From my seat at an outdoor restaurant located on the square I could immediately sense the family oriented atmosphere of the town. Young children running and jumping on their way to dinner with their parents holding hands slowly strolling behind them. All the people possessed a similar attitude of affluence that acts as a describer for the town. Even the children had a upper class aura. The breeze from Lake Lugano set the scene for a perfect family and couple oriented evening on the square, dining at the local restaurants where the cheapest pizza was 15 Swiss Francs (about 14 US dollars). At the restaurant Argentino located on the square a very well dressed couple was disciplining their daughter which then turned into an argument between the parents. Even at such a pristine summer getaway family's still argue.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Lugano Switzerland, European Vacation Hot Spot
Take one step into the main square, Piazza Della Riforma, of Lugano Switzerland and you immediately feel the wholesome energy from the affluent family oriented vacation town. There is one unique characteristic this town possesses that many other European vacation destinations do not, no one speaks English. There are no pasty white sun screen lathered fathers wearing fanny packs around their waists with white socks pulled up to their knees. No woman here would be caught dead wearing an over sized Penn State shirt and comfy "mom" shoes and a faded black digital watch. The only attire visible in Piazza Della Riforma are woman wearing elegant summer dresses and men in fashionable button shirts and pants.
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Jason,
ReplyDeleteGood observations here - fashions, kids, pizza prices, names of restaurant.
You certainly picked a good spot to create your scene - another advantage to drawing a picture with your writing.
It may be a writing cliche, but you need to work more on "showing, not telling."
An example of "telling": "I could immediately sense the family-oriented atmosphere of the town."
To instead just "show" your reader, take the "I" out of it and do this:
At 7 p.m. on a summer night, dozens of children were running and jumping over statues in Piazza Della Riforma. Their parents strolled behind them -- men in linen pants, silk polos and handsewn leather shoes, women in crisp summer dresses. Several families took tables at the restaurant Argentino, where the cheapest pizza was 15 Swiss francs, or about $14.
One other suggestion: Add just a reference about the history of the place: Lake Lugano, a 18-square mile lake that straddles Italy and Switzerland in the mountains. English is not widely spoken here because....