Somewhere Over the Rainbow.....There's Italy.

Other than the sliding door of my Barbie camper, rainbows weren't a big part of my childhood.  When I watched The Wizard of Oz, I was more interested in Dorothy's shoes than what lay over the rainbow.  And although the rainbow flag has been used as a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) pride since the 70s, I was unaware until the late 80s, at which time to me it was simply the Gay Flag.

Traveling in Italy in 2003 the country was adorned with the rainbow flag.  The word pace was written in white in the center.  I checked my travel dictionary for the definition of pace (peace) but looked no further.  I thought the country's gay community was crying out for peace. Many years later, as a resident of Italy instead of a traveler, I learned that the 2003 rainbow flag was to show their opposition to the war in Iraq.

If only we could make a wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind us.

Once again, in 2020 rainbows adorn the streets of Italy, but this time they aren't flags.  They're usually children's drawings of a rainbow with two clouds and the message, Tutto andra' bene (everything will be ok).  I wouldn't say I'm the type that always looks on the bright side, but my idea of a rainbow had always been with a pot of gold at the end.  When I asked about the clouds they explained that the rainbow was coming out of the clouds.  That means I've been mistaken all these years and there's really a rainbow at the end of every pot of gold.

Parents started hanging the drawings on gates and windows to spread messages of hope and positivity.  And now, in addition to the Coronavirus spreading, the message of hope is also spreading. Yesterday I joined in to boost morale and share the slogan of reassurance.

Seeing that organizing overflowing closets is on my Lockdown List of Things To Do, it seemed like a good time to use up some tiny fabric scraps. And even though paper scraps in Chicago for a long chain for the Christmas tree was a bit more festive than fabric scraps in Italy for a rainbow of hope, I didn't give up. 

I hung my rainbow across the driveway yesterday with no clouds and no slogan (and no pot of gold). My 75-year old farming neighbor asked if there was going to be a party.  When I explained that it was a rainbow he told me that rainbows have 7 colors and mine only had six.  (My fabric scraps lacked indigo.) Then he asked about the missing clouds.



I sent a photo to a friend and she wrote, "Bello!! But it's missing the slogan!" and attached the little rainbow emoticon (with the clouds, of course).  I responded asking if she thought every gondilier (guy that drives a gondola) had to remind the tourists that he had a gondola.  I think the striped shirt and funny straw hat with the ribbon are enough to get the point across, but then I'm dumb enough to think a six-stripe rainbow with no clouds and no slogan could speak for itself.

Things in Italy change every day and so do I.  Between yesterday and today I've changed my mind about the slogan. It seems selfish.  It's not fair to say that everything will be okay when for so many everything isn't ok.  We can say there's hope and we are all in this together and we have to stay strong, but in my opinion, everything will be ok isn't suitable.  Therefore, my giant rainbow will remain silent and the few folks that pass my country road can think what they will.  And I'll just hope for peace.

Somewhere over the rainbow there's Italy, number one on the list for blue skies and dreams and number two on the list of worldwide Coronavirus cases. We're hopeful that soon our troubles will melt like lemon drops and Italy will once again be that pot of gold. (I  took the photo the day before the nationwide lockdown.)