Two-and-a-half days in Pavia

There are events in everyone's life that trigger other events, with unexpected developments. The last February, I attended a conference in Italy because "invited" by a potential reviewer of one of my papers. There, I met a professor from Pavia, who had been the supervisor of a colleague. We got along immediately, and she was so kind to send a PhD student to Vienna first and to invite me to give a couple of lectures later, during the course of an outstanding young colleague of hers. This is the tale of this latter experience.

On the day of the departure, Vienna woke up in a thick fog that made me feeling back in Padua. The airport was in a chaos, many flights were cancelled or delayed. I was lucky, my flight had just 15 minutes delay. After landing in Milano Malpensa, the usual adventure with the Italian transportation began. I had spent time and energy trying to buy a train ticket while still in Vienna, but without any success. I even complained with Trenord. Nobody answered. In person, I bought the ticket in a counter, where only card payment were accepted, I had to stamp the ticket twice (once at the transfer), and ask around to know at which stop I had to get off, where was the stamper, etc. I was even asked from other tourists where to find something. This explains why we Italians are so friendly and talkative... we cannot survive without asking others.

Courtyard in the university main building

Upon arrival, I had the time to visit the city of Pavia. Very cute. Medieval town with churches, towers, castles, an old university, a famous bridge, pedestrian areas, and everywhere students and people enjoying the city. My hosts "cuddled" me and made the stay light and comfortable.  For the night, a hotel room was booked for me, where I found a huge bathroom, equipped among other things with a bidet (only in Italy) and a window (also rare abroad). Unfortunately, my room neighbors weren't so respectful and quite like in Austria, especially those having a small child, who cried until 11 pm. The breakfast was a dramatic time: which coffee should I take? The Americano tastes terribly and any other option is too dry and small for breakfast. Italians always complain about the coffee abroad, but they do not consider that foreigners might complain as well about our coffee...

The Cathedral.

On the first day, it was raining cats and dogs since the early morning. I decided to walk to the university, because I like the rain. Of course, walking on a rainy day is not the best choice... in Italy. I don't need to explain that. Just try, and if you survive and you are still dry, you are a hero! The building, where the department is, is ugly, terribly ugly, as ugly as the corresponding buildings in Brussels. However, the two days there were fantastic. I recovered the ability to talk Italian. The students seemed enthusiastic of my lectures. A private collector even brought some of the meteorites of his collection to show to the students how they actually look like. For dinner, my hosts took me to a nice restaurant, where I finally tasted the typical dish of the region, a delicious risotto with sausages. Before leaving again, I had to deal with the local bureaucracy. Austria is famous for bureaucracy, but Italian universities enjoy creating tons of new forms every year, with some quite silly questions for someone living abroad. 

The square, where the locals meet.

I went to Malpensa much earlier than the planned time of the flight, to meet a friend of mine, who drove an hour to see me again. We met in Vienna almost 10 years ago, but she later after a year. We met again in Scotland, where she was working, then in Brussels, when she visited me, and now in Italy, as she came back definitely some years ago. It was so nice seeing her again! Although a mom now, she didn't change at all. Finally, I flew back to Vienna, enjoying a beautiful red Moon and a clear sky. The train connection was perfect (Vienna!) and before midnight I was again in my bed.

Conclusions

1. This journey strengthen the feeling of being a foreigner in my own country, even though I know the language and the mentality. The fellow Italians are fashion addicted, posing around, they speak loud, constantly with the ears or the eyes or both on the cell phone, judging the others by their appearance. I felt an alien, with my jeans and sport jacket, with my funny taste for diluted coffee and the habit of eating early. I was happy to go back to Vienna, where nobody cares what I wear and where I feel respected as person, and not being treated special because woman. However, even though Vienna is "home" for me now, I know that I will never be Austrian. I'll always feel an alien everywhere I go. 

2. Some Italian scientists are outstanding, even better than many acclaimed foreign institutions, but they are left alone, fighting against many obstacles, due to the complicated bureaucracy and sometimes even due to envious or close-minded colleagues and managers. Interestingly, such scientists often have a period abroad in their CV...