blamebrampton | Ah Erko ... and Florence ... and that's not an English accent

Ah Erko ... and Florence ... and that's not an English accent

The lovely crazy French cat lady was about again today, with her giant ginger tom in her backpack, head sticking out and surveying the world. Apparently he dislikes cat cages, but is quite fond of being worn papoose-style. She inquired after our plague and I was happy to report that J and I are both on the mend. While the occasional coughing fit still occurs, and we're still fairly tired, we are definitely functional human beings again rather than flu victims. Hurrah!

This recovery, and the end of the report edit of doom (want to know anything about Australian regulatory authorities? I'm your girl!) means that I am now free to start planning the casual part of my trip to Florence in five weeks. It starts with a conference and a catch-up with my curatorial friends, and ends with a catch-up with some fandom friends, but in between there are several days of nothing.

I suspect that two straight weeks in Firenze will see me a little rabid, so I am trying to sort out what I want to do nearby. I'll be travelling by train or bus, have a modest budget and will be alone. It's the art and textiles tour, ahead of next year's romantic getaway when the cash-flow situation will be much improved. If you know the region, help me make up my mind. Bologna is calling to me, but I am trying to decide about Lucca, Ferrara, Pisa (where I m dropping in for a day anyway), Siena and San Gimignano. Any recommendations? I have been to all these spots save Lucca, but as a dissolute young person rather than as a responsible adult with High Cultural Concerns.

On the topic of cultural concerns, one strange artefact of the flu has been watching television. I am constantly surprised by what American actors think sounds English. Does this happen the other way around? Hugh Laurie and the bloke on Life both sound very American to me (with occasional vowel slippage from Hugh), do Americans hear everything that's wrong there?

Finally, a very happy birthday to

sassy_cissa ! Your kindness, generosity and talent never cease to impress and inspire me!

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YAY!!! Italy! I am so jealous. I have very little to add about travel plans other than Pisa was fine for a couple hours but I felt no need to visit longer. It may be a nice 'stop between cities' for you depending on your route.

One canadian's point of view: most British and Australia actors carry other accents very well. Particularly Aussie actors, I'm always surprise when they do interviews and I hear the accents. I cannot think of any time I have heard a slip that was blatant or annoying. As oppose to REALLY bad attempts at british or aussie accents by American or Canadian actors.

Yeah, I'm hitting the costume museum and Royal Palace museum in Pisa with my conference crew, which is all I had in mind to do there, but I keep thinking there is something great that I keep missing!

I never mention American actors' 'Australia' accents. Often I've thought they were meant to be South African ... At least the 'British' attempts are vaguely recognisable (though often strangely Rhodesian, and I do mean 1970s)

Never been to Lucca or Ferrera, and Pisa only for a couple of hours - which felt enough.

I personally adore Siena, it's so chock full of art and ambience (although the Medieval art may be more my thing than yours). I really like the whole feel of the city, just walking around looking is great. Also, San Gimignano very much appeals to me, but probably not for more than one night. There's a fantastic gelateria up in the piazza right by the Piazza del Duomo, and the last time I was there we had some absolutely wonderful food in a nice little restaurant. (Can you tell our focus there wasn't entirely cultural? ;) ) The Duomo was nice, though, and I love the towers. I'm not entirely sure how fun SG will be on your own since it's so small, but I can imagine you'll charm your way wherever you are. :)

As a complete side point, during university I had lectures by a South African then an Indigenous Aussie back to back.

It used to make my head spin. The accents were so similar (to my ears) each so unique. It was fascinating.

Yes, Siena and Bolgna will probably win out; the latter has some good Lavinia Fontana artworks I want to see, while the former is fresco city, a passion of mine, too!

And yeah, that's what's holding me back with SG, I think it would be more fun to do with J!

I can see that! I used to work on a mag that had me, a South African girl, a Kiwi and a real Australian. We used to arrange our vowels in order of openness ;-)

I traveled with friends the last time I was in Italy, and really enjoyed SG even though it wasn't a romantic trip - but given the choice between going there alone and with J, I think taking J would probably quadruple your pleasure. So if it's a real option for next year, I'd postpone it.

OH, I love the kitty in the backpack! So cute.

And Happy you are feeling better.

Pisa isn't too far away from Firenze. I went and toured the tower and the domo thingy nearby. It was a nice day trip. When I was in Italy I traveled by train everywhere. We spent 3 days in Firenze, it was nice, we saw all the museums, ate lots of food, toured the religious centers.

The Cinque Terre area, north of there on the coast, is beautiful. You can do a hike between all of the towns in one day. We did that and ate gelato in every town to decide which was the best. (We thought it was Monterosso, the more tourist town of the five that had the best gelato... We stayed in Vernazza) The towns are small, quiet (though full of tourists) and I had a great time there. I could have spent more time there, probably.

Sienna is supposed to be nice, but I didn't go there. Also Portofino.

Have fun!!!

Americans are used to funny accents because lots of actors try to do lots of accents. Does that make sense? So when they are wrong, many of us probably don't notice.

Oooo! You deserve Italy after battling the hell-flu. I wish I had the experience to give advice. *sigh* Well, I hope it goes perfectly.

On accents, I can hear deviations pretty easily. Hugh Laurie and Damian Lewis are usually perfect. There's an ambient formality that remains, but it folds into the characterization. Mostly, it doesn't bother me, even when I can hear it. It's easy to accept.

The only time it gets touchy is with specialty regional accents. And American actors have just as many problems with these, especially Southern accents. It can get very political.

She's a lovely mad French lady, and her cat is a very happy cat!

Yes, it's a matter of choosing what to do on the two of three free days I have. Pisa is very nice, but I'm already doing most of the things I'm interested in during my day there, so unless someone can come up with an exciting secret, I think I'll move on.

And I love that coast! But it's no fun to walk alone when the weather is cooling down. I think that's a next year one, but will definitely adopt your mission and take notes! Mmmmm gelato ...

I laughed out loud at your accent explanation!

I DO! Heh! It will be fun no matter what, as I am seeing a lot of my fave people. I've had to circumscribe my plans wildly as my mother owes me a small fortune, but worse things happen at sea!

Damian Lewis sounds more perfect than Hugh Laurie, to me, but I could be very wrong! And I think you are right that they both have that pause thing incorporated well into their roles! I know it's wrong that I am giggling about the politics of Southern accents, but I can't help it!

I think that's the ticket. I have to look up everyone's arrival time again! And it occurs to me that I have no idea if I am coming back from Pisa to Florence on the 9th ... oops ...

I have to run, but I'll make a sticky post or web page with the arrival matrix later. The earliest arrivals are on the 12th. It might be good to get phone numbers and pics too, so we can actually find each other!

arrival matrix! You're so organised!

Good for you! :)

Lewis is better, but it's close. Eddie Izzard, although I worship him, has problems with the accent in The Riches. (But his acting is still amazing!) The only thing that annoys me is when they try to pass off a British accent as New England or Mid-Atlantic blueblood.

What about it is making you giggle? :)

Gah, anyone trying to do an English accent! So. Bad. And it's always the posh upper class one, which only a small fraction of English people even have.

I don't think I've ever actually heard anyone trying to do an Australian accent. My accent is very weird currently, My vowels have turned, so when I say 'Australia' it sounds very natural Aussie, but most still sounds common Londoner. I get asked about it a lot. ;)

I love Hugh Laurie. I watched two seasons of House in one go, then watched an extra thing, hearing him talk naturally, and was whoa, oh yeah, that's how he actually talks! :D

And yay for you and Italy!

I'm imagining conversations along the lines of "That accent, Sah, might see you served in a good restaurant in North Carolina, but here in Savannah it would mark you as the recipient of an inferior education!"

so glad to hear you're ~~finally~~ on the mend. :)

i think it depends with accents. just like the majority of americans think that all brits sound a certain way (yes, i'm looking at you angelina jolie!!) i think some brit and even aussie actors think they've got an "american accent" down, but in actuallity, they really don't. hugh jackman is a perfect example. he slips ALL the time, as does rusell crowe and good GOD nicole kidman. but let's stop picking on the aussies...i hear hugh laurie slip on house as well. i think he just tries to hard. his 'R' sounds are way to harsh and sharp. i can't really figure out what part of the country house is supposed to represent. it's not east coast or mid-west. it's like he's trying to combine both accents...but ends up sounding like a brit trying to hard. i can think of only one actor who pulls off an american accent flawlessly, and that's gary oldman. i don't know how he does it. for the longest time i thought he was american! kate winslet pulls a very tight and close second.

Lucca didn't impress me as much as San Gimignano. I went to San Gimignano three times (all day trips) and all three times I had fun.

And I think Siena deserves two full days there, at least, because I think everyone should be at Piazza Del Campo for at least half a day and do nothing else but sit there. I'm very partial to Siena so you really must go there so I can experience Siena again through you. :P

Also, I think Bologna is better saved for your next trip because it's a bigger city and you're already going to be in Firenze. If you're keen on visiting another region that is NOT Toscana, then I'd suggest to try Cinque Terre instead. Like

winnett said, it's a beautiful place. Stupid me, I didn't visit there (and now I'm really crying from the utter regret), but my friends had nothing but great things to say about that place.

OK, I'm going back to my little corner and continue to be jealous at you. *sulks*

I can do a passable Australian if I talk through my nose and don't move my jaw (I am convinced they talk like this so the flies can't get in!)

One thing I've noticed lately is that American actors doing English accents increasingly go for a sort of Central London meets Essex/vaguely SE regional confection, maybe it's all the Jamie Oliver? And I am old enough to remember when every time you heard a posh English accent in an American film, they were playing a Nazi ;-)

As for Americans doing Aussie accents, Robert Downey Junior in Natural Born Killers (and in his new film, which I haven't seen) and A Dingo Stole My Baby from Meryl are the two that occur to me!

Some Australian actors do reasonable Brit, Cate Blanchett and Errol Flynn spring to mind, though he's not doing much these days ;-)

Edited 2008-09-25 15:09 (UTC)

It was gruesome for a while!

Yeah, the big star Aussies aren't as good as the lower-ranked team. Anthony La Paglia, Simon Baker (who also does passable) Brit and Rachel Griffiths impress me more. I always think I do a genius Californian, but it is in fact an impersonation of my Mum's ex-girlfriend and not really a Californian accent ;-)

Gary and Kate do it well because they are SPLENDID! And properly trained. Oldman will be looked back on as the Olivier of his generation, I cannot think of a technically superior actor his age.

And we should be kind to Nicole, because goodness knows it's all too easy if we're not ;-)

But wouldn't SG be better as a romantic rediscovery with the J next year? And same for Cinque Terre, November's not the greatest time of year for hiking and I don't like to walk alone, even in areas I know really well.

Bologna has the advantage that I only want to see a handful of things there, all in collections that I'll be able to get easy access to without having to schmooze extra curators. It won't be a very touristy side trip, as Siena is likely to be (and it is looking very likely!), but I'd be able to accomplish a good whack of research very quickly!

Send me your address and I can send you a postcard!

Hee, yes, those damn flies!

Really? I want to hear that! I'm from SE London, heard of Lewisham? Agh, Nazi-British? So weird.

Haven't seen either, but will try. Though, I've studied the whole Dingo-baby thing in legals studies and it kind of put me off any movies. We watched the longest doc on it ever, it lasted about five hours or something, well, it lasted over a week in class, anyway. D:

Yeah, Cate Blanchett's pretty cool, I don't think I've actually seen Errol Flynn in anything. :(

Oh, good point on Cinque Terre. Can't go there alone. (I didn't remember until just now that all of my friends went there with their partners). But, as for San Gimignano, hmmmm... call me crazy, but I don't see it as a romantic town (I'm spoiled by Bergamo, that's what). Then again, if you are planning to go back next year, I suppose it can wait until you're with J! I'm just trying to pimp it now because Lucca... I seriously was not impressed by it. Heh.

Where are you planning to go to in Bologna? I suppose if it's not to be a very touristy trip, Bologna's all right. I guess I don't consider the city pretty enough for a visit. I think Parma is prettier, but it's really not on your mind, is it?

POSTCARD? REALLY?! OOOOOH! YES, PLEASE! *flails*

I've gone *through* Lewisham many times (but, alas, never stopped).

I would happily do my 'Aussie' for you, but I can only do phrases that have not been used by actual Australians since the 1930s, as I was taught it by a very old man I used to know ;-)

And yeah, that Chamberlain case was just weird, but I suppose it was the Sally Clarke of the Antipoodes ... If you can see Errol in Robin Hood or the Sea Hawk, I thoroughly recommend it! Very old, but very very cool!

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Ah Erko ... and Florence ... and that's not an English accent

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