James Carnarvon

Oh, the number of times I’ve made that typo in my actual day job! Thankfully I usually spot it…

Oh come on, don’t call for realism in this silly holiday caper! 😄 I wonder what you mean by ‘public school’? In Britain, that (confusingly) means expensive, exclusive private schools for the wealthy. These schools see themselves as producing the leaders of the future, and unfortunately they do pump out quite a few of our out of touch, leading politicians. Ramin and Helen could probably afford a private education for Reza but, instead, they send him to the local state secondary school to keep him grounded. In his school environment, overtly exploring LGBTQ+ lifestyles is not the done thing. “Gay” is thrown around as a casual insult without any real thought to its true meaning. Reza would not have been seeking to broaden his horizons or even imagine that he might have cause to do so. That’s kind of how things were at my secondary school (I finished in 2000). I don’t remember anybody openly identifying as gay, bi or anything else during my entire time there. I’m happy to say that the culture in 2022 seems to be very different: at the school of a family member of mine, the kids don’t feel the need to hide their true selves and there is a well-attended pride parade. This story is set in 2009, however, where the reality would have been somewhere in between.

'Experts', huh? 😅

Wednesday Reza got out of bed on Wednesday morning with a fresh resolve. He had to avoid Otto. At all costs. As far as possible, anyway… I mean, this is getting out of hand… This time, whatever Mum and Dad suggested for the day, he was going to go along with it, even if it meant climbing a freakin’ mountain. Absolutely. May it take as long as possible! His plan lasted for approximately twenty minutes, or the time it took for him to have a quick shower, get dressed and sha

Would you mind leaving my rod out of this? 😆

I think you can interpret it any way you like!

You quoting just that section out of context makes the whole thing sound so smutty! 😅 I think we're all clear that this isn't the sort of material I usually write. Just having a bit of summer fun... as, potentially, is Reza...

Featuring Claudia in this chapter was a bit of a challenge. I basically rebooted her character completely when I wrote Toto, so I had to find a way to bridge between the earlier ‘shy little girl’ version of her character from The Summer of the Firefly (who was defined mainly by her childish crush on Gianni) and the tougher / more self-assured teenage version of her character from my later stories. The ‘chin flick’ she performs to Angelo (meaning ‘I don’t care’ or ‘who gives a ****’) is my first use of an ‘official’ Italian gesture in my writing. There’s a whole language of gestures that I have yet to learn!

Tuesday At breakfast the next day, Mum and Dad hatched a plan for a great long walk around the hillside below town that would take them back down to the coast in time for lunch. With temperatures pushing thirty Celsius, Reza couldn’t see the point in subjecting himself to such a long, uncomfortable trek, so he opted out. “But what will you do all day, sweetie?” Mum asked, disappointed. “I’ll hang around town a bit, maybe take some more photos,” Reza replied. Mum sighed. “All r

Absolutely - great catch! Also, Michele's name is a nod to another great Italian movie, Io Non Ho Paura (I'm Not Scared). More about my Influences and Locations (a bit out of date now, but still...) Have you really never read this story before...? Filling in the gaps? You're certainly going for it tonight!

Succinctly put.

Surely the real question is… will he succeed? 😅🤫

Monday “Amalfi?” Reza echoed. Mum nodded, sipping on her breakfast cappuccino. “Down on the seafront. The guidebook says it has quite a buzz to it.” “Like, more than this place?” “Come on, Reza,” Dad interjected. “Are you still claiming that you’re bored here?” Reza smirked slightly. He was pushing their buttons, and he suspected they knew it. “Well, who wouldn’t be?” “I saw you with your camera, yesterday,” Dad replied. “You were fascinated, and you know it.” “

I like your thinking! (and your thoughts about breakfast) 😋

Thank you @Summerabbacat! Yes, you’re absolutely right, the location described is the location depicted in my profile picture. But there are more reasons than that why the description will resonate for you by now. The Terrace of Infinity was the pivotal location for the dramatic peak of The Summer of the Firefly, but has also featured to a greater or lesser extent in all my other longer stories. Toto and Michele take Dani to visit it in Together We Can Fly. Later in the same story, at Gianni’s birthday after-party, Toto finds Dani watching as Gianni and Angelo share a quiet moment together on the same terrace. In Dani the Hero, Dani and Giaco briefly discuss super-powers there (including what it would be like to be able to fly), and in Lanterns in the Dark it’s the spot where Dani finally confronts Giaco and Emilia about the need to help Marco. What can I say…? It’s a defining location for me, and no visit to Ravello is complete without it! 😊 P.S. Apologies for the breakfast-related nausea! Needless to say, the buffet is described from my own personal experience of staying in the area. Personally I would happily sample everything mentioned apart from the dreadful, ersatz cooked ‘English breakfast’. 😝

At risk of going down a technical rabbit hole, I don’t think an MMS message uses typical mobile data protocols so, unlike something like WhatsApp, it sits outside your data allowance and is chargeable anyway. It certainly is for me, even at home! As far as data roaming charges go, we did away with those in most of Europe a few years ago, but thanks to the UK’s frustrating exit from the European Union in recent years they are now back with a vengeance for British tourists visiting mainland Europe. Anyway, back to the story… 😆

It’s not a big deal really - I just wanted them to look like the text emojis we used to use before the use of graphic icons was commonplace. In 2009, when this story is set, I guess a lot of devices were probably already making the automatic substitution, but I was going for a retro feel. I tried changing the way one of them was expressed in text but it just gave me a different emoji so I gave up! Thanks anyway.

By the way, I wish this site would stop turning Reza and Tania’s text emojis into actual emojis. I do NOT want it to! If anybody knows any workarounds, please advise.

Yeah… Dad is clearly not devout. Devout Muslims pray several times a day and I don’t suppose his marriage to a non-Muslim woman would have been endorsed within the church. However, his faith still clearly means something to him and he considers it important that Reza has the opportunity to explore it too. Neither Reza not his father drink alcohol or eat pork. You will find them eating a mainly vegetarian / pescatarian diet because the meat served in restaurants isn’t exactly halal. Reza’s position on the fringes of his faith may allow him to be a bit more accepting of alternative lifestyles. As to how Dad would react, that’s an unknown. EDIT: I'll just note here that I have removed the reference to Dad shaving his beard off as it could have come across as a religious comment, which certainly wasn't the intention. Strange as it may seem, all I was really thinking about was a man choosing to shave before setting off on a holiday to a hot country... but it was a pretty clumsy writing choice.

Sunday Breakfast at the hotel was something to behold. The buffet seemed to be inspired by just about every culture in western Europe. For the German contingent, there were crusty rolls with slices of mild cheese, salami and ham; for the French and Italian element, the greatest selection of breakfast cakes and fruity pastries that Reza had ever seen; there was even an attempt at a cooked English breakfast, but it looked the least appealing option by far, and things like sausages and bac

I’m surprised nobody has pointed out the obvious yet in relation to the ‘two local boys’ encountered at the end of this chapter. Never mind, I’ll just check my Nokia. 😅

I can say with confidence that they weren’t thinking about Daniele. 🤔😉

Yes, Ramin is a British Muslim of Middle Eastern descent. Helen is English. Reza is a mixed-race boy who is not strongly tied to his father’s faith.

What a delightful collection of comments to wake up to! Too many to tackle individually while I’m still in bed on Sunday morning… Just to help manage everyone’s expectations, I’d just like to draw your attention to the advisory at the beginning: “intentionally lightweight and fluffy”; don’t take it too seriously; don’t expect it to be the same as my other stories. Reza will be going on a bit of a journey (there wouldn’t be a story otherwise), but it will not attempt the same level of in-depth character development as my other tales. Reza’s experience of Ravello itself will be as superficial as you might expect from a holiday with a slightly reluctant holidaymaker. The main purpose of this story is to make you chuckle.

You’re my first commenting reader to have actually been there. How interesting! Now, Klingsor was supposedly inspired by the Villa Rufolo gardens, right? That would suggest you stayed at what’s now the Hotel Rufolo nearby. You should get back there again. It still retains much of its charm, although it gets a little bit tidier each time I visit, and not always in a good way. Thanks for commenting. I have a whole series of more serious stories set in the same area if you’re interested!