Walking About

In honor of Paula's escape from red dirt and mosquitoes, I did a walk about today, camera in hand.

We have an amazing corner location - the sea on one side, my bedroom overlooking a castle that's nearly 1000 years old, and a very short walk to the nicest piazza in Mola, our hometown.

When I open the door this view lies straight ahead.  Every day is laundry day and there are no dryers.

I walk the length of it and as I turn the corner today I'm greeted by the postman as he bounces off his mail motociclo to pop mail into a residential box.

Going to church doesn't require much distance for area residents.  Just to my left sits a church very accessible to handicap members.

But if that one doesn't suit you, just keep walking across the piazza to the one straight ahead whose bell tower you see in the distance.  That distance is a very short block.

And ahead you can see why small cars prove advantageous on these narrow streets!  We still have both mirrors on our car.  Knock on wood.

Have you ever seen a street that clean?  This is why they are clean:

She took a break to watch Laura hang the laundry on the balcony you see two stories above her.  The two bedrooms share that balcony overlooking the castle.

What a pretty entrance into this home across from the church!

Just a few more steps and we come to this chair announcing that this man's vegetable market in front of his home is aperto. Actually, I don't think it ever closes since there's no other place to put the produce!

The customer ahead of me can order anything that strikes her fancy. I have to stick with sedano, cipolla, and pomodoro because celery, onion and tomatoes are my vocabulary repertoire of vegetables!

She tells him what she would like, never touching or handling any of them.  That would be a big no-no, something I still have trouble remembering.  I have to hold my hands!  Only Americans touch and squeeze and make them dirty.

See the big pile of turnip greens?  Some people eat the root and throw the greens away, some people eat the greens and throw away the root, we were told!

Orchiette - lamb's ears - is a pasta exclusive to this area.  It's named for its shape and often eaten with turnip greens.  

Well, I've gotten you about the distance of an average city block from our abode.  We haven't even reached the piazza!  It may take a few days to cover this walk about.