Fare la Bella Figura -- in Red

Their suits, their shirts, their ties, their shoes, their haircuts, even their fingernails were all beyond perfection … bella figura … To present a bella figura to the world, no matter what was going on inside, was an Italian tradition that reached from the nobility to the peasants. 

Judith Krantz, American author, in Lovers (1994) 

Fare la bella figura literally means "to make a good impression". Figuratively, it means so much more. It's a philosophy of life for the Italians. It encompasses everything from outward appearance to deportment and behaviour. For Cat, la bella figura comes as second nature. I, on the other hand, can aspire only to not being la bruta figura at the other end of the spectrum. The conundrum comes in finding a means to make a good impression while being comfortable.

Shopping with a friend yesterday, we found a pair of snazzy red shoes that are as comfortable as running shoes and have sufficient tread to grip those lovely cobblestone streets that I am so looking forward to wandering with a gelato in hand. I thought my beautiful shoes might also link me in good company with the Pope and his cardinals. However, an Internet search revealed that in comparison to Pope Benedict XVI's red shoes, I remain bruta and that Pope Francis has decided to forgo the papal tradition and wears simple black shoes. Oh well. I am nevertheless going to feel so good in my flashy footwear.

Wish me luck as I channel my inner Sophie Loren. :-)