Well, it’s almost over, my 88 days in Venice this summer (two days shy of the 90 day Schengen limit). An appropriate number, perhaps, for a pianist, although it has been one of very few disappointments for me that, in my three months in Venice, I never found a piano to practice on, not even once.

No matter – this is not a post in which I will complain. Rather, I will commend, and commend highly, the people who made my stay here unforgettable, and who showed me such wonderful kindness and generosity all summer long.

These are the Venetians of 2009. Venetians like Alberto and his family, who have treated me like I was one of their own. With Alberto, I swam in the lagoon on weekends, visited Lake Garda, ate dinner on an altana and sunned myself in front of a capanna. We worked together, ate our lunches together at Bepi’s on the Strada Nova, and became very good friends.

And there are Fabio’s parents, Cino and Wilma, who fed Ori and me at every opportunity and served as our caring and attentive landlords here in Sant’Elena. Like Alberto, they treated us like family from day one.

And then there’s Luigino Vianello, the one-of-a-kind boatman from Pellestrina who took us for cargo boat rides down the Grand Canal, bought us coffee and lunch innumerable times, regularly supplied us with wine and beer, and helped me learn Venetian. And although I’ll probably never need to do it again, it’s also nice to know that I could teach the basics of email, Skype and Excel in Italian…

There’s the staff at the Brasilia and Bepi’s and Pampo’s, who are always friendly and make you feel like you’re coming home every time you go in for a coffee, spritz or meal.

These are just the big examples. All summer long, Venetians have been treating me well, always buying me drinks and welcoming me as a friend. Moving to Europe for two years is daunting, still even now that I’ve already been here for three months. But to have true friends in a place really makes it all seem more manageable and less intimidating. I know it’s not always easy to do, but all of these experiences have taught me that there is nothing more important, nor fulfilling, than to find friends wherever one goes, and to try to experience their culture from their perspective.

Which leads me to the last Venetian I must thank, without whom this summer would not have been possible at all: Il Professore, Fabio Carrera. He provided a place for me to stay, fed me, and without him and his generosity, there would be no Venice Project Center, no Venice 2.0, and certainly no Kyle in Venice. Thank you, Fabio, on behalf of Ori and me, for making it all possible, and for introducing me, directly and indirectly, to every Venetian I’ve ever met.