Andrea and I fall on two different sides of the political spectrum. Shocking, I know. I fall somewhere around Ghandi and Mandela. Andrea, ahem, does not.

We make it work by not talking about politics. And yes, that's just as tricky as it sounds in a country that politicizes everything, from the shoes you wear (birkenstocks = left), to the newspaper you read (Il Giornale = right), to the grocery store you go to (Coop = left), to the bank you use (Mediolanum = right), to the taxis you take (in Florence, 4242 = left).

But we've managed now for eleven years and running. And I've always thought rather idealistically that we offer a model for world peace. (Stop rolling your eyes). We both take after our parents when it comes to politics. Our kid(s), however, will grow up seeing both sides and thus learn how to live in relative peace with others who think and believe different things.

That's how it's supposed to work in theory. In practice, it's ... messy, especially now with my pesky burgeoning feminism. So far so good, but also a bit scary. Politics are closer to home than we're used to. Thankfully, as I reported here, feminist issues are dear to Italians on both sides of the political divide. Here's hoping they remain so at home, too.

Are you also attracted to your opposite? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.