before leaving by ship from Ancona to Durre in Albania.