Monday dawns sunny and brisk, and I am, true to form, wide awake at 5am. I go for a quick hike to remind myself where I am. No matter how much I travel the world, waking up on a different continent is still a bit amazing to me. And anywhere that the culture and ambiance is dramatically different just makes it more surreal.
Such is the case this morning, when I remember that all I need to do is stumble 20 paces from the house for a morning espresso. But what's this? The bar is closed? I look around in a panic. A note on the door says that Paola is working the olive harvest today. But here is her mother Gina, coming back from the garden. I hail her, she shouts out a surprised 'Buon Giorno'. I tell her that I only arrived yesterday, and she says to call up the stairs when I come back.
So after my walk, I high-tail it back to Casa in Volpaia to pick up a gift I have brought for Gina from Oregon, a beautiful, fluffy, wine-colored afghan knitted by a friend in Oregon City, and walk back over to the restaurant, where Gina and her husband, Oriano, live upstairs. I call to her, she meets me downstairs, makes me a fabulous cappuccino, and cries as she hugs her gift. A nice warm way to start the day.
After meeting with our on site fractional and vacation rental property manager, Valeria, I drive over to Castellina, to try to hit the bank during their 3 hours of operation. I kid you not. Most banks open at 8:35am. Close at 11:35 for lunch. Reopen at 4pm for one hour. Okay, maybe it's 4 hours of operation. But there is only one teller, and each transaction has 4 forms to fill out.
The point is, I'm in a hurry. But as I drive through Radda, I just about hit my favorite pizza maker and friend, Luigi. In Italy, when you try to run someone over, you must stop and let them buy you a coffee. I just made that up, but that is what happens. So I head off to Castellina a bit late, get to the bank with 10 minutes to spare, and of course, they cannot exchange all of my dollars. I must call ahead, they say. Okay. But the good news, Claudio informs me, is that my credit card is ready, 5 months after opening my account. But I need another appointment to get it, because they are closing for lunch.
It is now 11:30, and the list of 7 things that I wanted to do today is blown. Time for lunch. Time to throw away the list, and become an Italian again.
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