Warning: this is going to make you want to go to Italy immediately. But we can’t all do that, and anyway it’s very hot in Italy right now. Let’s be inspired to create some of la dolce vita right here at home.
Was it coincidence that my daughter had bought this mug the week before I contacted Kathy Giuffre: “I don’t need therapy - I just need to go to Italy”?
I had seen Kathy quoted in an article about third places, and I learned that she had retired from Colorado College and moved to Italy. It turned out that we had a mutual friend, Barry Wellman. Kathy knew him as fellow sociologist specializing in network analysis, while I got to know him when he was an associate editor on the Encyclopedia of Community.
I passed on news about Barry’s declining health, and our first exchanges were reminiscences of a personable scholar known for his enthusiastic embrace of online networking. This strikes me now as a good foundation for our first conversation. Real-life connections, then Zoom, and - I am determined - a not-too-distance meeting in Italy!
If you have the idea that third places have disappeared, this podcast conversation with Kathy will disabuse you - and inspire you. I’ve learned this year, as I look for international material for my sequel to Oldenburg's The Great Good Place, that third places may be hard to find in the US but that doesn’t mean they’ve vanished everywhere.
As well as talking about the "pub" that is the center of village life, Kathy and I discuss what it takes for third places to survive and thrive. Our conversation ranges from the loneliness of Giuffre's US students to the cultural values and government support that make this vibrant village pub possible. We also venture into some of the more complex aspects of third-place life: comfort with debate and disagreement, and the skills needed to make new friends.
One of Kathy’s comments sticks with me. Americans come to Italy, she said, searching for la dolce vita, and thinking they can find it instantly. But the good life we all seek is not something we can buy, or just walk into. It takes time, and requires that we give something, too. You’ll hear from Kathy about the culture of generosity that is the backdrop for a warm community life that exists today, even in a village that has many tourist visitors.
Links
Kathy Giuffre's website with links to her writings and talks on how communities foster creativity
Kathy's blog, where you can read about life in the village and life in Italy
The Great Good Place: original edition and in-progress sequel by Karen Christensen
PS: Do you know a third place that should be featured in this podcast? Write and tell me about it. Next week I’m talking to Joe Keohane, author of The Power of Strangers, about why we Americans have become so afraid to talk to strangers. Yes, I guess we need to go to Italy to get some practice.
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