Today it's hot as hell. I went to see my geometra who introduced me to a nice guy in the assistenza fiscale office and then I went to the bank and then to the post office and paid my ICI - property taxes - here in the village. The muratori were in my cantina working on the walls and floors. I bought two more fans for the house and did a grocery shop at a village store. Later in the day I watered the garden and later still I took the trash to the tip. One can't do any of these things without socializing all the way to and from any point. You run into almost every soul you've met since you arrived a year ago and everyone greets you and, more often than not, stops to talk. The guy from the news and stationery store, the tobacconist, the pensioners, the herbalist, the local cop, the real estate agent, and local farmers - we all take an interest in one another. And that's not to mention the socializing with the bank teller, the store keepers, the postal clerk and the people in the offices

One gets up with the sun, breakfasts, checks e-mail, showers and dresses, does errands, cleans house, has lunch, reads, takes a nap, works in the garden, takes phone calls, opens a bottle of wine and makes dinner, watches a movie, goes out to the piazza for some air, and then thinks about going to bed around midnight or later. (I think you skip the nap in the winter when the sun comes up later and there are fewer hours of light and little gardening.) Nice life.

We also have a new museum with paintings done in the 14th and 15th centuries by Lorenzo di Pietro called Il Vecchietta, Simone Martini, et al. They were born here but the paintings had been taken to Siena and Montalcino. Now they're back.

posted by Joanna @ 6/30/2006 12:42:00 AM