Holidaying abroad as Britain voted to leave the European Union was a strange and slightly embarrassing experience. We were in Corsica, where the indigenous population, absorbed in ancient local feuds, takes little interest in the outside world. Yet other Europeans, hearing English accents, eyed us warily as if we were wild animals who, though outwardly friendly, could turn nasty at any moment. Some were evidently keen to talk but uncertain whether it was wise to approach us. We felt like carrying placards: “We love you all, we voted Remain.”
The night after the vote, we talked to Italians who seemed puzzled and even hurt by the outcome. A woman from Venice said she’d lived in London for several years and always thought our anti-Europeans were just a joke. She knew that Brexit could lead to the UK breaking up. “You were large,” she said. “Now you will be small.”
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