Neighborhood Watch

It’s official. There’s no denying it. I have a cold. The sinus congestion & sneezing continues. The two hankies I bought in Tuscany are getting a real workout! Now I wish I bought more. Only one euro each, which is about $1! And they are so lightweight, I could have bought a dozen. Maybe Spello has a ‘haberdashery’?
It’s been another day of taking it easy. Perfect excuse for hanging out on the terrace reading Michelle Damiani’s book about her year in Spello, taking occasional breaks to write in my journal about our month (plus) in Spello.
I wasn’t up for any big treks, so I didn’t join Mike when he went down to the borgo to pick up our roasted chicken & potatoes from the Macelleria (butcher). However, I did venture out briefly to our neighborhood bakery to get a half loaf of freshly baked multi-grain bread, then to the alimentari/grocery to pick up 200 g of cinghiale salami and some black cured olives. On a lark, I stopped at one of the local perfumeries (Acqua ai Fior di Spello has 3 shops in town) to try their 3rd fragrance (I only try one at a time). That was a mistake! My sinus impaired condition has made me overly sensitive to scents. A headache ensued and I hurried home to wash off the perfume spritzed on my wrist.
Our apartment has a ‘front stoop’, which is actually a ledge at the top of our stairway, which opens on to little Piazza Gramsci. Three older gentlemen that also live on our mini piazza, spend their entire day, every day sitting in the piazza. They follow the shade and move around the piazza with the sun, alternating sitting on a stone bench in front of one of one guy’s place, to the stone ledge at the top of our stairway. If cars aren’t parked in the piazza, they pull a wood bench out of the cantina to sit on. We walk past them as we leave our apartment, and they are still there when we return. Everytime. Everyday. They chat with all the Spellani passersby, and they are always chatting! The town grapevine in operation. Blip: these three guys on the ledge at the top of our stairs.